Seachem Reef Complete

[kae]

I use Seachem Reef Complete as a Ca supplement and I use baking soda for alkalinity supplement. What is the amount of both products that will make Ca and Alk balanced?

I also have a question about polygluconate in this thred. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=8511818#post8511818

Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I replied to the other thread.

I can't do the math here without knowing exactly what is in the product, but I'd treat it roughly like calcium chloride. Problem is, I don't know how much moisture is in it.

 

[kae]

Reef Complete is a concentrated (160,000 mg/L) optimized blend of ionic calcium and also includes magnesium and strontium in amounts proportionate to typical utilization ratios (100:5:0.1, Ca:Mg:Sr).

Dose this data help anything to calculate the balanced amount for baking soda?

Thank you very much.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes. So if you make up my Recipe 1 alkalinity part, then it is balanced if you use 1 part of the liquid Seachem reef Complete and 4.3 parts of my Recipe #1 alkalinity part. if you use unbaked baking soda (Recipe 2), then use 1 part Seachem Reef Complete to 8.6 parts of the Recipe #2 alkalinity part. FWIW, I do not know if using this recipe is ionically balanced, but I expect it is not and so may not be as desirable as using my recipes as written.

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

here's the alk part:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#5

 

[kae]

Thank you, Randy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome.

Good luck.

 

[kae]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8516453#post8516453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
if you use unbaked baking soda (Recipe 2), then use 1 part Seachem Reef Complete to 8.6 parts of the Recipe #2 alkalinity part.

Randy, how did you get this ratio 1:8.6? I used Jdeck's calculator and I got 1:8. Not sure if I was correct.

Thank you very much Randy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That's a small difference, but it relates to what is assumed to be in the calcium carbonate deposited.

I simply determined how much it would take to give the same amount of calcium as in my recipe. My recipe is 37,000 ppm. Since the Seachem product claims to be 160,000, it is 160/37 times as potent, or 4.3 times as potent. Recipe #2 alkalinity part is half as potent as #1, so the ratio is twice that, or 2 x 4.3 = 8.6

In using the calculator, how did you decide what values to enter for calcium and alkalinity? You have a 200 ppm rise for calcium and a 28 dKH rise in alkalinity.

That is perfect for pure calcium carbonate, but my recipes try to balance what corals actually use, which has some magnesium in it. Hence my recipes do not exactly match the theoretical calcium to alkalinity of 20 ppm calcium for each 1 meq/L (2.8) dKH of alkalinity. They use a little bit less calcium.

 

[Billybeau1]

Also, Reef Complete is powdered not liquid.

 

[Fraggle Rock2]

Another way to look at it:

Using that calculator -

Raising 1 G of water from 1 to 37,000 ppm requires about 0.925 L of Seachem Reef Complete. There are 3.875 L per gallon so 0.925/3.785 is about 0.24. So, you add about 76% less calcium relative to 1 part of Randy's recipe 1 alkalinity. Or 0.24 calcium to 1 alk (randy's alk recipe 1) OR 1 calcium to 4.1 alk.

I don't think that calculator considers changes in volume, so liquid is treated as a solid.

Anyway, I think thats right - at least close to what Randy stated.

You could also add 925mL of the Seachem to 2.86L of water (total 1 gallon or 3.785L) to make them 1:1.

 

[HowardW]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11622338#post11622338 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Billybeau1
Also, Reef Complete is powdered not liquid.

Actually Billy it is a liquid.

 

[Billybeau1]

:lol:

I should have expected the Seachem expert to chime in.

But......... I have a jar of Reef Complete crystals. Powdered form.

I did not know they made a liquid form.

Ya learn something new every day.