Making your own Ca???

reefer55 · Feb 14, 2013

Thoughts on this topic, recently I came across this subject in a DIY video

Guy mixed 1g of RO water with pure Calcium Chloride from BRS, why don't people always do this? Is it not the same we buy from LFS or is it and people just don't know about it?

Can someone explain?

"You might be a firefighter if your kids are scared to get in a water fight with you"

Go Gators!!!

Christian

DerekFF · Feb 14, 2013

Lots of people make their own kalk which usually is enough for a tank. I'm not sure how this would differ from the pickling lime recipe. But DIY kalk is easy and super cheap

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reefer55 · Feb 14, 2013

DerekFF said:
Lots of people make their own kalk which usually is enough for a tank. I'm not sure how this would differ from the pickling lime recipe. But DIY kalk is easy and super cheap

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Ya I've seen that as well, what floored me is the people buying all the stuff pre made but man O man is it a cost saver if you make your own stuff, seems like a no brainer!!!

Is the Ca the exact same stuff we buy tho or does it have different elements ?

"You might be a firefighter if your kids are scared to get in a water fight with you"

Go Gators!!!

Christian

ritter6788 · Feb 14, 2013

I make my own calcium, alk and magnesium. Calcium and mag from bulkreefsupply and alk is made from regular baking soda from the grocery store. I mix it with my RO/DI water and put it into empty milk jugs to dose via ATO or BRS dosing pumps.

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reefer55 · Feb 14, 2013

ritter6788 said:
I make my own calcium, alk and magnesium. Calcium and mag from bulkreefsupply and alk is made from regular baking soda from the grocery store. I mix it with my RO/DI water and put it into empty milk jugs to dose via ATO or BRS dosing pumps.

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And you get exact same results as you would with as pre made? I'm floored more ppl dont do this lol

"You might be a firefighter if your kids are scared to get in a water fight with you"

Go Gators!!!

Christian

DerekFF · Feb 14, 2013

The stuff from BRS is 2 part. So the Ca is just that....Ca. You still need the alk part which is where baking soda comes into play and also the 2nd part of BRS products. Using pickling lime however covers both of these in 1 shot. It will however lose its potency over time if exposed to air.

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ritter6788 · Feb 14, 2013

I've been doing it for years now. I've never bought bottled supplements...well I have but I know better now.

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DerekFF · Feb 14, 2013

2tblsp (tablespoons) if mrs wages picking lime to every 1g RO water. Mix it and let it set. Skim off the clear liquid on top and dump the "powder" and settled stuff on the bottom and its good to go

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reefer55 · Feb 14, 2013

DerekFF said:
The stuff from BRS is 2 part. So the Ca is just that....Ca. You still need the alk part which is where baking soda comes into play and also the 2nd part of BRS products. Using pickling lime however covers both of these in 1 shot. It will however lose its potency over time if exposed to air.

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Isn't the pickling lime used for making KALK? Or am I getting things confused?

I can't just buy the Calcium chloride from BRS and mix it with my RO, and use it as my dosing?

Then can't I use pickling Lime and a little vinegar to make my own Kalk?

Sorry so many questions lol

"You might be a firefighter if your kids are scared to get in a water fight with you"

Go Gators!!!

Christian

DerekFF · Feb 14, 2013

Pickling lime =kalkwasser same same same thing.

BRS Ca is only half of what kalkwasser is and therefore only half of the whole picture of what you need.

Essentially baking soda makes up the 2nd half of the equation for BRS for the alk part.

So to sum it pickling lime is kalkwasser and the whole shabang.

BRS 2 part or any baking soda and calcium chloride combo must be used in tandem to equal what kalkwasser/pickling lime is. Same thing just broken into 2 parts

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Singlefin · Feb 15, 2013

I get my ca. Alk and mag off eBay. I think it's cheaper than brs.

Dave3112 · Feb 15, 2013

DerekFF said:
Pickling lime =kalkwasser same same same thing.

BRS Ca is only half of what kalkwasser is and therefore only half of the whole picture of what you need.

