Randy's Two part calcium/alk solution

[Anonymous]

Now I've been using this to keep my calcium & alk levels up (although the time of calcium reactor is coming shortly). Now one thing I noticed is my chaeto has become very wiry, now my foxface won't even eat the stuff! I'm assuming because the chaeto is a vascular plant it probably absorbed a bunch of the two part as I poured each part in (maybe too much?)

Ok so I decided to drip the solution in with a large stryofoam cup so it can slowly get absorbed into the water, I poured in the alkalinity part... then I poured into the calcium part.. and POOF I made a globby mess in the cup that now jammed the hole! So I'm curious is this stuff bad for the tank if I let the chunks fall in slowly?

 

[Anonymous]

Pitch it. You just preciptated out the calcium.

Drip one part, then wait a while and drip the other part. Why would we use 2 part if we could mix it in one bottle and just dose 1 part?

B

 

[Anonymous]

Well I assumed there'd be a reaction, but I didn't think it'd do it that quickly. The only chemistry I did was in high school and we didn't do neat stuff like that I ended up throwing it out (I mean there is only so much cheapness even I can be ), but it was neat to mix a two liquids and poof a sloshie solid

 

[bleedingthought]

I still can't find calcium chloride in my area to make this.

But one thing I wanted to point out is that my chaeto has been wiry since the day I got it. None of my fish ever had a taste for it. I'm now starting to wonder what yours looked like. I do wish that fish like eating it though, that'd be neat!

 

[stubbsz]

But one thing I wanted to point out is that my chaeto has been wiry since the day I got it. None of my fish ever had a taste for it. I'm now starting to wonder what yours looked like. I do wish that fish like eating it though, that'd be neat!

I thought the idea was to let it grow and then throw it out to export nitrates. But I tried my Yellow Tang on it.... I just was a little distrubed when he seemed to be pooping it out again and it looked the same as it did before he ate it. That can't be good.

 

[bleedingthought]

Well, it absorbs the nitrates but it doesn't put it back in the water. Your fish will poop no matter what you feed it.

 

[stubbsz]

Well, it absorbs the nitrates but it doesn't put it back in the water. Your fish will poop no matter what you feed it.

good point.

 

[Anonymous]

I still can't find calcium chloride in my area to make this.

If you don't live in a snowy area you won't find it... I found buckeyefieldsupply which got me some of the stuff, granted not uber cheap but not a bad price considering how much I use. I plan on taking a trip to tahoe in the summer and hope they have the industrial 50+ pound bags of the stuff

I almost think the stuff I poured in is coating the chaeto.

 

[bleedingthought]

Do you have the chaeto in your display? I'm trying to figure out if you mean that you're pouring directly on the macro or in a high current area, like you're suppose to , and you think it's just "coating" the macro overtime.

Also, I just found out that some concrete mixing companies carry calcium chloride. I'm going to call around this week. And I had noticed about buckeye fieldsupply but I figure that after the mark-up and the shipping, I could just go with a 2-part that's already made.

Now, I need to figure out after this, is how to make it so I don't have to manually dose it every day and not spend a considerable amount of money on a litermeter! :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

OK I do not have chaeto in the display area it is in the refugium. I do not want to add the mix to the main tank because I dont want a coral to be blasted by a rapid change in anything.

I add it to my overflow one part at a time so it can precipitate or whatever it does (clouds up) and then can slowly flow into the sump area where in addition to getting a ride through the skimmer might pass into the chaeto area.

The fact that the walls of my sump/refugium are coated in white made me think about slowly dripping the stuff in rather than adding 100mL at a shot (not to mention I can always add more if I slow drip it). The issue I had though was I made a drip cup to put stuff into, unfortunately I put both parts into the cup and WAMMO gum-up. The part that happened with the chaeto was me simply adding a single part.

 

[Mr_Ugly]

Mike,

I just slowly pour the alk into my tank in front of a power head to let the clouds disperse. The Ca, I just dump into the sump all at one time.

If you're dosing every day, I don't expect that you'll have much problem with rapid/big changes in tank chemistry.

 

[Anonymous]

I pour three ounces of B-Ionic directly into my overflows every day. That stuff is much more concentrated than Randy's Recipe. I never had much luck with that mixture, but I was also slacking off on the water changes during that period too. I wonder if I should try it again after I run out of B.

 

[bleedingthought]

If you slowly pour into your display in an area of high flow you should be fine.

 

[Anonymous]

Norman: Its not the whole tank's chemistry I'm concerned about, it's the sudden blast of super concentrated alkalinity and associated pH changes that come with it that stays localized infront of the powerhead where I'm pouring.

Eitherway I made a drip system using styrofoam food containers so I can slowly drip into the sump right over a circulating pump

 

[bleedingthought]

Eitherway I made a drip system using styrofoam food containers so I can slowly drip into the sump right over a circulating pump

Man, let's see a picture and blueprints!

Seriously, if it's that easy, I want to give it a shot!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Ummm it'd take longer to get a picture and blueprints than it took to make, seriously

Get a styrofoam container, something like one of those larger food containers. Poke a hole in the bottom, just big enough to put one of those adjustable valves for airline tubing, glue into place.

Use tank water to find the "sweet spot" for your drip rate, when you found it, empty, place in place that'll drip into tank (I used the corner of my sump) fill with 1 part of the solution, and it drips

 

[bleedingthought]

Did you make two for both parts to dose at the same time? Or do you wait for it to drip and then dose the other part (which seems like it would throw things a little out of whack)?

Also, where can I can adjustable valves for tubing or IVs?

 

[rayjay]

I still can't find calcium chloride in my area to make this.

There is a Univar in Atlanta closeby you and if they don't have it they would probably get it for you.
I buy all my chems for my hobby from Univar.

 

[bleedingthought]

Bealsbob informed me (thanks again, btw! :wink: ) that concrete companies use calcium chloride to speed up the hardening of concrete and they often carry it so I found a 40 pound bag for $30 at Ready Mix USA. About 25 times cheaper than buying the popular 2 part mixes. 8O I'll be picking it up soon.

Thanks for the tip, though, rayjay!

I'm happy!

 

[Anonymous]

I drip separately, but I could very easily drip together I'm sure, I just haven't gotten around to poking a hole in the other styrofoam container I have

And those valves, just look in any big chain petstore they'll be near the air pumps or tubing sections.