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dadonoflaw
11-13-2006, 06:20 PM
i went to my home depot to get these items for the recipe to make it and the guy says that the calcium is seasonal. is this true? is there somewhere else i can get it?

Rob
11-13-2006, 11:20 PM
yes, both are made from items that are regularly used as concrete de-icers.. so obviously you are not as likely to find these items in the summer where its warm

here is a article with lots of info on this, for others that are interested.
Do-It-Yourself Magnesium Supplements for the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-07/rhf/index.php)

and here

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php)

dadonoflaw
11-13-2006, 11:27 PM
so then i should stock up during the winter time to make sure i have the stuff. how much is it roughly speaking?

CarmieJo
11-14-2006, 12:08 AM
It is less than $10 for 25#.

dadonoflaw
11-14-2006, 03:17 AM
if i dose this stuff in a 125 with two or three clams and a few corals with calcium needs will this be enough to avoid using a calcium reactor. i would rather do it myself if i can. please advise.

BrianPlankis
11-14-2006, 02:56 PM
if i dose this stuff in a 125 with two or three clams and a few corals with calcium needs will this be enough to avoid using a calcium reactor. i would rather do it myself if i can. please advise.

Should not be a problem, just keep on top of the dosing. A calcium reactor (if done properly, which isn't always easy) leads to more stable levels, but I dose my Ca and Alk additives once a day or every other day and have no trouble keeping levels in range. (I do have a fairly light load of corals though).

Brian

JustDavidP
11-14-2006, 04:05 PM
You may also be able to find some of the recipe through construction products suppliers. Some also use it to keep the dust down at sites.

Dave

JustDavidP
11-14-2006, 04:10 PM
The Boston Reefers (Home of Randy Holmes-Farley) had a meeting dedicated to this topic.. coupled with a group buy for the required recipe components.. fun fun fun...with a twist of chemist :)

Dave

bklynmet
12-03-2006, 11:36 PM
What do you guys think of pelletized calcium cloride and magnesium chloride? I've seen these two types as the ingredients in ice-melt at Wal-mart and a chain here in the mid-west called Meijers (automotive sections in each store). The product had "Heat" in the name.
My biggest concern is that there is some other ingredient in there that could have adverse effect on the tank. I know Dow Flake and Mag Flakes have been used by others with success but getting my hands on it is frustrating - even now with the onset of winter and the freezing temperatures.

BrianPlankis
12-04-2006, 12:34 PM
What do you guys think of pelletized calcium cloride and magnesium chloride? I've seen these two types as the ingredients in ice-melt at Wal-mart and a chain here in the mid-west called Meijers (automotive sections in each store). The product had "Heat" in the name.
My biggest concern is that there is some other ingredient in there that could have adverse effect on the tank. I know Dow Flake and Mag Flakes have been used by others with success but getting my hands on it is frustrating - even now with the onset of winter and the freezing temperatures.

I might be overly cautious, but I would not put anything in my tank that could have dangerous levels of trace elements. I would stick with the products that Dr Randy Holmes-Farley has listed ingredients. It just doesn't seem worth saving a few dollars to possibly nuke my tank or even lose a few fish or corals.

Brian

BrianPlankis
12-04-2006, 12:36 PM
This place ships both calcium and dowflake. I've used them before for RO/DI supplies and they have always been nice and patient with me.

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

Brian

Rob
12-04-2006, 11:24 PM
I might be overly cautious, but I would not put anything in my tank that could have dangerous levels of trace elements. I would stick with the products that Dr Randy Holmes-Farley has listed ingredients. It just doesn't seem worth saving a few dollars to possibly nuke my tank or even lose a few fish or corals.

