Seachem Confusion: Equilibrium, Alkaline, and Acid

[Proy]

Hello,

I recently moved to a RO system and I’m struggling with getting my ratios right when remineralizing my water. 

I have a few questions I’m hoping someone might be able to answer.

1. Can someone attempt to do the math for me…I’ve got a notebook with 15-20 different calculations trying to reach my desired parameters and none have been right. I’m using Equilibrium, Alkaline Buffer, and Acid Buffer.
I’m trying to achieve the following: Ph: 6.7, Kh: 1, Gh: 2, and a TDS <100.
I’m using 5 gallon buckets. Can anyone come up with the proper dosage for each?

2. As I’m using 5 gallon buckets to mix my RO with these chemicals…Does each bucket stack multiplicatively? It’s a 30 gallon tank, I do a 10% water change weekly, which means I’m using 2 5 gallon buckets. Do I need to calculate for the 10 gallons or just get each 5 gallon to the right parameters? Does that make sense? It’s got me so confused.

3. I’m using Brightwell Florin Volcanit to soften/keep the water soft. Do I need to factor in the substrate’s buffering power when preparing my water? Or do I just get my water to the required parameters and the substrate will hold it there?

This 30 gallon tank is holding a pair of Apistogramma Macmasteri. The breeder told me the parameters that they were raised in and I’m just trying to mimic that.

Thank you for your help!!!

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/1/2023 at 5:08 PM, Proy said:

1. Can someone attempt to do the math for me…I’ve got a notebook with 15-20 different calculations trying to reach my desired parameters and none have been right. I’m using Equilibrium, Alkaline Buffer, and Acid Buffer.
I’m trying to achieve the following: Ph: 6.7, Kh: 1, Gh: 2, and a TDS <100.
I’m using 5 gallon buckets. Can anyone come up with the proper dosage for each?

GH - Equilibrium
KH - A ratio of Alkalinity buffer and Acid buffer

For my use case I use 1 TBSP measure for the Equilibrium and for the KH side of things I use a very small 1/8 tsp measure.
--->Per 5G bucket, I used 3 x 1/8 tsp scoops of alkalinity buffer to gain about 1-1.5 degrees.
--->Per 20G, 1 TBSP to increase water by 3 degrees. (This maths out to about 1 tsp per 20G to increase by 1 degree)

For GH (equilibrium in a 5G bucket, you can try 1/4 tsp and see if that gets you 1 degree raise.  Keep an airstone in the bucket and test daily for a minimum of 5 days.

Edited August 2, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[Proy]

Hey @nabokovfan87

Thank you for your response! 
I’m still lost. I understand the concepts of Gh (Equilibrium) and Kh (Alkaline Buffer), it’s getting them at the right level while staying under 100 TDS and locking my Ph to 6.7ish.
I’m continuing to hammer away at the equations based on 5 gallon buckets, recent one I tested was 1g of Equilibrium, 1.5g Alkaline Buffer, and 1g Acid Buffer. This resulted in Ph: 6.0, Kh: 2, Gh: 2 and a TDS of 95. Good results but that Ph is way too low.

So on the next test I tried 1g Equilibrium, 3g Alkaline Buffer, and 1g Acid Buffer. Results were: Ph: 6.35, Kh: 5, Gh: 2, and a TDS of 140. Ph still way too low and now my Kh & TDS are way high.

So in my head I need to lower all chemicals. My next test will be tomorrow with: 1g Equilibrium, 1g Alkaline Buffer, and .5g Acid Buffer. I honestly have no idea how it’s going to turn out.

@nabokovfan87 I will be posting a reply to our Shrimp thread in the next few days. Thank you again for all of your help!

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/1/2023 at 5:47 PM, Proy said:

I’m still lost. I understand the concepts of Gh (Equilibrium) and Kh (Alkaline Buffer), it’s getting them at the right level while staying under 100 TDS and locking my Ph to 6.7ish.

I'll go run and measure my TDS in my tanks.  It's not a calibrated meter, but it's new.  It's a cheap zero-water one.
421 TDS = 75G - Amano shrimp, some culls (GH: 9, KH: 4)
280 TDS = 29G - GH Parameters are bad due to treatment, but this is the main colony  (GH: 14.5-15, KH: 4-4.5)

The best advice I can give you for this is to tackle the problem in two ways.  Worry about GH first, then worry about KH.  Understand your baseline for each, dose in what you need to get there and then understand that you'll simply be holding those levels regardless of what TDS tells you.  If you were using a pre-manufactured powder for shrimp (like salty shrimp) then you would be using TDS as your indication.  the ratio is predetermined.  You're working a bit independently, giving yourself that flexibility to adjust one parameter separate from the others.

Take your 5G bucket, add in that 1/4 tsp and test daily.  Before you add the buffer, 30 minutes after adding the buffer, and then every 24 hours following for up to 7 days.

On 8/1/2023 at 5:47 PM, Proy said:

1.5g Alkaline Buffer, and 1g Acid Buffer.

This should be the same as dosing in 0.5g of alkalinity buffer.  You shouldn't need to use both starting from RO.  I know seachem gives ratios, but keep it simple right now.

Edited August 2, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[Jeff_F]

Watch this video

 

[Rube_Goldfish]

Seachem's website has dosing calculators: https://www.seachem.com/calculators.php

In theory, it should do all the math for you.

[Mmiller2001]

Ditch all those products and use CaSO4, MgSO4 and potassium carbonate. Equilibrium is loaded with other elements inflating the TDS. Ignore pH and target KH only. PH is irrelevant. Use Rotalabutterfly for easy calculations.

[Proy]

All,

Thank you for all the help!

Turns out, as you all said, I was over complicating it, 2.8g of Equilibrium nailed all of my parameters. Did the water change this morning and everything is exactly where I wanted it.

Thank you!

[IanB]

For future reference/others reading, @Rube_Goldfishis right that Seachem has a calculator, as well as an app, that makes it relatively easy (as easy as it gets from the Seachem water/fert system). Targeting such specific parameters as those you listed, @Proyis definitely going to be a challenge to maintain, between evaporation, plant uptake, fish waste processing, etc...

On the rare occasions that I need to use and remineralize RO, I find APT Sky much easier to use, but ymmv.