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View Full Version : Dosing two part buffers

tuckrule
12/01/2006, 01:41 PM
I'm sure this has been discussed before and if anybody can provide links that would be great. I can not use the search function. I was curious on how far apart you are supposed to add the alkalinity and calcium. I have always waited until the cloud has dissipated and then added the calcium, which realistically is only about one minute. Am I fine with this method or should I be waiting longer. I have heard of people waiting an hour in between parts.
surfjeepzx
12/01/2006, 05:54 PM
I add it back to back and have not had a problem. I've been using Randy's 2 part system for 5 months now and it works great. This morning I just made another batch of the Alk supplement.

I mix both parts into 1 gallon milk jugs. Then I transfer them to pancake syrup squeeze bottles that I keep near the sump. I squirt the Alk mix at the intake of the return pump. It milks up the water in the sump just before it gets sucked up and comes out clear in the tank.

The CA part I squirt in the tank just in front of the return nozzle. With the lights on, as you squirt it in the tank, you can see the fluid distort the water slightly.

Wait an hour and measure the parameters again. When your first getting started try to keep a log of how much you add and on what date. After a few weeks you'll know when to just add a dose and then perform your tests once a week or less.
bertoni
12/01/2006, 06:08 PM
I don't even wait a minute and don't have any problems, but I dose into the display tank, so the 2-part isn't concentrated in, for example, a small sump. If you're dosing into a sump, you might need to wait for the sump to be diluted down.
Ralph ATL
12/01/2006, 10:08 PM
I dose in 2 different parts in my sump with a doser; one after another. no problem.
Randy Holmes-Farley
12/02/2006, 07:25 AM
The requirement is that one part be diluted into the tank water before the other part is added. Think of it like food coloring. As soon as the initial dark color is dispersed, it is OK to add more. Tha might be less than a minute in a well mixed tank, or much longer if adding to a sump with low turnover.