Home made Potassium supplement

[tubastrea]

Hi guys,
I'm planning to start bio pellets and I've read that associated bacterias, deplete potassium.
Is anybody experienced on a potassium supplement DIY receipt?
I would rather do it by myself and found, for example, that Brightwell Potassion contains : Purified water, Potassium sulfate, Potassium chloride.
does anybody know the right proportions? any alternative receipt?:spin:

thanks and regards.
luca

 

[Boomer]

First, there is no need for Potassium Sulfate, as Sulfate readily accumulates in proportion to Chloride. Second, what Brightwell, the powder or the liquid ? I'm not going to get into the tedious calculations for DIY liquid sup's.


The amount of K+ in KCl can be found by looking at its Molar Mass.

Where:
39.098 g/mol K+ / (39.098 g/mol K+ + 35.453 g/mol Cl-) = 52.44% by weight

So, 7.3g KCl = 7,300 mg KCl = 52.44 % x 7,300 = 3,828.12 mg K+

100 gal = 378.54 L

3,828.12 / 378.54 = 10.1 ppm / 100 gal.

So, simple dissolve the KCl in some water and add it to the tank. If you want it as 1ppm / 100 gal then 7.3g / ~ 10 ppm = .73 g KCl for ~ 1 ppm / 100 gal = ~ 10 ppm / 10 gal.

 

[tubastrea]

First, there is no need for Potassium Sulfate, as Sulfate readily accumulates in proportion to Chloride. Second, what Brightwell, the powder or the liquid ? I'm not going to get into the tedious calculations for DIY liquid sup's.


The amount of K+ in KCl can be found by looking at its Molar Mass.

Where:
39.098 g/mol K+ / (39.098 g/mol K+ + 35.453 g/mol Cl-) = 52.44% by weight

So, 7.3g KCl = 7,300 mg KCl = 52.44 % x 7,300 = 3,828.12 mg K+

100 gal = 378.54 L

3,828.12 / 378.54 = 10.1 ppm / 100 gal.

So, simple dissolve the KCl in some water and add it to the tank. If you want it as 1ppm / 100 gal then 7.3g / ~ 10 ppm = .73 g KCl for ~ 1 ppm / 100 gal = ~ 10 ppm / 10 gal.

Boomer,
thanks for the very scientific reply.
I was referring to Potassium, the liquid one.
this is the way its composition is reported on internet:
Ingredients
Purified water, Potassium sulfate, Potassium chloride.

So I was thinking that adding K cloride only may be ionically unbalanced

 

[Boomer]

The ionic imbalance would be insignificant, as the Potassium sulfate would only be about 10% of that .73.g and this K sup will not be a daily additive. It is not worth the effort. A liquid K+ sup is just a waste of time and potentially has to many error factors.

The ideal addiitive would be Potassium bicarbonate. Here, you have no Chloride or Sulfate accumulating and the bicarbonate adds to the Alk. So, it is all used up. BUT !! The same 10 ppm rise needed will boost the Alk 0.7 dKH. Way to much, where you would have to make adjustments to your Alk sup and add maybe only a K+ boost of 5 ppm, giving a Alk boost of .35 dKH / 10 gal.

 

[tubastrea]

The ionic imbalance would be insignificant, as the Potassium sulfate would only be about 10% of that .73.g and this K sup will not be a daily additive. It is not worth the effort. A liquid K+ sup is just a waste of time and potentially has to many error factors.

The ideal addiitive would be Potassium bicarbonate. Here, you have no Chloride or Sulfate accumulating and the bicarbonate adds to the Alk. So, it is all used up. BUT !! The same 10 ppm rise needed will boost the Alk 0.7 dKH. Way to much, where you would have to make adjustments to your Alk sup and add maybe only a K+ boost of 5 ppm, giving a Alk boost of .35 dKH / 10 gal.

Wow!!
so, if I well interprete your explanation:
usage of KHCO3 it is preferreable till the tank Alk stays into an acceptable range.
if more Potassium is required, (for example due to the high bacterials consumption) then must be compensated with KCl.
does it looks correct?

 

[Boomer]

No, it is more of the Dream additive for K+ but Dreams do not always work out. One will have instant Alk boosts. And .73 g of KCl does NOT equal .73 g of KHCO3. And yes if there was a high K+ demand it would need to be KCl. But if one paid attention to their Alk and K+ demand one could make it work.

 

[tubastrea]

No, it is more of the Dream additive for K+ but Dreams do not always work out. One will have instant Alk boosts. And .73 g of KCl does NOT equal .73 g of KHCO3. And yes if there was a high K+ demand it would need to be KCl. But if one paid attention to their Alk and K+ demand one could make it work.

Boomer thanks,
I'll do some trials. let's see.
regards.
Luca

 

[tubastrea]

No, it is more of the Dream additive for K+ but Dreams do not always work out. One will have instant Alk boosts. And .73 g of KCl does NOT equal .73 g of KHCO3. And yes if there was a high K+ demand it would need to be KCl. But if one paid attention to their Alk and K+ demand one could make it work.

