Reef Central Online Community

Home Forum Here you can view your subscribed threads, work with private messages and edit your profile and preferences View New Posts View Today's Posts

Find other members Frequently Asked Questions Search Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for marine aquarists Support our sponsors and mention Reef Central

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community Archives > General Interest Forums > The Reef Chemistry Forum
FAQ Calendar Today's Posts Search

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12/17/2007, 01:02 AM
thebun thebun is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Gold Coast Australia
Posts: 4
Raising Potassium with Potassium chloride?

I want to try and raise my potassium levels with potassium chloride. Not knowing much about chemistry and I hope this isn't too stupid a question.

Can I substitute Calcium chloride in Randys old recipe with potassium chloride to make a solution. ( 500grams KCl to make 1 gallon) and then use a reef chemistry calculator to find out how much I need to up my levels from 350 to 390ppm?

Cheers
Simon
  #2  
Old 12/17/2007, 01:40 AM
bertoni bertoni is offline
RC Mod
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Foster City, CA, USA
Posts: 35,743
Well, I'm not sure that dosing potassium chloride is going to be safe, but to raise potassium 40 ppm requires about 40 mg/L of added potassium. So that's roughly 76 mg/L of KCl required. The next step is to get a reasonable guess as to the tank's capacity.

The calcium line in the calculator is going to be a bit off.
__________________
Jonathan Bertoni
  #3  
Old 12/17/2007, 01:56 AM
thebun thebun is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Gold Coast Australia
Posts: 4
I wasn't too sure about adding KCl too, but using other K additives was getting a little expensive. So I bought KCl from a local chemical company, and the rep told me the KCl was a tech grade and should be fine in a reef tank. I wasn't sure what else to ask him.

So far I have added 80ml of the above solution in my 70-75g system and have seen no negative response from my corals.
  #4  
Old 12/17/2007, 02:50 AM
bertoni bertoni is offline
RC Mod
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Foster City, CA, USA
Posts: 35,743
Okay, as long as the animals are fine.
__________________
Jonathan Bertoni
  #5  
Old 12/17/2007, 08:41 AM
Randy Holmes-Farley Randy Holmes-Farley is offline
Reef Chemist
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Arlington, Massachusetts
Posts: 52,068
I'm not sure I'd rely on a rep from a chemical company to decide what is suitable for a reef or not.

Potassium chloride is fine if it is adequately pure, and anything intended for people to consume is likely adequate. Tech grade may or may not be OK, depending on how pure it really is, what's in it, and how much you intend to boost potassium.

FWIW, I do not have high confidence in hobby potassium kits.
__________________
Randy Holmes-Farley
  #6  
Old 12/28/2007, 10:30 PM
Steve1714 Steve1714 is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Costa Mesa, Ca
Posts: 191
how about this potassium chloride?

used in water softeners, would that haft to be food grade?

or how about this potassium bicarbonate!


this must be food grade, you can buffer your system and increase the potassium.

any thoughts on these Randy?

Steve G
  #7  
Old 12/29/2007, 01:12 PM
Boomer Boomer is offline
Older Than the Cretaceous
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Duluth, Minnesota
Posts: 7,679
Here is our long thread on both. The bicarbonate will more than likely jack up the Alk to much if you are trying to achieve K+ levels. It would be fine as a buffer just like baking soda, if used as a Alk sup and give some K+.

The chloride would be the way to go but to boost levels but it is the how is it going to be tested and is it really needed.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...um+bicarbonate
__________________
If you See Me Running You Better Catch-Up


An explosion can be defined as a loud noise, accompanied by the sudden going away of things, from a place where they use to be.
 


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:13 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef Central™ Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2009