Dowflake?

[Mrseptember15]

I'm currently making some alkalinity buffers for my tank and I need dowflake. I'm not sure if theres a similar product but dowflake was advised to be used. Any stores around San Jose that sells it or anything like it?

 

[sfsuphysics]

dowflake is for calcium not alkalinity.

However if that's what you want (and I misread), you can't get it locally, but there's one particular product that pool supply stores sell called "Hardening" or something.. it makes the water more "hard"... I'll have to search for the name of the local shop that caries it later (unless someone chimes in) although that stuff is a much higher concentration of calcium chloride, so you'll have to adjust your recipe accordingly.

I don't know why but I want to say Leslie is the pool store.. scroll through a few pages in this forum there should be a discussion about it.

 

[Natterjak]

Yeah, I think it's Leslie's pool supply (they're all over) and I think the product was called Hardness Plus or something.

 

[GreshamH]

Or you can order it from Two Part of Buckeye Filed Supply. Both are great companies to deal with

 

[GreshamH]

I butchered that post so bad, I decided to leave it be and start a fresh :lol:

Two Part OR Buckeye Field Supply

 

[seminolecpa]

You can also use Prestone Driveway Heat. You will on a very rare occasion see it in the bay area at Walgreens.

 

[northbay-reefer]

If you are willing to drive to Santa Rosa, their is a place call purity supply that sells the Dow flakes by 50lbs bag for 30 bucks

 

[Mrseptember15]

Pfft Santa Rosa?! I would rather spend the gas money for shipping online. lol but thanks for the suggestion. So hardness plus works?

 

[Nukeproof]

Where is the place that sells Dow Flakes in Santa Rosa?

 

[Nukeproof]

Double post. Sorry.

 

[Elite]

Do you have any SPS in that 30G tank?? If not why do you need to dose calcium??

 

[Mrseptember15]

I have to dose Alk not Calcium. I think the ingredients say to bake the baking soda for an hour then to mix it with some dowflake? My zoos are losing color and water changes arent helping it.

 

[otterpop510]

have you tested for alk/calc? with a tank that small with not alot of stonies and good water changes i'm guessing you should be pretty good on both levels. perhaps something else that is causing zoas to lose color..

zoas normally like a bit higher nutrients so not having tons of water changes isn't that big a deal, zoas also like moderate lighting and flow (what is the lighting for your tank?). also, for zoas if you are using carbon to take it out as well as potentially dosing a bit of iodine. both seem to help, as well as potentially spot-feeding with cyclopeeze/rotifers/etc..

 

[northbay-reefer]

September, I was thinking more like you go there to do some free wine tasting and then on the way back stop by and pick up a bag od Dow flakes btw from what you are describing, you dont need Dow flakes.

Nukeproof, its called Purity supply and it is of off Dutton Avenue.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Dowflake will ONLY increase calcium, not alkalinity, the reason it says to do both is because you typically get your levels more or less balanced then dose the same amount to keep them balanced.

If you do go the dowflake route, then by all means do NOT mix it with the baking soda, you'll make a large white sludge (I made that mistake once

 

[Mrseptember15]

So lets change this topic to: "How to boost alkalinity" Any links to show me how?

130watt light over an 18in. depth.

 

[Elite]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/skip/agu/kalkdripper.htm

 

[sfsuphysics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9479024#post9479024 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mrseptember15
So lets change this topic to: "How to boost alkalinity" Any links to show me how?

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html