How many people out there dosig B Ionics rather than reactor with success?

[Horace]

The current plan is to stick with Randy's 2 part right now and see how it goes. I just bought an Ensign-2 dosing pump so I cant wait to see how it works. I am really hoping it keeps my levels solid like I think it will.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6911203#post6911203 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jman77
Horace,

You doing the DIY 2 part ...or you sticking with Bionic ?

I bought a 50lb bag of dowflake from the pool supply store for 25 bucks. Let's say I'm going to be making the the Randy DIY for a long time to come ...hehehehehehe

 

[kilo]

Thanks for all the help I think I will buy a pump.

 

[bbfatty49]

would you say Randy's 2 part system work just as well as any other store bought system?

 

[bbfatty49]

also would you say a MH double ended or screw socket would be better for growing acropora?

 

[janakaybravo]

Anyone in Texas using Randy's recipe? I can't find key indredient, Dow Flake anywhere, although there is stuff at Pool Supply places that might work. Randy hasn't tested any of these yet. I'm just wondering if anybody is using anything to substitute for Dow's down here where we don't get cold weather much.

I have a 120 gallon with lots of growing frags and have been using b-ionics and having trouble keeping the levels up. I want to try Randy's recipe if I can find the stuff. The b-ionics is really getting expensive!

 

[seminolecpa]

http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/showproducts.asp?Sub=124&showspecials=124

You can order it is 4 lb packs. This is where i used to get it from . The shipping cost as much as the pack but it is still a huge savings over buying the premixed stuff.

 

[DocReefer]

I have a 180 mostly SPS and have been using B-Ionic for the last year or so and have had good success. I, too, have succomb to the dosing pump method as it is more reliable and I didn't know how dumping a whole bunch of stuff in at one shot would make the contents feel.

Right now, it's on a continuous drip of 4cc/hr for each part which is around 100 cc/day. That seems to keep my calcium at 470-490 and dKH around 10-12. I pay around $90 for the 4 gallon pails of the stuff and that lasts a hell of a long time.

When you consider the crazy investment into the livestock (e.g. $150 for a frag of a superman monti) does it make sense to cheap out on the most critical part of the system (aside from salt and water)? I could never get that. You can go from an inexpensive frag that cost 40-50 bucks to a huge colony worth a thousand bucks if it were fragged, with the appropriate water conditions.

Anyway, that's how I justify the expenditure of B-Ionic in my tank.

 

[johns]

Hey Doc-

I have trouble with the phrase 'cheap out' the way you use it here. I consider 'cheap out' to be when you buy RIOs instead of Tunzes, or insert name instead of Euroreef, Deltec, etc.

I dont consider it cheaping out when you buy NaCl2 instead of salt (by that I mean, when you are pretty much buying the same thing packaged in different ways).

just my thoughts

 

[imbuggin]

both

both

I use both. B-ionic with a 2 part dosing pump like above and a 2 chamber calcium reactor.

 

[janakaybravo]

Doc, I wouldn't consider it except Randy Holmes Farley is a chemist that I think we can trust. I agree with you, I only use expensive products in my tank. I was just looking to cut costs if it's all the same. Take a look at his recipe and see what you think.

 

[DocReefer]

I actually don't think that it's a bad thing to do your own stuff, that's my life. It's that a lot of times you'll get people sweating over spending 20 vs 60 dollars on a product. I understand there was some issue of relative purity of the reagents used in the homemade brew. Do I think it's dumb to spend $20 rather than three times that on the *same* product? No, of course not. By the way sodium chloride or table salt is NaCl not NaCl2. No, thems not fightin' words.

 

[johns]

By the way sodium chloride or table salt is NaCl not NaCl2. No, thems not fightin' words.

:lol: You got me. I had MgCl2 on the brain, to be honest. I've been reading and writing posts on it for the past few weeks. He he.

 

[jobob]

does anyone know the best place to fine pickleing lime???

 

[Hef]

Quote - "Total cost for the ingredients above: $23.38
CaCl2 mixture is $0.30 per gallon plus RO/DI water cost
Alkalinity mixture is $.44 per gallon plus RO/DI water cost
Mg mixture is $.50 per gallon plus RO/DI water cost"

This is great, I didnt check your math, I always knew it was a boatload of ingreadients. Your Mg is high, you are not using the new Mg ingredient.
I've been using all 3 for quite a while now. I finally just started running the alk part through a dosing pump. I would say that's a must. I'm only dosing about 80ml per day but the rise and fall every day cant be too good. The dosing pump keeps me level at 8.0Dkh.

I ran Pickling lime for a long time. I just see that as a pain in the butt now after dialing my system in with Randys Recipe.

 

[janakaybravo]

Thanks Seminolepca for the hook up for some Dow Flake. Anyone know the website for the magnesium part? I think it's Dead Sea or something. Can you buy it online too?

Thanks!!

 

[orangekush4]

b ionic growth 1 year 1" to 2" growth

 

[orangekush4]

i mean from 1" to 2" frags