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Razor Ramon
02-06-2018, 06:33 PM
I’d like to hear from reefers using diy calcium chloride
Randy’s way!
I mixed some anhydrous calcium chloride 94% pure +
It mixed brown , smelt like soil. ???
Read some threads , said it’s percipate .
This product is from Mexico has good stats
As per lack of contaminants.
Looks like the color that clay pots that come from Mexico.
So I used my 25ppm screen sure enough it’s the clay from there.
Can you help me with this,is it normal to have this percipate in diy calcium
Chloride.
Is it always dirty looking and need screening ?
Please state how long you have been using diy products and have you had good or bad luck .
What type of corals .
Thanks look forward to every ones input on this one .
Thank You Razor Ramon

Razor Ramon
02-06-2018, 06:46 PM
Here some pictures of the dirty calcium chloride .
WHAT DO YA THINK EH!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180206/71c30bd0cf8aa7ffb27de92dda6a357b.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180206/98836417ac7352fdb716e3c0c012fad2.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Razor Ramon
02-06-2018, 08:43 PM
Label states many uses even food processing ? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180206/1415d68ef274d895b6546705a1e3563f.jpg



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Myka
02-07-2018, 01:24 AM
Personally, I only add stuff to my tank that has an aquarium label on it. Aquarium use Calcium chloride is not expensive. Aquaforest sells 5 kg for less than $50 (it is anhydrous and can be used in Randy's recipes). That's certainly more than what that bag of mud cost you, but at least you know what you're adding to your tank. I don't know about you, but I have THOUSANDS of dollars in my reef, and I'm not willing to risk it on a bag of calcium. JMHO.

Razor Ramon
02-07-2018, 02:22 AM
Thanks that’s great advice!
Ok let’s get some more input on this.
Anyone have actual experience with this random
Bag mixes.
What gets me the bag says it’s used in food prep.
Look what we are porentaly exposed to in food!
I’m taking it back to the chemical wholesaler tomorrow
They figure it a bad batch they told me that they sell thousands
Of bags yearly leterly pallets of this product to businesses. Never
Had any issues.
I’m guessing that they will be having it tested and maybe a recall on
this run?
I was told that this product should mix clean and clear like I have always seen
In aquarium grade product .
So if more of us can chime in on this and tell your good or bad you have had
On these diy products .
Thanks again!

Frogger
02-07-2018, 02:22 AM
Do you really want to add that stuff to your tank?

How much calcium chloride do you need? Bulk Calcium chloride from Aquarium shops is cheap. When compared to the other costs for keeping a reef tank your bulk calcium and alkalinity requirements are small. There are better places to save your pennies.

That Calcium Chloride will makes a good ice melt that won't fry your lawn.

Razor Ramon
02-07-2018, 04:40 AM
Yea I like that Frogger, only problem now it’s mixed and has the red mud it will plug my sprayer for my sidewalk melt.
It’s not going in my tank. It’s going back to the chemical sales.
Im sure I’m not the only one to use bulk products or am I ?
Thanks again for the support.

CHEAPREEF
02-07-2018, 04:53 AM
I used to use this Calcium Chloride before I switched to ATI Essentials. IT's the brand Randy actual advises in his article, actually it's more pure. 20KG for $25, mixes clear and works perfectly fine. I got it form the Homehardware in the Grove. ;)

https://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Outdoor-Living/Yard-Maintenance/Snow-Removal-Aids/Ice-Snow-Melting/Ice-Melt/20kg-Calcium-Chloride/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I5548231?Ntt=flakes

Razor Ramon
02-07-2018, 05:01 AM
Yea yea tanks (tanks)
What is the difference you have seen in Your experiences switching to The name brand product.
Same or something better?

Frogger
02-07-2018, 06:27 AM
The purer the cacl the better. We add a lot of calcium and the question is what else are you adding to your tank besides the calcium. Whatever else is in the salt will eventually start to add up.

Randy recommended the Dow Flake back in the late 90's/ early 2000's. At that time there wasn't any other option for cheap calcium chloride.

Now with the advent of Bulk Reef Supply and others there is a reasonably priced option in bulk cacl. The cacl we get from our fish stores is likely food grade or better. I would suspect the Aquaforest product is a higher quality then the bulk cacl becuase they likely use the same cacl as in their salt mixes. I do not believe the Dow product is food grade (I may be wrong), but it is not held to as hi a standard because it is used primarily for ice melting and brine solutions.

