Dosing 3 supplements with only 2 dosing heads??

[Agraves77]

Highly considering buying the Dos from Neptune systems for a dosing pump. My issue is I am currently using reef foundation for the major elements and it has 3 components..

I was wondering if other people have the same setup and would like to shed light on how they approach the 3rd component?

 

[chefjpaul]

Highly considering buying the Dos from Neptune systems for a dosing pump. My issue is I am currently using reef foundation for the major elements and it has 3 components..

I was wondering if other people have the same setup and would like to shed light on how they approach the 3rd component?

Thats why its built in pairs.

So you have to buy another one.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

If you are set on using Reef Foundations by Red Sea, there is no way around needing another dosing head. The elements are separated out that way because they can't be mixed together without precipitating.

You can make a true two-part if you mix your own chemicals. This one was developed by Jim Welsh. You can use the BRS chemicals for this, although you will have to source the sodium sulfate on your own:

Part 1 - The Calcium and Magnesium Part
Dissolve 500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

Part 2 - The Alkalinity and Sulfate Part
Dissolve 374.7 g of sodium carbonate (594 g of baking soda that has been baked; = 3.535 moles of sodium carbonate) plus 68.7 g of sodium sulfate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

 

[Potatohead]

Are the three foundation elements designed to be dosed equally?

 

[chefjpaul]

Are the three foundation elements designed to be dosed equally?

Most are made to be dosed equally based off of DKH consumption.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If you are set on using Reef Foundations by Red Sea, there is no way around needing another dosing head. The elements are separated out that way because they can't be mixed together without precipitating.

You can make a true two-part if you mix your own chemicals. This one was developed by Jim Welsh. You can use the BRS chemicals for this, although you will have to source the sodium sulfate on your own:

Part 1 - The Calcium and Magnesium Part
Dissolve 500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

Part 2 - The Alkalinity and Sulfate Part
Dissolve 374.7 g of sodium carbonate (594 g of baking soda that has been baked; = 3.535 moles of sodium carbonate) plus 68.7 g of sodium sulfate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

Interesting. TM balling you can mix the cal and mag. Once you read through the ancient texts of magical reef “salts “ and figure out witch one is what.

For the op , with standard two part most wind up dosing mag by hand.
Or not all if one is doing water changes. Between the fluid and wc there enough mag.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Interesting. TM balling you can mix the cal and mag. Once you read through the ancient texts of magical reef “salts “ and figure out witch one is what.

For the op , with standard two part most wind up dosing mag by hand.
Or not all if one is doing water changes. Between the fluid and wc there enough mag.

Huh, interesting. I didn't know you could do this with Tropic Marin's salts.

I guess I should say that I don't know for sure if Red Sea's parts cannot be mixed. It was a generalization that tends to be correct though. It depends on which magnesium and calcium salts they used, and what salts they used for the trace elements. I would certainly not do it without consulting Red Sea.

 

[chefjpaul]

AF used to combine thiers, but stopped.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Huh, interesting. I didn't know you could do this with Tropic Marin's salts.

I guess I should say that I don't know for sure if Red Sea's parts cannot be mixed. It was a generalization that tends to be correct though. It depends on which magnesium and calcium salts they used, and what salts they used for the trace elements. I would certainly not do it without consulting Red Sea.

I had to dig. Hard.

 

[Potatohead]

If they use calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate (extremely likely) they cannot be mixed. Calcium sulfate will precipitate out. If any brand is mixing them they are using magnesium chloride only.

I was going to suggest dosing magnesium by hand, or sometimes even water changes will be enough. However if those salts contain any trace elements I would not consider doing that.