The Balling Method
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Taservices
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Following for interest.
Ive read about it and seems like a 3 part like Randys. They say it balances the ions, but from what they use i dont see how the ions are balanced.
They also interionally add heavy metals. I wouldnt be doing that.
They also interionally add heavy metals. I wouldnt be doing that.
biom
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It is almost the same, especially Balling Lite, the only differences are the trace elements to be added per every canister, and addition of NaCl free salt in Balling Complete. I don't know who was the first introduced calcium chloride - baking soda method in the hobby - Dr. Holmes-Farley or Dr. Balling but not really maters. Thank you both 
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Habib(Salifert)
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It is almost the same, especially Balling Lite, the only differences are the trace elements to be added per every canister, and addition of NaCl free salt in Balling Complete. I don't know who was the first introduced calcium chloride - baking soda method in the hobby - Dr. Holmes-Farley or Dr. Balling but not really maters. Thank you both
I started in early 1992 with calcium chloride and baking soda for my own use. The shopkeeper who supplied me the aquarium etc was surprised by the results and started to supply it to him for sale in his shop. Two separate bottles. That was the beginning of Salifert. However, at that time people were more interested in only the calcium part. It was hard to educate them at that time.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I expect that calcium chloride and baking soda/washing soda were probably the first things anyone used to supplement calcium and alkalinity in an aquarium, and likely independently at first.
As far as I know, Bob Stark of ESV may have been the first to make a two part (B-ionic, named for Bob's ionic supplement).
Balling is a little different than a two part, but accomplishes the same thing (if they are all designed perfectly).
Balling adds sodium carbonate/bicarbonate and calcium chloride. Then to deal with the residual sodium and chloride, it adds a sodium chloride free salt mix (that is, salt mix with everything except sodium and chloride) to exactly balance out the sodium and chloride, leaving the tank water with a residue of ions that looks like seawater. So the only drawback over time is that the salinity rises.
A two part does (or at least can do) this exact thing, except it puts all of the ingredients from the sodium chloride free salt mix) into one of the two or three parts used in the supplement system. Again, the salinity rises over time, same as with Balling.
FWIW, there was a short discussion by me and Lou Ekus of Tropic Marin/Balling where he tried to defend the "specialness" of Balling over a two part, but he never responded to my last post asking for a clarification of why he thought that:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/balling-compared-to-triton.227707/
As far as I know, Bob Stark of ESV may have been the first to make a two part (B-ionic, named for Bob's ionic supplement).
Balling is a little different than a two part, but accomplishes the same thing (if they are all designed perfectly).
Balling adds sodium carbonate/bicarbonate and calcium chloride. Then to deal with the residual sodium and chloride, it adds a sodium chloride free salt mix (that is, salt mix with everything except sodium and chloride) to exactly balance out the sodium and chloride, leaving the tank water with a residue of ions that looks like seawater. So the only drawback over time is that the salinity rises.
A two part does (or at least can do) this exact thing, except it puts all of the ingredients from the sodium chloride free salt mix) into one of the two or three parts used in the supplement system. Again, the salinity rises over time, same as with Balling.
FWIW, there was a short discussion by me and Lou Ekus of Tropic Marin/Balling where he tried to defend the "specialness" of Balling over a two part, but he never responded to my last post asking for a clarification of why he thought that:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/balling-compared-to-triton.227707/
biom
Well-Known Member
I thought kalkwasser was first (and only) choice for many years (at least for me
). Randy do you know when Bob Stark started producing B-Ionic? If Balling started 1994, Habib is leading since he started in 1992. I'm just curious, sorry for offtopic.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I thought kalkwasser was first (and only) choice for many years (at least for me
We discussed Bob's new product idea on Compuserve Fishnet in the early 90's, but I do not recall the date. If you email ESV, they will probably tell you when they first commercialized it.
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Habib(Salifert)
Active Member
I thought kalkwasser was first (and only) choice for many years (at least for me
Yes, at that moment kalkwasser was mentioned as being the one and only possibility to maintain calcium. Proposed by the late Peter Wilkins and other Berlin method users like Dieter Brockmann and Dietrich Stüber.
It is described in the books by Wilkins together with dosing of strontium and iodide.
Kalkwasser as the only possible method at that time challenged me, together with small batch experiments I made at that time with kalkwasser, showing me to be not suitable to really increase alkalinity, to search for alternative ways/methods.
Here is a little bit about Peter Wilkins, one of the pioneers of modern reefkeeping
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/9/aaeditorial
