Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

[Miami Reef]

still cant wrap my head around how to switch from calcium reactor and use this only

Just stop using a calcium reactor and dose sodium hydroxide for alkalinity and calcium chloride for calcium.

If alkalinity starts dropping, increase the dose of the solutions. If it drops very low, you can manually dose sodium carbonate or bicarbonate and calcium chloride to keep alkalinity and calcium in their respective ranges.

You would ideally use a 3rd part (Tropic Marin Balling Part C). This is to maintain seawater ionic balance.

Any 2 part system will slowly raise your salinity as you add the sodium hydroxide and calcium chloride. They react together instantly forming sodium chloride = salt.

When you eventually lower the salinity back, you will push down all the other elements below optimal ranges. Sodium chloride will over-dominate each time you lower back down the salinity.

Regular water changes can solve the issue, but using a 3rd part (sodium-chloride-free-salt) was designed for this purpose.

You don’t need to eventually use a calcium reactor if you don’t want to. If you use the 3rd part, the sky’s the limit.

 

[Miami Reef]

also additives get expensive and time consuming and you'll be needing to supplement calcium and magnesium

I haven’t done the math, but I think calcium reactors are cheaper to maintain longterm.

However, if elevated pH is the goal, hydroxide is the clear winner.

 

[zheka757]

I haven’t done the math, but I think calcium reactors are cheaper to maintain longterm.

However, if elevated pH is the goal, hydroxide is the clear winner.

Thank you for a lengthy reply, definitely something for me to think about, I think I want to give a couple month try, and see if my tank can benefit of higher pH.

 

[ReefEco]

As some have already said, a calcium reactor for that size tank will be cheaper long run, and perhaps more stable given the salinity changes with adding that much 2-part. I run sodium hydroxide as a supplement to my calcium reactor on my 600g system, which strikes a good balance of cost and pH boost. I dose about 150ml a day in addition to my reactor purely for the pH boost at night. I would have to dose more than 450ml of two part per day without my reactor, which would cost quite a bit per month. I also dose about 10,000ml of kalk per day to help boost pH, all of which translates into a pH of 8.2 up to 8.3 during the day.

 

[zheka757]

As some have already said, a calcium reactor for that size tank will be cheaper long run, and perhaps more stable given the salinity changes with adding that much 2-part. I run sodium hydroxide as a supplement to my calcium reactor on my 600g system, which strikes a good balance of cost and pH boost. I dose about 150ml a day in addition to my reactor purely for the pH boost at night. I would have to dose more than 450ml of two part per day without my reactor, which would cost quite a bit per month. I also dose about 10,000ml of kalk per day to help boost pH, all of which translates into a pH of 8.2 up to 8.3 during the day.

lol, your post made me watch all 20 episodes of your YouTube. well done with what you did especially DIY

 

[zheka757]

question: sodium hydroxide when mixed with water, does it lose ph. as it sits after some time? i don't get ph. boost in my tank any more like it use to. I also have it in a bucket with air getting in it. ...its a cheap set up on a timer, im just trying it out for now to see if its worth it or not for my tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That bucket should not be an issue. CO2 will enter and slowly convert it to sodium carbonate, but not at a high rate if you aren’t stirring it.

 

[Troylee]

I just stopped topping off with kalk as my evap is ever changing and not consistent.. I set up a Neptune dos with ddr and sodium hydroxide and my ph isn’t as high but it’s holding super stable 8.05 which is better than I had. It used to vary 7.65-8.15 with kalk depending on evap. Hopefully the lye don’t eat the Neptune sensors or dosing container lol

 

[ReefEco]

lol, your post made me watch all 20 episodes of your YouTube. well done with what you did especially DIY

LOL - thanks for the watch!

 

[ReefEco]

I just stopped topping off with kalk as my evap is ever changing and not consistent.. I set up a Neptune dos with ddr and sodium hydroxide and my ph isn’t as high but it’s holding super stable 8.05 which is better than I had. It used to vary 7.65-8.15 with kalk depending on evap. Hopefully the lye don’t eat the Neptune sensors or dosing container lol

If you can, dose kalk just like any other additive - use a doser and don't tie it to evaporation. As you found out, it can be inconsistent. Add back in kalk if you can - it will give you another .1 to .15 pH boost probably I'd guess...

 

[Troylee]

If you can, dose kalk just like any other additive - use a doser and don't tie it to evaporation. As you found out, it can be inconsistent. Add back in kalk if you can - it will give you another .1 to .15 pH boost probably I'd guess...

Kalk holds 12ish ph.. sodium hydroxide is 14ph according to Randy’s 2 part recipe… also it only raises alk so I can adjust it and cal separate. So far I like it!

 

[ReefEco]

Kalk holds 12ish ph.. sodium hydroxide is 14ph according to Randy’s 2 part recipe… also it only raises alk so I can adjust it and cal separate. So far I like it!

Sure - true, but adding kalk because it is balanced just raises your baseline for alk/cal and gets you a little pH boost, so it is still really useful if you are trying to boost pH and still have alk/calcium demand beyond what kalk alone can provide. Also, it lowers the cost in general of dosing 2-part because it is much cheaper than 2-part solutions. Be wary of dosing too much more or less of one alk/cal solution - I know some people report having to dose more/less of one, but that usually means something is out of balance...

