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[Mykawl]

can You add powder form sodium carbonate(baking soda) to the tank or will it instantly precipitate out? Also what about calcium chloride and the dry magnesium mix from BRS.

Not planning on doing this (already tried) but super curious just haven’t made more ro/di to make the premix (lazy).

Scenario: what is the proper way to balance this tank then maintain?

Mag - 1180
Calcium - 360
Alkalinity - 6ish

My current understanding is to make a separate calcium and alkalinity mix with ro/di water as well as a magnesium mix.

Then I can add the dissolved magnesium mix to adjust to 1280, then throughout the day hours restore calcium levels. Wait at least 30 min and throughout the next two nights restore alkalinity to 7 not exceeding .5dkh per day. Will this work is this how it’s suppose to be done?

Also I will then need to make an impotent Kalkwasser mix and figure out my evaporation rate and math that into the potency of my Kalkwasser so my ato (which I don’t have yet) will become the ultimate stabilizer replacing fresh ro/di water and maintaining calcium/alkalinity.

Lastly I was curious if I restore magnesium is there a cutoff point in which you can only add so much calcium or alkalinity if the other is depleted as well? Meaning if my alkalinity is 6dkh will calcium rise to 500 if I kept adding or is there some chemical interaction going on here to prevent this? Basically I’m asking if I will need to restore levels over a week instead of just adding 50ppm calcium real quick to get back to 410 then slowly bringing alkalinity back up, sorry the question is in there just didn’t know how to ask it lol

 

[lapin]

Randy's Reef Chemistry Articles

While there are many good articles out there on reef chemistry topics, here's a list of my articles. Some of them need updating, and we'll be posting revisions at R2R, but there are not many things which I think are incorrect. Handy Calculators (I don't claim to have written these, but they...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Mykawl]

Randy's Reef Chemistry Articles

While there are many good articles out there on reef chemistry topics, here's a list of my articles. Some of them need updating, and we'll be posting revisions at R2R, but there are not many things which I think are incorrect. Handy Calculators (I don't claim to have written these, but they...

www.reef2reef.com

That works too lol I like reading I’ll read all of that thanks : )

 

[MnFish1]

Everything you said is correct (from what I understood) - No you shouldn't add powder directly to the tank. -

As far as Kaltwasser - you dont need to 'calculate' the solution - normally people make a saturated (look at that article) - solution - and then add this AS their top off water. (once they have reached a stable alk/ca based on their dosing.

 

[MnFish1]

Lastly I was curious if I restore magnesium is there a cutoff point in which you can only add so much calcium or alkalinity if the other is depleted as well? Meaning if my alkalinity is 6dkh will calcium rise to 500 if I kept adding or is there some chemical interaction going on here to prevent this? Basically I’m asking if I will need to restore levels over a week instead of just adding 50ppm calcium real quick to get back to 410 then slowly bringing alkalinity back up, sorry the question is in there just didn’t know how to ask it lol

Normally people add calcium and alkalinity at the same rate - so that they are in balance. This is what Kaltwasser does - it adds alkalinity and Ca - at the same time.

The same thing happens when you add equal amounts of Alkalinity solution and Ca solution (according to the BRS recipes).

IF though - you were to add the Ca and alk solutions together (in the same glass) - the Ca/alk would precipitate into CaCarbonate - and not be effective. Thats why people suggest spreading out the dosing of Ca/ Alk - either time wise (hours) - or in different parts of the tank.