HELP! Seachem Reef Builder mixture for dosing system?

[Reefhaven]

Does anyone use seachem reef builder in a dosing system? I was using fauna Marin alkalinity balling salts and wanted to switch over the seachem. I wanted to use it in a dosing system but I don’t know what the correct mixture with RO water to mix. TIA

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Why do you want to switch to Seachem?

IMO, Balling is a much better system than Reef Builder.

 

[Reefhaven]

Why do you want to switch to Seachem?

IMO, Balling is a much better system than Reef Builder.

I have been having issues in my tank for a while. Over three crashes. Long story short…setup a tank and after six months things started to die. It starts with sps and everything else goes down hill. Restarted again with brand new everything and again after six months things started to die. Decided to try it one more time and again after six months are so stuff start to die. So I broke down the tank and went freshwater for the last three years. Decided to give saltwater one last try.

Again, eliminated most of not all possibilities. New equipment, new rocks, sand, pretty much everything new except Alk, cal and mag balling salts from fauna Marin. The balling salts are quite old. I think I brought them like 5 years ago. So my thinking is that everything is new maybe the alk balling salt got contaminated from sitting altums for a long time in the garage or something. Want to change it out and see if that fixes the issue. It this point I don’t know what else to try.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

OK, it's certainly fair to worry about chemicals store din a garage getting contaminated. I just wouldn't pick Seachem Reef Builder as the best method.

That said, the amount of water you dissolve it in is unimportant as long as you use enough water to dissolve it.

 

[Reefhaven]

OK, it's certainly fair to worry about chemicals store din a garage getting contaminated. I just wouldn't pick Seachem Reef Builder as the best method.

That said, the amount of water you dissolve it in is unimportant as long as you use enough water to dissolve it.

I know there are better methods (brands) but seachem has been around for a long time and I got a good deal when marine depot was going out of business. I was thinking about getting soda ash from BRS.

so as long as everything is dissolved then I can figure it how much to add into the tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I know there are better methods (brands) but seachem has been around for a long time and I got a good deal when marine depot was going out of business. I was thinking about getting soda ash from BRS.

so as long as everything is dissolved then I can figure it how much to add into the tank?

Yes.

 

[Reefhaven]

Yes.

Thanks Randy! You have always been a great help!!!

 

[Reefhaven]

Yes.

Something I wanted to ask you is that is there a correlation between nitrate/phosphate and higher alkalinity? My current nitrate is 10-15ppm and phosphate is .07-.1ppm but my alkalinity is only around 7.7-8. Should I have my alkalinity a little higher (9-9.5) with my nitrate at 10-15 and phosphate at .07.1? Thanks again!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Only in that if alk is high (say, 9-11 dKH), you want substantial N and P or you risk getting burnt tips on SPS corals. But just because N and P are substantial (like yours), that's no reason to raise alkalinity.

 

[Screwgunner]

Yep