Useful Dosage Approximations

[MrAnderson]

Since I've gone through the math and experimentation I figure I should share a bit of the knowledge I have and assemble it in one spot. Some of this is from just calculating concentrations and dilutions, and others are from actual data I've recorded while dosing and monitoring my tank.

 

Keep in mind that these are all approximations, because of the limitations of, and error inherent in test kits, measurements, rounding numbers, actual tank volume because of water displacement by LR/LS, etc, etc.

 

 

ALKALINITY / CARBONATE HARDNESS

 

 

Baking Soda: adds alk without an increase in pH

 

1 tsp BS = ~6 grams = 72 meq of alk

 

1 tsp BS added to 6 gallons results in approx 7 dKH/2.5meq rise in my tank

 

so..

 

1 tsp BS added to 10 gallons should result in approx 4.2 dKH/1.5meq rise

 

1 tsp BS is balanced by 12 mL of a 10% CaCl solution (Kent's Liquid Calcium)

 

1 meq carbonate alk consumes ~20 ppm Ca

 

 

Kent dKH: adds alk with pH rise, which dictates the max dosage

 

max dosage of Kent dKH gives ~1 dKH rise.

 

 

CALCIUM

 

10% CaCl (Kent Liquid Calcium):

 

10mL of 10% CaCl (Kent Liquid Calcium) results in a 50 ppm rise in my 6 gallon tank

 

so....

 

10mL of 10%CaCl should result in 30ppm rise in 10 gallons

 

 

MAGNESIUM

 

Epsom Salts: MgSO4/7H20: magnesium sulfate: seems like you need to add a ton because every MgSO4 molecule is complexed with 7 water molecules.

 

1 tsp of MgSO4/7H2O results in a 45 ppm rise in my 6 gallon tank

 

so....

 

1 tsp should result in ~25 ppm rise in 10 gallons

 

 

If anyone has similar data or calculations for other products, feel free to post them in this thread. I've only used a limited number of products, so that's all I can comment on.

[adinsxq]

lol!

 

you are crazyman.

[MrAnderson]

!!!

 

but i've given these answers multiple times for people asking "how much calcium should i add to bring my tank up to x"!!

 

i think it would be really helpful if people could post how much of one part of a two-part raises their water to x, etc... (" i add 10 mL of B-ionic A to raise my calcium 50ppm in my 20g", etc.)... people ask that ALL THE TIME!!

[adinsxq]

i think people obsess about the numbers a little too much that's all.

 

but then again, i've never used or owned a test kit.

[dtfleming]

but then again, i've never used or owned a test kit.

You the crazyman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shift_9k]

this is a good thread, and im sure a lot of people will find it very helpful.

 

 

Cheers.

[Izzue]

but then again, i've never used or owned a test kit.

 

 

Thats what IM talking about...

 

 

 

I just ask my fish what the corals want

 

Izzue

[MrAnderson]

oh, and volume-wise, important for the above dosages:

 

1 tsp = 5 mL

[Caesar777]

This is a cool thread!

[JG]

Mr. A (or anyone else) do you have the dosage approximations for:

 

using Baking Soda: adds alk with an increase in pH

[flinka]

Try this - much easier:

 

Reef Calculator

[filefish949]

Try this - much easier:

 

Reef Calculator

 

I use it all the time, however occasionly it is down. jdiek did a great job on it however when you get to extreems like 1 dkh or 20 dkh, it may not be accurate. I have found it to be dead nutz on in normal ranges, I use a fairly precise scale for doasing

 

point being, that it is nice to know how to calculate dossages by hand

[MrAnderson]

Mr. A (or anyone else) do you have the dosage approximations for:

 

using Baking Soda: adds alk with an increase in pH

 

 

 

does this help?

 

1 tsp BS added to 10 gallons should result in approx 4.2 dKH/1.5meq rise

 

you can multiply or divide depending on what size tank and how much alk you want to add.

 

if you have a 55 gal tank, and you want to raise alk by 2 dKH, do the following:

 

multiply the factor quoted by 5.5 (55gal / 10gal in the example).

 

so this would mean adding 5.5 tsp would raise alk in a 55 by 4.2 dKH

 

but that's too much!

 

so to figure out how much to add for only 2.0 dKH rise, divide 2 (desired value) by 4.2 to get the proportion of your previous value, 5.5 tsp. that you would add.

 

2/4.2 = .48

 

.48 is the proportion of 5.5 you want to add. (if you multiply that by 100, it will give you a percentage, 48%)

 

multiply 5.5 x .48 = 2.64 tsp baking soda to raise dKH by 2 in a 55 gallon tank!

 

is that what you were wondering? let me know if you have any other questions.

[jamesnmandy]

i just dose 15ml of calcium, magenesium, strontium, etc....the Kents Nano Reef Part A and 15ml of the part B buffer every day

 

maybe every few weeks i will check the calcium and alkalinity and such, and every time i check it its perfect.....so i dont check it anymore unless i make a major change or notice something odd

[MrAnderson]

well, obviously calculating dosages isn't important if one already has it worked out.

 

also, some SPS keepers have such high demand that simple dosing like jamesnmandy's just doesn't cut it. Sometimes carbonate gets depleted at such a ridiculous rate that one needs to dose and calculate that component's dosage alone, to supplement kalk or A + B.

[JG]

well, obviously calculating dosages isn't important if one already has it worked out.

 

also, some SPS keepers have such high demand that simple dosing like jamesnmandy's just doesn't cut it. Sometimes carbonate gets depleted at such a ridiculous rate that one needs to dose and calculate that component's dosage alone, to supplement kalk or A + B.

 

 

Thats exactly what seems to be happening to me, for 10 months I was good with just ESV 2 part. My PH was always low but I attributed it to low ambient oxygen, b/c when I opened the windows it would be between 8.1 and 8.3, but alk was always stable @ 10dkh.

 

Now with a quite few pieces of sps and a lot of xenia my alk is getting harder to keep up.