Post your DIY additives here!

[Ellery]

Yes here are the cobalt and zinc links:

According to their MSDS for this catalog # (GRM7628), this is the anhydrous form and not a hydrate. This is the form that functions as a Lewis Acid.

@Randy Holmes-Farley Here's the 2 components I chose.

 

[Ellery]

Can any one else help clarify a generic formula can be used to dilute the Cobalt Chloride and Zinc Chloride components listed above. Just need some 2nd set of eyes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes here are the cobalt and zinc links:

According to their MSDS for this catalog # (GRM7628), this is the anhydrous form and not a hydrate. This is the form that functions as a Lewis Acid.

The data you copied from someone else appears to be wrong.

Cobalt sulfate heptahydrate is 21% cobalt by weight.

Dissolve 1 g in 1 L RO/DI, and the concentration is 210 mg/L, or 210 ug/mL.

Adding 1 mL (210 ug) to 100 L of aquarium water boosts cobalt by 2.1 ug/L.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Zinc Chloride (anhydrous) is 48% zinc by weight. By the same reasoning as above, adding 1 mL of a solution containing 1 g/L to a 100 L aquarium boosts zinc by 4.8 ug/L.

 

[Ellery]

Zinc Chloride (anhydrous) is 48% zinc by weight. By the same reasoning as above, adding 1 mL of a solution containing 1 g/L to a 100 L aquarium boosts zinc by 4.8 ug/L.

Thanks a bunch Randy. Trying to build a simple Excel Spreadsheet calculator to attempt to replicate the ATI dose concentrations seen from resulting ICP test results.

 

[kabal2]

this is a great thread, thank you to all for your knowledge.

 

[kabal2]

I saw this sodium fluoride on Ebay, will this be ok to use to dose fluoride?
thanks
Gabe

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I saw this sodium fluoride on Ebay, will this be ok to use to dose fluoride?
thanks
Gabe

Yes, just be careful with it. I'd suggest reviewing this safety data sheet:

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/sds/sial/s7920

 

[kabal2]

Yes, just be careful with it. I'd suggest reviewing this safety data sheet:

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/sds/sial/s7920

 

[ss88]

Zinc Chloride (anhydrous) is 48% zinc by weight. By the same reasoning as above, adding 1 mL of a solution containing 1 g/L to a 100 L aquarium boosts zinc by 4.8 ug/L.

When mixed this forms a precipitate. How do you go about getting this to dissolve properly?

 

[Borat]

When mixed this forms a precipitate. How do you go about getting this to dissolve properly?

I would add Uranium Oxide (this is special Kazakistan recipe)!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

When mixed this forms a precipitate. How do you go about getting this to dissolve properly?

That may be a bit of zinc oxide precipitation. If it concerns you, adding a little vinegar may dissolve it.

 

[ss88]

That may be a bit of zinc oxide precipitation. If it concerns you, adding a little vinegar may dissolve it.

Thank you for the advice, I will give it a try.

I would add Uranium Oxide (this is special Kazakistan recipe)!

Haha, might be kinda hard to acquire.

 

[OceanDreamer]

For dosing nitrate, I'd use a food grade sodium or potassium nitrate. I won't link them since they change rapidly, but Amazon sells some and Loudwolf sells some that can be obtained on ETSY. Calcium nitrate is likely also OK and is often available.

For dosing phosphate I'd use food grade sodium or potassium phosphate, and here there is substantial variability since you can have 1, 2 or 3 sodium or potassium ions per phosphate. All are fine if food grade, but the potency changes a bit. Same link issues.

For dosing these materials, this calculator can often help:

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm

Do you think dosing Ammonium bicarbonate can be a bad idea?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do you think dosing Ammonium bicarbonate can be a bad idea?

I give a recipe for doing it here:

DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

Some reef aquaria have chronic low nitrogen availability. One indicator is very low nitrate. Nitrate dosing is a fine remedy, but it is possible that ammonia dosing may be more beneficial for some organisms since ammonia can be energetically easier to assimilate than is nitrate. For this...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Mateusz]

When mixed this forms a precipitate. How do you go about getting this to dissolve properly?

Ive found it dissolves overnight. I know for sodium fluoride i believe i had to add a drop or two of muriatic acid to get the pH lower but i dont recall offhand. I feel like these trace elements really arent that big a deal though,i never saw an improvement

 

[LimestoneCowboy]

Yes, just be careful with it. I'd suggest reviewing this safety data sheet:

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/sds/sial/s7920

@Randy Holmes-Farley If one we say already calculating (Mn,Ru,I,Se,Cr,Co,Fe,Zn,V,Mo,Ni) and adding them together with DI water so that elements could be dosed twice an hour as part of this combined solution, would it be ok to add my F to this cocktail? Wasn't sure which elements you could mix like that above and beyond the above. Today I dose Sr and F by themselves, but always looking to make things easier if possible. Thank you

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In looking at this solubility table, there may be issues with some of those, such as vanadium.

Solubility chart - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[LimestoneCowboy]

In looking at this solubility table, there may be issues with some of those, such as vanadium.

Solubility chart - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Interesting. I will try to figure out how to read that chart, but at a high level and the elements I mentioned, would there be a group you would feel safe combining with DI for a solution that could be dosed hourly and then those that should be on their own doser pump? Appreciate the guidance there @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Mixing trace elements is often an exceedingly complicated issue since they can not only simply precipitate, but depending on which chemical forms you start with (say, ferrous iron) they can react with one another to make different chemical forms (say, ferric iron) that are more or less soluble (less, in the case of the iron).

Instead of trying to figure out this complex puzzle, my suggestion is to mess around like a mad scientist and see which ones you can combine that will leave the water without any solids or cloudiness.