Essentially baking soda makes up the 2nd half of the equation for BRS for the alk part.

So to sum it pickling lime is kalkwasser and the whole shabang.

BRS 2 part or any baking soda and calcium chloride combo must be used in tandem to equal what kalkwasser/pickling lime is. Same thing just broken into 2 parts

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On a young tank. Maybe. On a mature tank, not enough IMO/IME.

seamonkey84 · Feb 15, 2013

Depending on how much ca/Alk the tank needs at the time. High demand tanks would need more than the amount that kalk can provide, when using it for top off. But soft coral, coralline, and inverts will do fine with just kalk, or if you don't go heavy with LPS, aren't keeping too many Sps and/or clam.
I personaly have been using Randy's DIY two part recipe, but I'm going to be switching to BRS for my next batch. I'm currently using Preston's driveway heat as my calcium chloride source (as its randy approved). All the reviews I've found say its fine, and its done me fine for over a year, but I'm switching when this tub is gone.

mcarroll · Feb 15, 2013

FWIW, a lot of people don't want to futz with the measuring and mixing of dry chemicals (which most companies offer in addition to their premixed solutions).

Other people (especially those just starting out) don't have any reason to justify not using premixed as the cost just isn't much....a $10 bottle of alk should last a month or even several. Once you're going through a bottle a day like some of us, you'll have all the justification you'll need to mix your own though.

If I were you (just starting out) I would begin with 2-part....pick up Brightwell's Alkalin8.3 and Calcion. The usage instructions on the Brightwell are the best by far and will be much better for getting you started with a solid understanding of testing and dosing.

Once you find your usage of the 2-part chemicals going up (and you're in your testing+dosing rhythm) you can add kalkwasser to your toolbox and bring your 2-part dosing levels back down to "cheap".

Depending on if you end up adding vinegar to boost the kalk (see your kalk thread) you'll end up seeing your 2-part dosing go back up to "expensive" again. This is a good stage to consider a "mix your own" strategy (or adding that vinegar). Many folks go with BRS, but there are other options as well - read up and understand them since you should have plenty of time!

-Matt

P.S. Make sure you pick up Salifert Calcium and Alkalinity test kits when the time comes for adding stony corals.

reefer55 · Feb 15, 2013

My tank now im dosing pretty heavily and that's just a 65g and now that I'm cycling my 250, I wanted to prepare for little bit more dosing more stability as that's what SPS need, stable levels at all times. So reading these comments I've determined for sure I'm mixing my own Calcium and Kalk

"You might be a firefighter if your kids are scared to get in a water fight with you"

Go Gators!!!

Christian

Eggs · Feb 15, 2013

seamonkey84 said:
Depending on how much ca/Alk the tank needs at the time. High demand tanks would need more than the amount that kalk can provide, when using it for top off.

That's pretty much what has happened to me. I was good with Kalk using with top-off for the longest time, but it I came to a point where it didn't keep up with demand for Alk.

Eggs · Feb 15, 2013

ritter6788 said:
I make my own calcium, alk and magnesium. I mix it with my RO/DI water and put it into empty milk jugs to dose via ATO or BRS dosing pump.

What are you using for the Mag?

ritter6788 · Feb 15, 2013

Eggs said:
What are you using for the Mag?

Magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate. I really don't have much demand for mag in my tank so I haven't had to dose it yet but it's ready to go if I need it.

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Eggs · Feb 15, 2013

ritter6788 said:
Magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate. I really don't have much demand for mag in my tank so I haven't had to dose it yet but it's ready to go if I need it.

Ok, that's what I thought. I didn't know if there was some common item (like pickling lime) out there that could be used.

DerekFF · Feb 15, 2013

Dave3112 said:
On a young tank. Maybe. On a mature tank, not enough IMO/IME.

How is this solution not enough? No one said for top off only. The OP asked about if using these regular household ingredients for DIY was the same as the manufacturers stuff. And it is.

Now this conversation is moving into dosing which is an entirely different topic. Macarrol did however give good advice on how to learn to dose safely with manufactured products before DIY.

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