part 2 of 2-part not diluting?

[dieselgrk]

I use the randy holmes-farley 2-part recipe #1 and have done so for about 3 months now with great success. Recently however (past 2 weeks) the part 2: alkalinity part is not diluting into the aquarium water. When the liquid combined with the salt water the liquid forms into small crystals which circulate in the current and do not dissolve. After a few hours of adding part 2, a white film forms on all glass panels of my aquarium….anyone know why?

I like the results I see with higher water parameters and have always kept my parameters at: ca-450, kh-11, mg-1400. now that I’m having an issue with part 2, my ca bounces around at 450-500 and kh around 8-9.

Has anyone experienced this before?

 

[FishGuy5]

Very interested in this info as I am planning to start dosing w/ the 2-3 Part.

Thanks for info too

 

[Reefugee]

Paul,

First off - I just want to make a disclaimer that I have never had this happen to me before. However, I am going try to take a stab at this based on basic chemistry principles (think La Chatelier's principal in regard to solubility constant Ksp).

My guess is that the precipitate that you are seeing is MgCO3. I don't think it's CaCO3 because your calcium level is actually higher during the problem than before the problem occurred. So it's one of two things:

1. Your Mg2+ level is way too high. You might might want to lower your Mg level.

2. Your "part 2" is too concentrated. Try making a new batch.

I try to explain my geeky reasoning later (when I am not at work. )

Minh

 

[northbay-reefer]

Not a problem at all, next time make sure to pour it into your sump or tank slowly in an area with alot of flow so the alk doesn't precipitate into those while milky cloud.

 

[funman1]

Just re-read the post..
Never mind

 

[robertloop]

Yup... The guys are right. Make sure to pour very slowly into a very high flow area. The alkalinity is presipatating more easily in water that has "higher" kh levels. BTW... With CA around 500, your pumps may begin to have issues with deposites.

This would happen to me when I was using 2 part suppliments too. I called it the KH snowstorm.

 

[Reefugee]

Opps... I guess I shouldn't have assume that Paul was pouring it in slowly. Very good point.

 

[dieselgrk]

Thanks for the feed back guys.

Mihn, Ill try lowering my mg level. as for making a new batch, i already did and have the same prob still.

northbay, i tried adding the part 2 really slowly. it didn’t work. i have even tried adding the part 2 to a half gallon of water and then adding it to the aquarium so it is really diluted before going in. still same results

robertloop. u are right, the only downfall to 2-part is i have burned out two pumps already and am having to clean all pumps every other week to prevent from happening again.

 

[matttaylor]

Once calcium and carbonates reach a certain point (threashold) adding more will cause precipitaion. If i had to guess i'd say you have too much carbonate and the addition of more is causing the snowstorm. It's even more obvious if you're diluting it before addition and you still get the snowstorm. I had this happen with calcium a few years ago. Try not adding the alkalinity portion for a few days and see if the problem goes away.

 

[robertloop]

It's not just the two part that will do that to your pumps though. Even if you're running a reactor, with ca that high you will have problems. What I fianlly did was dose less two part and add a kh boost every now and then with kalk. In some tanks its the ca that stays a little low and the kh will be right on. In that situation dose a ca suppliment boost with a powder product like Seachem reef advantage.

Since I added the reactor 4 months ago, my CA stays around 375 and dkh at 9. I had to turn it down after the first month as the CA was rising above 400 and kh got to 10. Still learning this thing!

 

[Nuuze]

Yep, watch your pumps! I spent half the day soaking them in vineger before learning to pour slowly. The pumps will eventually sieze from the buildup. For now I have a water bottle with a tiny hole drilled on the cap upside down with the bottom cut out to drip in drip into my sump.

 

[robertloop]

Maybe let the Kh come down to around 9 and see if the snow storm is as bad. I'm not exactly certain what the precipatate "snow balls" are. It only seeming to be worse when my KH was up in the double digits. Mihn could be right about it being mag.

Theres a little comedy here. The first time this happend, I rember thinking.... "What's going on? My cigarette smoke had turned to snow?"
I still put some B-Ionic in my tank from time to time because I belive it contains some elements that the CA reactor does not provide. Just had that happen last week. I moved to a higher flow spot and poured slower. It then truned back from snow to cigarette smoke.

 

[northbay-reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10881946#post10881946 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dieselgrk
Thanks for the feed back guys.

Mihn, Ill try lowering my mg level. as for making a new batch, i already did and have the same prob still.

northbay, i tried adding the part 2 really slowly. it didn’t work. i have even tried adding the part 2 to a half gallon of water and then adding it to the aquarium so it is really diluted before going in. still same results

robertloop. u are right, the only downfall to 2-part is i have burned out two pumps already and am having to clean all pumps every other week to prevent from happening again.

If Calcium is too high, it will precipitate alk and if alk is too high it will precipitate Calcium so what you want is lower your Calcium to about 420-430 or so and you won't have this problem anymore.