Is my dosing ratio abnormal?

[lyz77]

My tank only have 3 SPS and 2 feather worms. I am dosing Ca, Mg and KH using a dosing pump and the following are my mix ratio:

Mix Ratio

Ca - 500g : 1L RO/DI

Mg - 200g : 1L RO/DI

KH - 170g : 1L RO/DI (Sodium Bicarbonate)

Dosing ratio

Ca - 400ml per day

Mg - 10ml per day

KH - 500ml per day

Tank Parameters

Ca - 400ppm

Mg 1290ppm

KH - 9.6dKH

Tank Volume

~120 gallon (inclusive of sump)

I have read a few forum where the dosing ration for some are only less than 100ml per day. Can anyone share your dosing mix and ratio?

Thanks in advance!

[ReDDeviLs]

hi bro, i think you could make your CA and KH more concentrated and dose lesser?

400ml is alot to me.

but if your parameters are in check, then its workable for you.

[xiggie]

@120gal and that few Sps , I don't think u need dosing .. Unless your rocks are full of coraline,

[lyz77]

hi bro, i think you could make your CA and KH more concentrated and dose lesser?

400ml is alot to me.

but if your parameters are in check, then its workable for you.

I can make Ca more concentrated but not KH as it won't dissolve any further.

@120gal and that few Sps , I don't think u need dosing .. Unless your rocks are full of coraline,

The strange part is there is no coralline algae at all as I use dead rocks. If I stop dosing, both my Ca and KH will drop tremendously.

[Guest]

Use hot water to melt the kh before mixing with cool water . Kh powder is very difficult to dissolve

[FuEl]

Calcium very concentrated, kH much more diluted. A more normal calcium dosing amount for your concentration should only be 100+ml per day assuming your kH consumption of 500ml per day is accurate.

[Admiraltian]

Or u could try this formula to mix ur dosing solutions,

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/

[lyz77]

Use hot water to melt the kh before mixing with cool water . Kh powder is very difficult to dissolve

I tried using hot water before and wht I did was to boil the RODI water and pour the KH powder. The down side to this is that after the mix cool down, it form crystal and it choke up my dosing tube and container which I had a hard time clearing it.

Calcium very concentrated, kH much more diluted. A more normal calcium dosing amount for your concentration should only be 100+ml per day assuming your kH consumption of 500ml per day is accurate.

I agree and I am clueless as well. Could the dosing interval be an issue? I set my dosing pump to automatically spill the dosing 24 times a day. Ca and KH dosing interval are set at 20 mins apart.

Or u could try this formula to mix ur dosing solutions,

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/

Yea, I saw that link and I wanted to make a more concentrated mix so that the dosing per day can be minimize. My dosing container is only 5L and with 500ml per day, it can only last min 10 days!

[Guest]

I have to melt the kh powder two to three time with hot water before it totally dissolved. Try and see?

[lyz77]

I have to melt the kh powder two to three time with hot water before it totally dissolved. Try and see?

Can you share with me your mixing ratio?

[Guest]

Depending on your dosage, i mix 10 spoon in hot water over and over again until it fully melted.

[resser]

MIX
Mix these liter by liter in a clean saltmix pail. Add the required amount into 1 Liter, grab the pail and twirl 10 seconds, rest, twirl again, the solution should clear in 3 minutes. If you add the entired amount into 5 Liters, you will have a hard time dissolving them manually.

Calcium

• Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
FM Balling Light recommends 400 grams into 1 Liter
Randy recommends between 66 grams to 660 grams per Liter
0.3668 grams into 100 Liters raises 1 ppm of Ca.

• Anhydrous Calcium Chloride
66.6 grams into 1 Liter to have no precipitates.
0.2769 grams into 100 Liters raises Ca by 1ppm.

If you have precipitation, you won't get 0.2769 grams raising 1 ppm in 100 Liters, and get floaty white flakes in display tank. Anhydrous Calcium Chloride looks wet when exposed to air and mixes hot unlike Dihydrate which already has 2 moles of water.

Alkalinity

• Sodium Bicarbonate
100 grams per 1 Liter with room temperature rodi water (from above link)
0.1679 grams into 100 Liters yeilds 1 ppm of CaCO3 (or 0.056 dkh).

• Sodium Carbonate
100 grams per 1 Liter with room temperature rodi water.
0.10589 grams into 100 Liters yeilds 1ppm of CaCO3 (or 0.056 dkh).

You should get clear solution if Sodium Bicarbonate is mixed liter by liter. If you mix with hot water, you get half pass six Sodium don't-know-what-Carbonate as the water cools before all the Bicarbonate bits loses CO₂ to become Carbonate. . Properly heated Arm and Hammer baking soda from some NTUC at 200°C in oven for 1+ hour yeilds Sodium Carbonate. Carbonate raises pH more than Bicarbonate, more concentrated, and uses less solution per ppm. Sodium Bicarbonate looks more talcum powdery, Sodium Carbonate looks more sugar-like.

