GH booster Europe

Tom Barr

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You might consider making your own from the base chemicals.

2 parts: K2SO4: potash of sulfur
1 part: CaSO4: Gypsum
1 part: MgSO4 Epsom salt

Might be easier to find those and make your own.
Buy say 1-2 Kg of each that is powdered and mix.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

borman

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Tom, thanks a lot for the quick reply.
Actually i already tried to made the separane solution of mgso4*7h2o and caso4*2h2o. But faced with very bad solubility of this salt. i tried to add 10 .6 grams of it to 1 liter of Ro water to achieve 23Mg/ml concentration of ca for 105 liter of ro water. I even tried to heat the water but the salt did not solve completely. Is this normal ?
 

borman

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Tom, thanks a lot for the quick reply.
Actually i already tried to made the separane solution of mgso4*7h2o and caso4*2h2o. But faced with very bad solubility of this salt. i tried to add 10 .6 grams of it to 1 liter of Ro water to achieve 23Mg/ml concentration of ca for 105 liter of ro water. I even tried to heat the water but the salt did not solve completely. Is this normal ?
 

yme

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yes it is normal. caso4 is gypsum. you need to add it as powder to your tank. I do that as well. I use an artemia strainer (is that the correct word???) to add te gypsum. this makes sure that you don't add big pieces to the water.

greets,

yme
 

Tom Barr

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K2SO4 is not that soluble either.
I add this dry as well, typically after a water change only.

K+ can come from many sources, KH2PO4, KNO3, which are a lot more soluble and thus can be added as a solution or more frequently as desired/needed.

GH booster is nothing more than CaSO4, MgSO4, K2SO4 and was just DIY SeaChem Equilibrium which had been used to add GH to ur soft water and was the trend in the 1990's, we added lots of K+ to every tank.

In general, I keep about the same NO3 as I do K+ , maybe a little higher for K+.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

jonny_ftm

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I also have a bad time adding CaSO4. K2SO4 is nothing unsoluble compared to gypsum. I also add K2SO4 as powder. The problem with gypsum is that it tends to form stone like deposits, just impossible to dissolve.

I'm also interested to know how you dissolve it. Actually, it takes me a big time to add it in a 12L container and mix a while. If you don't mix vigourously as soon as you add it, it forms those rock like deposits.

I even begun looking for CaCL2, easier to dissolve

So any tip is really appreciated
 

yme

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well just as I said. I use an artemia strainer (or sieve?). I put 10-20 gram in it and swirl with my finger in the strainer. the fine paricles flow through and disolve for a great part. it takes about 2 minutes to get the strainer completely empty of caso4. then, indeed, some has fallen on leaves etc, but one whipe and everything is dissolved.

that;s how I do it. trying to dissolve it in 10 liter didn't work in m hands either.

greets,

yme
 

borman

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jonny_ftm
Actually i tried to dose this source of Ca before (CaCl2*6H20)
Yes its dissolve very good and very quick BUT The Calcium % there is only 18% so you need to add it a lot more and simultaneously you add a lot of Cl which is almost 36% here. So my plant felt not so good and I reject this source.
And also - is Seachem use CaSo4 (not looking on its solubility), then I think that this source is better.

2 Tom Barr
Tom if I will use your rcp that’s mean is I take for example 100g of MgSo4*7H20 and 100g of CaSO4*2H20 I will get 9,8 g of Mg and 23g of Ca so relation will mbe 1:2,55 - and not 1:3 or 1:4 as recommended
 

jonny_ftm

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Do you really think that the few Cl2 you'll add could hard your plants? CaSO4 is just cheap compared to CaCl2, that's why for sure they use it rather than CaCl2
 

borman

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jonny_ftm;36988 said:
Do you really think that the few Cl2 you'll add could hard your plants? CaSO4 is just cheap compared to CaCl2, that's why for sure they use it rather than CaCl2

Actually i not sure -but you can calculate how much Cl you add using CaCl2*6h20 for minirelize water. for example to get 24 mg Calcium for 1 liter (for 100 liters of RO water)

But its only assumption.

We need help of the our Guru - Tom...... help

Aslo about my question about relation of CaSo4 and MgSO4 mentioned by Tom in previous post....
 

Philosophos

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Just poking my head in... noticed the chemistry issue.

CaCl2 consists of:

Ca: 40.078g/mol x1 = 40.078g/mol
Cl: 35.453g/mol x2 = 70.906g/mol

70.906
--------- = ~1.769
40.078

This means for every mg you're adding of calcium, you're dumping in 1.769 mg of chlorine. The EPA max for chlorine in tap water is 4ppm. So then, if you dose 3ppm calcium with this stuff, you're adding more chlorine to your water than should come out of the tap in the US. I'd be worrying about the fish.

-Philosophos
 

Tom Barr

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The issue is with how much of the H2O's are attached, Epsom salt is 7 H2O's.
CaSO4 I think is 2 H2O, CaCl2 is more I recall.

You have to add those in for the mass moles.

the Ca++ is the least of the issue/reason to add Gh booster, more for K+/Mg really, but a little Ca++ just in case.

CaCl2 at say 1 part to 2 parts of MgSO4 to 4 parts K2SO4 should be okay.

the Cl vs SO4 is a debate, but I've not seen much evidence it matters that much as long as the Cl is rerlatively low.

Tom Barr
 

Philosophos

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Ya, but if the weight is purely comparing Cl:Ca ratio for toxicity, why calculate for H2O, considering it's the Ca going in? I usually account for the nH2O while figuring out my epsom salt ratios, and try to get my dosing in pure magnesium weight. Should I not be doing this?

-Philosophos
 

Jose-Miguel

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Philosophos: you're right with the proportions. Usually Cl2 evaporates from water, so doesn't stay for longer (opposite to Sulfur), but clearly looks as a high ppm concentration.
I don't know in the US, but here in EU the level of Cl is usually higher than 3 ppm. I don't mind this is good, but 3 ppm sounds very low to me.
 

Philosophos

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4ppm Cl tap water does ugly things to fish. I've seen plants do fine at this level, but I don't know of many people who completely neglect to add fauna.

-Philosophos
 

Tom Barr

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Philosophos;37103 said:
4ppm Cl tap water does ugly things to fish. I've seen plants do fine at this level, but I don't know of many people who completely neglect to add fauna.

-Philosophos

What is the difference between chloride and chlorine? When you put salt into water, do we get chlorine? What is the difference between them?

The NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, MgCl2 etc.........

Given we eat salt, and we know it ionizes in water.......and we know chlorine is toxic to pretty much everything.....chloride is not the same.

I'll let you look up why they are so different.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

Tom Barr

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Jose-Miguel;37101 said:
Philosophos: you're right with the proportions. Usually Cl2 evaporates from water, so doesn't stay for longer (opposite to Sulfur), but clearly looks as a high ppm concentration.
I don't know in the US, but here in EU the level of Cl is usually higher than 3 ppm. I don't mind this is good, but 3 ppm sounds very low to me.

No, the Cl in CaCl2 does not evaporate. It's not a gas........

Chloride is very different from Chlorine.
If this where true, all the Cl- in the sea would evaporate into the air and there'd be no life on this planet.

Chloride salts are left when you boil water down, they do not evaporate.

Regards,
Tom Barr