# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Reconstituting R/O water



## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

What do I need to do to raise my GH to 6 dh, DIY methods (not using equilibrium or R/O right). It is for a ten gallon. I've got KH under control using baking soda, and I would like to maintain correct ratios for Ca:Mg.


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

What do I need to do to raise my GH to 6 dh, DIY methods (not using equilibrium or R/O right). It is for a ten gallon. I've got KH under control using baking soda, and I would like to maintain correct ratios for Ca:Mg.


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## STAT 007 (Mar 8, 2003)

Use Kent RO Right and Freshwater Essential. For a 10 gallon tank, it'll be cheap as crap and just as easy.

Sincerely,
STAT 007
Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2004

37 gallon AGA Black Seal, Emperor 400, Ebo Jager 200 W, 100% Flourite Substrate, 2x55 Watt AH Supply PC Lighting (5300K & 6400K) @ ~3.4 WPG, High-Pressure CO2.


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

Option #2: Get some CaCl2 and Epson salt (for Mg). Epson salt is real cheap. For CaCl2 you can get Kent's Turbo Calcium (about $14 for 400g in Atlanta), or there are other sources such as pool supply stores that sell it in bulk. With this you can dose Ca and Mg seperately.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

IUnknown,

Correctly reconstituting RO was a topic on APD a few years ago. I proposed one formula that depended on getting calcium carbonate to dissolve in water. That's hard to do. My most recent recipe is at:

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.9908/msg00022.html

Kevin Zippel came up with an easier alternative that he described in:

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200005/msg00741.html

I wrote a followup to Kevin's letter, and there are several other earlier posts to APD on the same topic. There's even one post in there about how to get the right amount of calcium carbonate to dissolve in water.

These formulas don't do exactly what you're looking for. Some adjustments would be required.

Roger Miller


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Capitan, is the kent marin product more soluble than CaCl2. I was reading on ADP that CaCl2 is insoluble and it will only mix enough to get up to 1 dGH. Stat 007, I read that RO right is just a modified form of instant sea salt. Since Kent will not provide a guaranteed analysis, I don't know if there is any K in RO right. I am looking for an alternative to seachems equilibrium because of the high K. So if I add just calcium and mg that will raise my GH?


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Ok scratch the solubility comment, I am slowly understanding things. I think I confused calcium carbonate for calcium chloride. So calcium chloride looks like the best way to go.


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

On some of the other calcium/GH related threads people mention that you can buy some sort of pool hardener that is nothing but CaCl2. Its real cheap, <$10 for 50lbs [or something like that). But what are you going to do with 50lbs of CaCl2 if you don't own a pool? I think the $15 container of the stuff I bought will last me a year.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Ok I am looking around for info on dosing CaCl2. What do you dose Captain? The kent product is 100% CaCl2, so to add 30ppm of Ca to a ten gallon tank how many tbsp of tsp would I add?



> quote:
> 
> Then from Jamie Johnson......"I keep my Ca around 30ppm and my Mg around
> 10-15ppm, and
> ...


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## Guest (May 2, 2003)

Calcium hardness Pool increaser is about 7$ for 15lbs or so for CaCl2.
MgSO4 for the Mg and you are set.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Ok using chucks calculator I got 1/2 tsp of magnesium sulfate in 5 gallon will give you 14 ppm mg. To get 30 ppm is it close enough to just double the dose, so 1 tsp of Calcium Chloride? I was reading through Neil franks dosing article and understand it, but how do I find the percent of compound in Calcium Chloride? And how to figure out the wight to tsp conversion? Anyone have a chemistry book handy.
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/dosing.html


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

It's amazing. I have been looking in all the pool supply aisles and have yet to find any CaCl2. You would think in this area with the water being so soft that it would be easy to find. But it's not.

Moderator










American by birth, Marine by the grace of God! This post spell checked with IESpell available at http://www.iespell.com

See my Profile for tank details.


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## Sir Plants-a-lot (Feb 16, 2003)

CaCl2 is 36% calcium. The bulk density varies quite a bit but you can use 1g/cc as a rough estimate.

Adding 1/3 tsp to 5 gallons should get you around 30ppm Ca (4dH).

Regards,
Kevin


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## Guest (May 3, 2003)

Now if you are real cheap simply use powdered dolomite, it has Mg, Ca and CO3 for KH.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## wetmanNY (Feb 1, 2003)

The Skeptical Aquarist says "the cheapest source of electrolytes usually is a splash of your own hard tapwater." -- www.skepticalaquarist.com


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

I was doing 1/2 RO and 1/2 tap but it was giving me problems. I haven't figured out why, but I was getting fuzz algae within a week and getting what looked like calcium deficiencies (I thought Ca/Mg problems with my water hardness? or No3 or phosphate issues?). I have recently switched to 100% reconstituted RO water and haven't had any algae for coming on two weeks and plant growth is out of control. For a 10 gallon tank its worth it, not much hassle with RO. 


> quote:
> 
> Hello Greg,
> Thanks for your inquiry. Approximately 1.62 g of Turbo•Calcium will increase the aqueous calcium concentration in 5 gallons of purified water by 30 ppm; this is about 1/4 teaspoon, more or less.
> ...


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Also has anyone used Botanic GH+. Looks like competition with seachems equilibrium but without the potassium.


> quote:
> 
> Ingredients: Deionized water, magnesium salts, calcium salts.


for adding 2dGh with each 5 ml, it looks like it would be expensive.


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

I have looked at it but in my opinion it is basically CaCl2 and epson salt but more expensive. I debated which route to take a couple of weeks ago and it is just more economical and more flexible to dose the individual components seperately according to the water's (tap water in my case) natural GH. In my case I need just a little extra Ca but a lot of Mg, my tap has about 20ppm on Ca and 1ppm of Mg. So a premixed solution would not give me the ratios I want.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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