2 Parts solution - what are they?
- Thread starter Planoi
- Start date
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Planoi:
<strong>Does anyone know what the 2 parts solution actually are? Most place would say it is calcium ion, but I thought it was not possible to have a free standing Ca.</strong><hr></blockquote>
The two part solutions are composed of two very different components. One is high in calcium ions, the other is high in carbonate alkalinity. There are counterions present in both solutions to give charge neutrality. When the two solutions are mixed in the aquarium, they give calcium and carbonate alkalinity in the correct ratios to form calcium carbonate (one mole of calcium per two equivalents of carbonate alkalinity) and the counterions present in the two solutions give a residual brine with the same composition as natural seawater.
These solutions work very well (my personal suggestions are either C-Balance but B-Ionic also works well for many.) The most significant problem with the solutions, aside from their significant cost, is the fact that the salt concentration in the tank will tend to increase faster than salt is removed in the form of saline skimmate solution. I would suggest that people using these solutions monitor the salinity in their system continuously, with a conductivity monitor. Alternatively, one can monitor salinity weekly with a high-quality method like refractive index.
Correcting the salt buildup is trivial. All you need to do is bail out an appropriate amount of tank water and replace it with purified water. It is the equivalent of a small partial water exchange in the system. The only problem is that without an online monitor, the salt concentration isn't "poking you in the eye" and it tends to build up silently in the system until someone hits their salt tolerance level and dies.
Craig Bingman
<strong>Does anyone know what the 2 parts solution actually are? Most place would say it is calcium ion, but I thought it was not possible to have a free standing Ca.</strong><hr></blockquote>
The two part solutions are composed of two very different components. One is high in calcium ions, the other is high in carbonate alkalinity. There are counterions present in both solutions to give charge neutrality. When the two solutions are mixed in the aquarium, they give calcium and carbonate alkalinity in the correct ratios to form calcium carbonate (one mole of calcium per two equivalents of carbonate alkalinity) and the counterions present in the two solutions give a residual brine with the same composition as natural seawater.
These solutions work very well (my personal suggestions are either C-Balance but B-Ionic also works well for many.) The most significant problem with the solutions, aside from their significant cost, is the fact that the salt concentration in the tank will tend to increase faster than salt is removed in the form of saline skimmate solution. I would suggest that people using these solutions monitor the salinity in their system continuously, with a conductivity monitor. Alternatively, one can monitor salinity weekly with a high-quality method like refractive index.
Correcting the salt buildup is trivial. All you need to do is bail out an appropriate amount of tank water and replace it with purified water. It is the equivalent of a small partial water exchange in the system. The only problem is that without an online monitor, the salt concentration isn't "poking you in the eye" and it tends to build up silently in the system until someone hits their salt tolerance level and dies.
Craig Bingman
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Planoi:
<strong>Craig,
thanks for the reply
In the Ca part is it Calcium Chloride? Also, why is the Ca part acidic?</strong><hr></blockquote>
The calcium will come mainly from calcium chloride in the calcium part of the product, although it is possible to use much smaller quantities of other calcium salts in the calcium side.
The calcium component might be somewhat acidic, but I doubt that this is by design. There just isn't any buffer present in that component, so you get whatever pH value the component salts give. From memory, calcium chloride solutions tend to be somewhat acidic.
Craig
<strong>Craig,
thanks for the reply
In the Ca part is it Calcium Chloride? Also, why is the Ca part acidic?</strong><hr></blockquote>
The calcium will come mainly from calcium chloride in the calcium part of the product, although it is possible to use much smaller quantities of other calcium salts in the calcium side.
The calcium component might be somewhat acidic, but I doubt that this is by design. There just isn't any buffer present in that component, so you get whatever pH value the component salts give. From memory, calcium chloride solutions tend to be somewhat acidic.
Craig
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