CALCULATIONS

• Calcium Chloride Dihydrate, CaCl₂·2H₂O
Molar Mass of CaCl₂·2H₂O is 147.01456 g/mol
Molar mass of Ca is 40.078 g/mol
Ratio of Ca to CaCl₂·2H₂O is 40.078/147.01456 = 0.272612 = 27.2612%
1 gram adds 2.72612 ppm Ca to 100 Liters, or 0.3668 grams adds 1 ppm Ca to 100 Liters

• Anhydrous Calcium Chloride, CaCl₂
Molar mass of CaCl₂ is 110.984 g/mol
Molar mass of Ca is 40.078 g/mol
Ratio of Ca to CaCl₂ is 40.078/110.984 = 0.361115 = 36.1115%
1 gram adds 3.61115 ppm Ca to 100 Liters, or 0.2769 grams adds 1 ppm Ca to 100 Liters

• Sodium Bicarbonate, NaHCO₃
Molar mass of NaHCO₃ is 84.00661 g/mol
Molar mass of Calcium Carbonate, CaCO₃ = 100.0869 g/mol
0.2 * (84.00661 / 100.0869) = 0.167867343278690817679436569621 grams
1 gram adds 5.957 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters, or 0.1678 grams adds 1 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters

• Sodium Carbonate, Na2CO₃
Molar mass of Na2CO₃ is 105.98844 g/mol
Molar mass of Calcium Carbonate, CaCO₃ = 100.0869 g/mol
0.1 * (105.98844 / 100.0869) = 0.10589641601448341391330933418859 grams
1 grams adds 9.4431 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters, or 0.10589 grams add 1 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters

[lyz77]

MIX

Mix these liter by liter in a clean saltmix pail. Add the required amount into 1 Liter, grab the pail and twirl 10 seconds, rest, twirl again, the solution should clear in 3 minutes. If you add the entired amount into 5 Liters, you will have a hard time dissolving them manually.

Calcium

• Calcium Chloride Dihydrate

FM Balling Light recommends 400 grams into 1 Liter

Randy recommends between 66 grams to 660 grams per Liter

0.3668 grams into 100 Liters raises 1 ppm of Ca.

• Anhydrous Calcium Chloride

66.6 grams into 1 Liter to have no precipitates.

0.2769 grams into 100 Liters raises Ca by 1ppm.

If you have precipitation, you won't get 0.2769 grams raising 1 ppm in 100 Liters, and get floaty white flakes in display tank. Anhydrous Calcium Chloride looks wet when exposed to air and mixes hot unlike Dihydrate which already has 2 moles of water.

Alkalinity

• Sodium Bicarbonate

100 grams per 1 Liter with room temperature rodi water (from above link)

0.1679 grams into 100 Liters yeilds 1 ppm of CaCO3 (or 0.056 dkh).

• Sodium Carbonate

100 grams per 1 Liter with room temperature rodi water.

0.10589 grams into 100 Liters yeilds 1ppm of CaCO3 (or 0.056 dkh).

You should get clear solution if Sodium Bicarbonate is mixed liter by liter. If you mix with hot water, you get half pass six Sodium don't-know-what-Carbonate as the water cools before all the Bicarbonate bits loses CO₂ to become Carbonate. . Properly heated Arm and Hammer baking soda from some NTUC at 200°C in oven for 1+ hour yeilds Sodium Carbonate. Carbonate raises pH more than Bicarbonate, more concentrated, and uses less solution per ppm. Sodium Bicarbonate looks more talcum powdery, Sodium Carbonate looks more sugar-like.

CALCULATIONS

• Calcium Chloride Dihydrate, CaCl₂·2H₂O

Molar Mass of CaCl₂·2H₂O is 147.01456 g/mol

Molar mass of Ca is 40.078 g/mol

Ratio of Ca to CaCl₂·2H₂O is 40.078/147.01456 = 0.272612 = 27.2612%

1 gram adds 2.72612 ppm Ca to 100 Liters, or 0.3668 grams adds 1 ppm Ca to 100 Liters

• Anhydrous Calcium Chloride, CaCl₂

Molar mass of CaCl₂ is 110.984 g/mol

Molar mass of Ca is 40.078 g/mol

Ratio of Ca to CaCl₂ is 40.078/110.984 = 0.361115 = 36.1115%

1 gram adds 3.61115 ppm Ca to 100 Liters, or 0.2769 grams adds 1 ppm Ca to 100 Liters

• Sodium Bicarbonate, NaHCO₃

Molar mass of NaHCO₃ is 84.00661 g/mol

Molar mass of Calcium Carbonate, CaCO₃ = 100.0869 g/mol

0.2 * (84.00661 / 100.0869) = 0.167867343278690817679436569621 grams

1 gram adds 5.957 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters, or 0.1678 grams adds 1 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters

• Sodium Carbonate, Na2CO₃

Molar mass of Na2CO₃ is 105.98844 g/mol

Molar mass of Calcium Carbonate, CaCO₃ = 100.0869 g/mol

0.1 * (105.98844 / 100.0869) = 0.10589641601448341391330933418859 grams

1 grams adds 9.4431 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters, or 0.10589 grams add 1 ppm CaCO₃ to 100 Liters

Thanks for the details and it is very informative. Appreciate your explanation on this.