Dow Flake straight

[VaderWS6]

Recently I've just been mixing Dow flake (1-2 teaspoon/week) mixed in a glass of R/O water to keep up with my calcium demands. Is this acceptable? Instead of making 2 part solution like usually, I just mix it straight. I also mix my Alk and Mg part this way. Everything seems fine, but my salinity is higher.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, that is OK, but in the long run folks are often more likely to run into problems with independent dosing that way. It sounds appealing: dose only what is needed and when it is needed, but in practice, reefers using two part systems often end up with fewer problems with imbalances between calcium and alkalinity.

Yes, these types of additives do very slowly raise salinity. If you are skimming, that will often more than offset this rise, but if not, you can always take out a little salt water once in a while and replace it with fresh. :)