ReefSafeSolutions Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 For those of you who use Red Sea liquid additives for Mg, Alk, and Ca, you'll notice the instructions say to wait 10 minutes between each dosing. So, add your Mg solution, wait 10 mins, add Alk, wait 10 mins, and finally add Ca. They don't really explain WHY you need to wait 10 minutes. Is it a matter of shocking the corals and fish in the system, or is it more chemical? If you dosed all 3 additives at the same time, would a chemical reaction occur, negating the effect of the additives? My dad and I get natural sea water from Scripps in La Jolla. The water reads low on Mg, Alk, and Ca. When I want to do water changes, I've been adding the correct amount of Mg to the new water, waiting 10 mins, adding Alk, waiting, and adding Ca. It would be so much better if I could dump all three in one after another without waiting. BUT...if that is going to cause problems, I'm fine with waiting. So the question is, do you need to really wait ten minutes between dosing each element? Link to comment
uwdanno Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I believe there's a video on the RS website that explains it. Pretty sure molecules will bind and you can get excessive precipitate. I don't think it'll be devistating to the tank by any means but rather less effective. Randy Holmes would be the expert to ask - try posting on his thread Link to comment
dandelion Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Yea It's most likely because the molecules can bind together and precipitate out. Why not just try mixing say an mL of each into a test vial and see for yourself what will happen. Link to comment
Clown79 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 It will precipitate out, nothing about shocking corals. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 If you add the calcium chloride solution and then the alkalinity solution (sodium carbonate, bicarbonate, or both), what you'll end up with is the calcium chloride immediately bonding with the carbonate/bicarbonate to form calcium carbonate and sodium chloride, which will end up turning your tank into a snowstorm of white powder Same thing will happen with magnesium chloride, but to a lesser extent. Link to comment
ReefSafeSolutions Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 So there's definitely a reason for the wait! Very good to know. If one were to use powder additives instead of liquid, would there still be a required wait time? Meaning, mix magnesium powder first, wait, mix alk powder, wait, mix ca powder...or could you mix them all together? (I'm assuming you'll still get precipitate if you mix them all at once) Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 So there's definitely a reason for the wait! Very good to know. If one were to use powder additives instead of liquid, would there still be a required wait time? Meaning, mix magnesium powder first, wait, mix alk powder, wait, mix ca powder...or could you mix them all together? (I'm assuming you'll still get precipitate if you mix them all at once) Yes, you would still need to wait, as you're adding the same elements, they just aren't predissolved. Link to comment
ReefSafeSolutions Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 That's kinda what I thought. Ah well...waiting 10 minutes between additives isn't a big deal. More time to watch/clean the tank! Link to comment
dandelion Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Or you can premeasure the supplements out, watch some TV and come commercial time toss that in. That's kinda what I thought. Ah well...waiting 10 minutes between additives isn't a big deal. More time to watch/clean the tank! Link to comment
MikeTR Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I have never waited.. just dosed into a high flow area of the tank. Link to comment
Clown79 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Some ppl dose 1 in the morning, the other at night. Some wait 5 mins in between, 10 mins others wait an hr. I dose my alk, 10 mins later ca, wait and then do my mag. I once didn't wait and my tank had white flakes floating around. Link to comment
ReefSafeSolutions Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 Did the flakes eventually dissolve? Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Did the flakes eventually dissolve? No, they cannot and will settle or be removed by filtration. pH needs to be very low to dissolve aragonite. Link to comment
ReefSafeSolutions Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 No, they cannot and will settle or be removed by filtration. pH needs to be very low to dissolve aragonite. VERY good to know. A ten minute wait doesn't seem so bad all of the sudden! Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 VERY good to know. A ten minute wait doesn't seem so bad all of the sudden! Yeah, I mean it's not the worst thing in the world (I actually dose pulverized calcium carbonate as a flocculent and to adsorb certain DOCs), but you don't end up going through nearly as much dosing materials Link to comment
Clown79 Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 It took a while before the flakes were gone but i didn't see thrm disolve, I imagine it went through the filteration system. I have never seen it happen again but i also wait at least 10mins in between now Link to comment
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