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#1
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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/i...231?Ntt=flakes |
#2
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Yea yea tanks (tanks)
What is the difference you have seen in Your experiences switching to The name brand product. Same or something better? |
#3
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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. |
#4
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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 Most coral info is way out of date some cases 100s of years old.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. |
#5
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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. |
#6
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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. |
#7
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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. |
#8
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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. |
#9
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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 . |