Razor Ramon
02-07-2018, 12:58 PM
Thanks again to the info/help this site is great .
I do try to keep up on current stuff and read a lot mostly
New 2015 to current threads on reefing.
Most coral info is way out of date some cases 100s of years old.
Randy at reef to reef is up to date and has some great people for resources .
The recent testing of Main Stream products did raise some interest to me .
Your right totally we need to know what we are putting in Our tanks .
Even the best of the best in aquarium grade products as far as salt and additives
Seem to lack the quality control that we all are paying for.
That been said we wonder why our high $$$ corals some times transforms
From some crazy $$$ bla bla into bla bla ugly duckling .
If we all were all Main Stream then all our wet friends would be the same
.... some time you just got to think out of the box a little . That’s why there will
always be that RR guy out there making every one drool.
Thanks again
Still would like to hear more from the DIY game hear success and failure.
I’m racking this one up as needed to be tested . Not in my reef in a lab because the tec sheet for the product doesn’t jive with the visual.

CHEAPREEF
02-07-2018, 09:20 PM
Yea yea tanks (tanks)
What is the difference you have seen in Your experiences switching to The name brand product.
Same or something better?

I switched to a completely different type of product, ATI Essentials is a 3 componant system that doses all trace elements as well as Alk, Ca and Mag. I switched to this as it is like the trion method so no water changes and more stable tank. I still do monthly sump cleanout etc, so it's a small 5-7% WC once a month.
I never saw anything but great results from the dow flake, it's exactly what you get in the bulk reef stuff.
If you look at Randy's new high PH boost recipe it's now using sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda. That should get the na sayers talking. ;)

Frogger
02-07-2018, 10:51 PM
.I switched to a completely different type of product, ATI Essentials is a 3 componant system that doses all trace elements as well as Alk, Ca and Mag. I switched to this as it is like the trion method so no water changes and more stable tank. I still do monthly sump cleanout etc, so it's a small 5-7% WC once a month.
I never saw anything but great results from the dow flake, it's exactly what you get in the bulk reef stuff.
If you look at Randy's new high PH boost recipe it's now using sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda. That should get the na sayers talking. ;)

Us na sayers are only concerned about adding a road salt to our aquariums unchecked. I am sure that Aquaforest would beg to differ on their supplier of cacl. Even Ray from Reef Supplies is always looking for purer suppliers of their calcium and alkalinity components. Dow chemicals makes many different grades of their products all the way up to research grades in bulk. The only thing that changes is the purity of the chemicals.

Sodium hydroxide in its purest form is still only Na, and OH ions. There are reefers that add bleach (NaClO) and Hydrogen peroxide to their tanks successfully. As long as you know what and why you are adding these ions to your tank you can be successful.

The ATI Esentials is basically the Balling method (Randy Holmes Recipe) with extra trace elements. Your choice to not do water changes is only a choice not something the system on its own encourages or benefits from.

The Triton method is basically the Balling Method with a large sump/refugium with reverse daylight algae scrubber with multiple types of different algaes and beneficial organisms. It uses detailed regular testing to determine the exact amount of trace elements to add. It also adds a fertilizer with its 4 part calcium alkalinity component. The Triton System still requires water changes when the values get out of wack.

CHEAPREEF
02-07-2018, 11:03 PM
.


The ATI Esentials is basically the Balling method (Randy Holmes Recipe) with extra trace elements. Your choice to not do water changes is only a choice not something the system on its own encourages or benefits from.


I talked with the US ATI rep quite a bit before switching over, If you read up on it you'll see they recommend no Water Changes and ICP test every 3 months.

But your right to each there own, lots of people haven't done water changes in years without doseing anything but 2 part or a calcium reactor.

Frogger
02-08-2018, 02:58 AM
I talked with the US ATI rep quite a bit before switching over, If you read up on it you'll see they recommend no Water Changes and ICP test every 3 months.

Sorry I stand corrected ATI Essentials recommends ICP Testing. Who do you send your samples off to? I have been considering using Coralvue in Colorado to do my testing.

I do not believe doing testing changes the need for water changes as water changes are required to return our tanks back to desired levels when the levels get too high. The testing does provide better insight into when those water changes are required.

Razor Ramon
02-08-2018, 07:06 AM
I really like the idea of the means to send the water off monthly and they give you a complex break down of the water chemistry.
If a product is bad or you have equipment failing and adding something bad like metal or chemical poising to your tank it can be cought before it builds to a toxic level.
How much dose this service cost for a year and is there many labes that will do this for reefers.
Cool tec for sure !
Not really up on bleach/ hydro peroxide can you post a link if it’s worth a read .
thanks .
I know there is reactors for hydro peroxide to add radical oxygen to the system but not widely used by many in reef settings .

Razor Ramon
02-08-2018, 07:27 AM
Took the bags back calcium chloride anhidrous there chemist at the chemical supplier had a breef talk with me said it had been contaminated because it acts like a descant ( no moisture) so it absorbs like a sponge . He figured the factory’s steel containers had rust so it absorbed iron oxide .
That is the red mud that I screened out .
So is it safe no one knows
if it’s iron oxide probly ok
but it would been realy bad if it was used if it’s copper sulphate.
They replaced the product and gave me the contaminated stuff for my drive way.
Thanks all for your input.