Boomer,
trying to combine conversionsfactors, :
1) dissolve 20 gr of KCL inRO water, boost 100lt by 10 mg. correct?
2) about KHCO3 :
dissolving 10 gr in 100 lt howmany mg of K will increase? but especially how many dKH?
Sorry for challanging your patience but I don?tknow how to convert ppm into mg/lt
Luca

 

[Boomer]

1) dissolve 20 gr of KCL inRO water, boost 100lt by 10 mg. correct?

Where did you get that 20 g from ? Look at my post above.

"So, 7.3g KCl = 7,300 mg KCl = 52.44 % x 7,300 = 3,828.12 mg K+


3,828.12 / 378.54 = 10.1 ppm / 100 gal."


It is 7.3 g in some RO water, gives 10 ppm /100 gal.



2) about KHCO3 :
dissolving 10 gr in 100 lt how many mg of K will increase? but especially how many dKH? .

10 g of KHCO3 is almost right on @ ~ 10 ppm K+ / 100 gal


10 g KHCO3 = 10,000 ppm or 10,000 mg/l. ( as far as you are concerned, ppm = mg/ l)

K makes up only 39% or 3,900 ppm K

3,900 ppm/ 378.54(100 gal) = 10.3 ppm / 100 gal. ~ 0.7 dKH /100 gal

(dKH is solved by taking that 10 from 10 g and dividing by 39 from that 39%, 10/39 = .256 and .256 x 2.8 ( conversion from meq/ l to dKH ) = ~ 0.7 dKH.


So:

1) 7.3 g KCl in some RO water gives ~10 ppm K+ /100 gal.

2) 10 g KHCO3 in some RO water gives ~10 ppm K+ and ~0.7 dKH /100 gal

These are not exact numbers, ie, 10 ppm, .7 dKH and really can't be but are more than close enough. Why ? Because the KHCO3 and KCl are not 100 % pure, plus always have some moisture. Lastly, we usually round off numbers, say like the MW of Oxygen, which is not 16 but really 15.99 or K 39 but really 39.098 etc.. So, that 10 ppm or .70 dKH maybe +/- 10 %. Meaning, that 10 ppm may be somewhere between 9-11 ppm, etc.. Then there is you measuring things out and not being exact. Like you do not know the exact vol of water in your tank, etc.. and/ or the test kit.

 

[tubastrea]

1) dissolve 20 gr of KCL inRO water, boost 100lt by 10 mg. correct?

Where did you get that 20 g from ? Look at my post above.

"So, 7.3g KCl = 7,300 mg KCl = 52.44 % x 7,300 = 3,828.12 mg K+


3,828.12 / 378.54 = 10.1 ppm / 100 gal."


It is 7.3 g in some RO water, gives 10 ppm /100 gal.



2) about KHCO3 :
dissolving 10 gr in 100 lt how many mg of K will increase? but especially how many dKH? .

10 g of KHCO3 is almost right on @ ~ 10 ppm K+ / 100 gal


10 g KHCO3 = 10,000 ppm or 10,000 mg/l. ( as far as you are concerned, ppm = mg/ l)

K makes up only 39% or 3,900 ppm K

3,900 ppm/ 378.54(100 gal) = 10.3 ppm / 100 gal. ~ 0.7 dKH /100 gal

(dKH is solved by taking that 10 from 10 g and dividing by 39 from that 39%, 10/39 = .256 and .256 x 2.8 ( conversion from meq/ l to dKH ) = ~ 0.7 dKH.


So:

1) 7.3 g KCl in some RO water gives ~10 ppm K+ /100 gal.

2) 10 g KHCO3 in some RO water gives ~10 ppm K+ and ~0.7 dKH /100 gal

These are not exact numbers, ie, 10 ppm, .7 dKH and really can't be but are more than close enough. Why ? Because the KHCO3 and KCl are not 100 % pure, plus always have some moisture. Lastly, we usually round off numbers, say like the MW of Oxygen, which is not 16 but really 15.99 or K 39 but really 39.098 etc.. So, that 10 ppm or .70 dKH maybe +/- 10 %. Meaning, that 10 ppm may be somewhere between 9-11 ppm, etc.. Then there is you measuring things out and not being exact. Like you do not know the exact vol of water in your tank, etc.. and/ or the test kit.

Boomer, cristal clear explanation.
thanks for your being so helpful and kind.
Luca

 

[ReefnQueens]

You guys are crazy lol no disrespect i actually admire it though I don't understand

 

[tubastrea]

You guys are crazy lol no disrespect i actually admire it though I don't understand

what do you mean?
why are we crazy?

 

[ReefnQueens]

what do you mean?
why are we crazy?

All the mathematical equations and stuff...just looks crazy , don't take it the wrong way, I didn't mean it in a bad way

 

[tubastrea]

All the mathematical equations and stuff...just looks crazy , don't take it the wrong way, I didn't mean it in a bad way

ReefnQueens, I agree.
It's something I've never tried to learn.
happy to find great people that can do it for me:splitspin