Need help with diy 2 part. Also has anyone had success with this?

[Frogger]

The no-name 3 parts (Ca, alkalinity and magnesium) that the major fish stores sell is way more economic. Not sure if I would trust the calcium chloride from snow melt.

The biggest difference between the noname and the named 2 part supplements is the minor elements that are in the named variety. In theory your ionic balances could get out of balance using the no-named varieties.

If you are doing regular water changes you should be fine. If you are not the other option is to add a 4th part to the equation in the form of Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt. This is a NACL free salt. If you are going to use this method you need to be good with a calculator and understand basic chemical equations.

I have had success using all the methods. Actually 20 years ago I made my own ionically balanced 2 part solution using the formula from Randy Holmes-Farley. I purchased my chemicals at a local chemical supply company through my company. In the end it was way too much work. Way more information is available on the web in you just do a search using Randy's name.

Currently I am mostly using B-Ionic 2 part and I buy a bunch of it when it is on sale. Just to avoid the need to manage my ionic balances.

[ReefMadness]

i've never tried Randy's recipe or any diy's but as another option consider aquaforest dosing salts, they're dirt cheap if you opt for the dry elements as opposed to the pre-mixes. i make 5L batches and bet you could get close to 10 batches from each container. even at your consumption rate they'd still last quite a while.

[corpusse]

The reef crest brand J&L sells is just over $3 a gallon. Given your current needs that would work out to about $3 a month (you need calcium and alk). I think it's even cheaper if buy the larger brs style containers. Considering my needs I buy the pre portioned ones just because it's easier and isn't costing me more then a couple of bucks a month.

[DKoKoMan]

Originally Posted by corpusse

The reef crest brand J&L sells is just over $3 a gallon. Given your current needs that would work out to about $3 a month (you need calcium and alk). I think it's even cheaper if buy the larger brs style containers. Considering my needs I buy the pre portioned ones just because it's easier and isn't costing me more then a couple of bucks a month.

I’m currently using the Reef crest preportioned packs and this has worked well for me. They mix cleanly and are relatively inexpensive. Watch for Boxing Day or Black Friday sales and you can get it even cheaper! Stock up.