Brian
yes, one of the reasons these products were recommended is because of there high quality... you need to be very cafe to know exactly whats going into your system.. :)

CarmieJo
12-04-2006, 11:46 PM
I don't know how much 16 cups weighs but here is a place that sells the 25# bags DOWFLAKE 25 LB BAG - DOW Chemical Company - 25F - (http://www.instawares.com/dowflake-25-lb-bag.dow25f.0.7.htm)

macsturm
12-07-2006, 12:47 AM
I use the Randy-Holmes reciepe and it seems to work great, I also occasionally at least once a week run a 2 gallon jug of kalkwasser as a drip(thanks to Robs video).

you don't need to stock up to much for the summer as 1 gallon of each of the stuff seems to be lasting pretty good on my 125g, and it did not take too much of the calcium choloride flake to make it, baking soda is always around and I just found a place in ontario that carries mag pellets that works fine for the magnesium dosing.

dadonoflaw
12-07-2006, 05:56 AM
macsturm i have the same size tank so i should ask you do you know if there is an online store for the magnesium as well. i thought i could find these things in the dc area but apparently not. i will have to order these things. also i dont drip kalk so would i need to do this as a supplement in order to keep calcium levels at proper levels or is it a trial and error issue.

macsturm
12-07-2006, 12:34 PM
Hello

to order online BrianPlankis posted this a few post up, In Canada there I was not able to find it online and shipping from the States with duties and customs would not make it worth while for me, but I was able to find it locally in my city at various hardware stores.

I do both, the Randy-Holmes reciepe and Kalk, Randy-Holmes also does Kalk in his tanks, but on top of the main reason of Kalk being Calcium it also maintains and elevates your PH levels which is an important thing. I personally only use Kalk once a week as a don't have a lot of corals right now and the two part additive maintains my Calcium level fairly consistantly.

I am a newbie and this is my first tank and I am at about 6 months right now and touch wood things are going ok

hope this helps, have a look at Robs podcast on Kalkwasser

Paintbug
12-16-2006, 03:07 PM
What do you guys think of pelletized calcium cloride and magnesium chloride? I've seen these two types as the ingredients in ice-melt at Wal-mart and a chain here in the mid-west called Meijers (automotive sections in each store). The product had "Heat" in the name.
My biggest concern is that there is some other ingredient in there that could have adverse effect on the tank. I know Dow Flake and Mag Flakes have been used by others with success but getting my hands on it is frustrating - even now with the onset of winter and the freezing temperatures.

i use the Prestone Driveway Heat myself. have been for over a year now. its just calcium chloride. when it starts to disolve in water, heat is produced. thats why it works great for ice. im not sure if Randy has tested them for purity, but it is mentioned as a subsitute for Dowflake.

CarmieJo
12-17-2006, 01:59 AM
Paintbug, where do you find it?

PSH
12-17-2006, 03:57 AM
I think about every Wal Mart carries it. I can't bring myself to pour it into my tank. Maybe after I read some more about it.

Paintbug
12-17-2006, 05:42 PM
i got mine from lowes. i think home depot has it as well. i have been using this stuff for just over a year now, and the only ill effects i have seen is having to scrape my front and side glass about every 2 weeks :D.

CarmieJo
12-18-2006, 12:33 AM
I think about every Wal Mart carries it.

Yeah but they don't have it out yet in Raleigh, NC. It was in the 70's today and my chiller is running right now.

PSH
12-18-2006, 09:00 AM
Well it helps if you live in a state where it snows and there maybe ice on the driveway.:tongue2:

CarmieJo
12-20-2006, 12:25 AM
We get snow every couple of years. For the most part when it snows they close the schools and most everything else until the snow melts so you don't have to worry about clearing the drive. :)

Even funnier was the year we had an exchange student from the southern part of China. He had never seen snow "come down" and when it snowed here he insisted on shoveling the drive, all 120 feet of it. Needless to say he couldn't move the next day.

JustDavidP
12-20-2006, 01:40 PM
When I was a kid..well...a young kid.. as opposed to the old kid I am today... I had two students in my class that were from Vietnam...

It is New England..and it does snow... on the first day of snow, we all looked out the window, excited, and pointing up at the sky...

The poor kids from Vietnam had never seen snow, and didn't understand english very well...and were very scared. They tucked under their desks as if it were a "shelter in place" exercise...as if we were being bombed...

Sad...

Dave

CarmieJo
12-21-2006, 10:42 PM
I am a little bit older kid than you Dave! I remember the air raid drills in early elementary where we all had to hide under our desks.:raining: