Just double checking - Balling Light

[EnFuego]

I read the manual at the fauna marin website. I will be using the profilux controller and dosing pumps to dose these to my nano. Before I get this up and running, I wanted to check on here to make sure I'm not doing this completely wrong.

I have 1 kg of all four balling salts. So, from what I gather, I need to mix in the following manner:

Container 1:
the entire container (1 kg) of calicum chloride-dihydrate in 2.5 liters of RO water

Container 2:
the entire container (1 kg) of magnesium chloride hexahydrate in 2.5 liters of RO water AND 1/4 of the container (250 grams) of magnesium sulfate-heptahydrate

Container 3:
1/2 the container (500 grams) of sodium bicarbonate in 2.5 liters of RO water.

I haven't set up the controller or dosing pump yet, but I'm assuming that I just set it up to dose out a certain number of ml/day? From looking at the manual, it looks like a base line to start is at a rate of 20ml/liter of tank volume every day, correct? So for every 10 gallons, this comes out to 7.57 ml which will be dosed by my controller throughout the day?

Thanks for taking time to read through this to see if my understanding is correct.

[AQD_ottawa]

Hi

Yep you are correct, just make sure after the first two days check your parameters again to make sure your corals are using this amount up, then test again 5 days later, after which you can start fine tunign individual minerals dosing amounts.

And thats the beauty of the system only dosing exactly what is required.

[EnFuego]

Perfect. Thanks for the help.

[Xiaan42]

Is it 125g of Magnesium Sulfate-Heptahydrate for 2.5L of water?

the instructions say:

Instruction:
You need three solutions in three separate 10-liter (2,5 gallons) cans:
1. can:
2 kilogram Calcium Chloride-Dihydrate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water
2. can:
2 kilogram Magnesium Chloride-Hexahydrate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water
250 gram Magnesium Sulfate-Heptahydrate
3. can:
500 gram sodium hydrogen carbonate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water

I would think a half solution would be this:
Container #1 (Ca)
2.5L RO water
1kg Calcium Chloride-Dihydrate
12.5ml Strontium complex (optional)
12.5ml of the heavy-metal Complex (optional)

Container #2 (Mg)
2.5L RO water
1kg Magnesium Chloride-Hexahydrate
125g Magnesium Sulfate-Heptahydrate
12.5ml Iodine-Fluorine Complex (optional)

Container #3 (Dkh)
5L RO water
500g Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate

Also what would be the best way to measure the quantities of salts? I was thinking of getting a food scale to do this.

[AQD_ottawa]

Ok try not to fall into the over analysing trap with balling

A bit too much a bit too little has no detrimental effects to anything.

If you want to yes gets some scales they are very cheap and good to reasure you that you have things in balance

You are correct in regards to your mag calculation also.

[C. Schuhmacher]

Hi

Yes all is correct
Do it like Michael said
greets Claude

[xenon]

Well I just read the manual from the .pdf file downloaded directly from Fauna Marin and these are the instructions provided. I had to cut the recipe in 1/2 because the .pdf manual asks for 2kg balling salts and I only have 1kg containers.

Solution #1: 1kg calcium chloride-dihydrate in 2.5L ro/di water and 12.5ml of strontium-complex and 12.5ml of heavy-metal-complex..

Solution #2: 1kg magnesium chloride-hexahydrate in 2.5L ro/di water with 125grams of magnesium sulfate-heptahydrate and 12.5ml of iodine-fluorine complex.

Solution #3: 250grams of sodium hydrogen carbonate in 2.5L ro/di water.

[AQD_ottawa]

answered this by email

As I have said before and some get so hung up on this, the quantity and water volume is NOT critical, if you make a stronger mix then you dose less, if you make a weaker mix then you dose more.

As a "Guide" follow this

Instruction:
You need three solutions in three separate 10-liter (2,5 gallons) cans:
1. can:
2 kilogram Calcium Chloride-Dihydrate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water
2. can:
2 kilogram Magnesium Chloride-Hexahydrate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water
250 gram Magnesium Sulfate-Heptahydrate
3. can:
500 gram sodium hydrogen carbonate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water

IF you have the balling starter kit (4 x 1kg tubs of salt) then a bit of maths and halve the water volume giving you the 2.5L you are referring to.

[xenon]

Got it.

Thanks Mike!!!