 

[Troylee]

Sure - true, but adding kalk because it is balanced just raises your baseline for alk/cal and gets you a little pH boost, so it is still really useful if you are trying to boost pH and still have alk/calcium demand beyond what kalk alone can provide. Also, it lowers the cost in general of dosing 2-part because it is much cheaper than 2-part solutions. Be wary of dosing too much more or less of one alk/cal solution - I know some people report having to dose more/less of one, but that usually means something is out of balance...

Oh I know… my calcium creeps up with kalk in my ato, alk holds well… I’d do a straight kalk reactor but I would need a very large one and more stuff I gotta tend too.. my tank is around 350 gal running and Sps dominate with a few large torches and large clam. It’s pretty much on auto pilot now besides my ph battle.. scrubber cost too much in media and and my skimmer line is already ran outside so it’s about as good as it’s gonna get.. dosing the hydroxide is helping I just gotta figure out the exact demand which I’m dialing in at the moment.. it’s only been 3 days since the switch.

 

[zheka757]

Btw any of you bought Sodium hydroxide in bulk? I see 50lb buckets online around $100

 

[Troylee]

Btw any of you bought Sodium hydroxide in bulk? I see 50lb buckets online around $100

I bought 2 pounds for $16 it will last me awhile.. not sure you need to buy bulk but hey… lol it’s 238 grams to a gallon and that makes a decent amount

 

[ReefEco]

Here is what I bought - 32lbs. I like the individual containers, which are a little safer to handle for me and likely a little easier to keep from absorbing things than a bulk bucket.

@Troylee - might just be a typo, but it should be 283g/gallon for a straight 2-part alk replacement.

 

[Troylee]

Here is what I bought - 32lbs. I like the individual containers, which are a little safer to handle for me and likely a little easier to keep from absorbing things than a bulk bucket.

@Troylee - might just be a typo, but it should be 283g/gallon for a straight 2-part alk replacement.

Yes, correct… I’m dyslexic Numbers run threw my head all day! Ugh…. I’m def not your average reefer haha! I use stump remover,red devil lye, calcium di hydrate flakes etc etc… If people saw my fish cabinet their jaw would drop like you put what in your tank?!?!?

 

[ReefEco]

Yes, correct… I’m dyslexic Numbers run threw my head all day! Ugh…. I’m def not your average reefer haha! I use stump remover,red devil lye, calcium di hydrate flakes etc etc… If people saw my fish cabinet their jaw would drop like you put what in your tank?!?!?

I hear you, I find it a little funny that we essentially put drain cleaner in our tanks to keep these delicate creatures healthy, LOL!

 

[MnFish1]

In a previous thread, I posted a true two part DIY recipe:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-diy-two-part-recipes-with-higher-ph-boost.344500/

But some folks may want to just swap the new ingredient into my 2/3 part recipe (as used by BRS, for example).

Here's the original recipe link (which has a lot more discussion on the details and rationale):

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

The new recipe is shown below. It has about twice the pH boost of the original recipe (#1) and should be added to a very high flow area. Initial cloudiness (magnesium hydroxide) is expected, but it should disperse and dissolve. If not, stop using it and figure out why.

Alk part

Add 283 grams of sodium hydroxide to 1 gallon of fresh water. It will get quite warm. Make sure it doesn't soften your container. This solution will contain about 1,900 meq/L of alkalinity (5,300 dKH). BE CAREFUL WITH THIS SOLUTION: IT HAS A pH ABOVE 14. Do not get it in your eyes or on your skin. Keep all reef chemicals, especially this alk part, in a way that children cannot access them.

Calcium part

Dissolve 500 grams (about 2 ½ cups) of calcium chloride dihydrate (such as Dowflake 77-80% calcium chloride or ESV calcium chloride; see below for substitutes and sources) in enough water to make 1 gallon of total volume. You can dissolve it in about ½ gallon of water, and then pour that into the 1 gallon container and fill it to the top with more freshwater. This solution has about 37,000 ppm calcium.

Magnesium part

Dissolve Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (3 cups) and magnesium chloride hexahydrate (5 cups) in enough purified freshwater to make 1 gallon total volume. There will likely be a precipitate that forms even if you fully dissolve both ingredients separately. That precipitate is calcium sulfate (calcium as an impurity in the magnesium chloride and sulfate from the Epsom salts). It is fine and appropriate to dose the precipitate along with the remainder of the fluid by shaking it up before dosing.

This solution is added much less frequently or in lower volume than the other two parts. Add 16% as much as the other two parts. Over the time you add 1 gallon of the others, 1 add 610 mL (2 ½ cups) of this solution. You can add it all at once or, preferably, over time as you choose, depending on the aquarium's size and set up. Add it to a high flow area, preferably a sump. In a very small aquarium, or one without a sump, I suggest adding it slowly.

Thanks a lot @Randy Holmes-Farley This could become a business for you.

 

[Discotu]

Hi @Randy Holmes-Farley , first off can't overstate enough how much value you add to this community! thanks!

So, I just started the Sodium Hydroxide journey and so far so good. In the meantime I took my C02 scrubber offline to see if it can handle the ph boost alone. Anyway, i noticed you've advocated for TM balling part C several times. Why do you think it's better than adding sodium sulfate to the alk part?

Second question, you recommended to someone not to add supplements to the two part, maybe specific to the sodium hydroxide version? Would it be okay to add the TM supplement A and K to the Sodium hydroxide version?

thanks again!