Sodium Nitrate dose Sanity check

rwreef · Oct 23, 2022

I am in the process of solving low nitrates and phosphates in my 335g Total reef system. I have turned off my skimmer, feeding heavy etc. However my hannah checker test are still showing up as zero. So! I want to dose Sodium Nitrate to help get over the hump.

Max solubility of Sodium Nitrate per online calculator (James planted tank calculator) is 36g per 100ml. I want to use a 1 gallon container to dose. Therfore I am calculating that ~1362g (~3lbs) per 1 gallon (~3785ml) will dissolve and allow me to dose ~6ml to increase Nitrate by ~1.04ppm .
Seems like a lot..

Math
Saturation 36g per 100ml (per calculator website)
3785ml/100ml = 37.85
37.85*36g= ~1362g
Therfore, 1362g per every 3785ml will dissolve fully (obviously error in math so would work up to max grams slowly to find exact solubility amount)

Does any of this make sense or am I losing it?

Any help to check my sanity is appreciated.. @Randy Holmes-Farley

KStatefan · Oct 23, 2022

You do not have to mix to max solubility

rwreef · Oct 23, 2022

KStatefan said:
You do not have to mix to max solubility

Fair, so I could do "half" mix and dose 2x the amount. I am curious to what ratio most people mix at.

homer1475 · Oct 23, 2022

When I was dosing, I simply mixed up so 1ml = 1ppm or roughly close to that.

But again my tank is only 80G not 335G.

You can mix it anyways you want, just figure how you want to add, and how much at a time you want to add.

KStatefan · Oct 23, 2022

I mix so that 5ml is 1ppm. When I was dosing manually I had it so 1 teaspoon was 1 ppm

rwreef · Oct 23, 2022

As expected i was too deep into the numbers and common sense went out the window! I believe i know what i am gonna do now, thanks!

80g per 3785 ml and dose 100 ml
Or dose 5 tablespoons per 3785ml and dose 100ml (little above 1ppm Nitrate)