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C Balance 2 part dosing. Who uses it?
- Thread starter Cdiggy
- Start date
Here's the math using BRS for both Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride, and TLF C Balance.
1 gallon of dry Calcium Chloride is $17.09 @ BRS. Using recipe #1 it yields about 7 gallons of solution which works out to $2.40 per gallon.
1 gallon of dry Soda Ash is $17.09 @ BRS. Using recipe #1 it yields about 9 gallons of solution which works out to $1.90 per gallon.
So, C Balance - buy both @ PA for $ 31.99
DIY - both for $ 4.30
Saving: $ 27.69
If you wanted to use Peladow and A&H Baking Soda(baked) for a DIY two part, it would be less than $.50 per gallon of solution each, so less than $1.00 for both gallons.
I use a little over a gallon of each per month, so the savings for me is significant.
1 gallon of dry Calcium Chloride is $17.09 @ BRS. Using recipe #1 it yields about 7 gallons of solution which works out to $2.40 per gallon.
1 gallon of dry Soda Ash is $17.09 @ BRS. Using recipe #1 it yields about 9 gallons of solution which works out to $1.90 per gallon.
So, C Balance - buy both @ PA for $ 31.99
DIY - both for $ 4.30
Saving: $ 27.69
If you wanted to use Peladow and A&H Baking Soda(baked) for a DIY two part, it would be less than $.50 per gallon of solution each, so less than $1.00 for both gallons.
I use a little over a gallon of each per month, so the savings for me is significant.
I’m a Randy’s DIY two part user….pretty much since 2008.
If the above posts are claiming BRS two part is super cheap, then DIY is super-duper cheap. I just did a cost analysis and a gallon of calcium costs me 82 cents while a gallon of alkalinity costs 55 cents.
In THIS LINK you will find a link to Randy’s recipe in Post #1 and the recipe for Alk, Calc and Mag in posts #1, #15 and #17, respectively.
EDIT TO ADD
While typing I see that Jim responded with his cost analysis, so I'd figure I'd add mine here for DIY.
For the following math, I will use 1 pound = 454 grams.
CALCIUM PART
A 50 pound bag of Prestone Driveway Heat sells for $46.32. Randy’s recipe calls for 400 grams per gallon. SO
(50 lbs x 454 g/lb)/400 g/gal = 56.8 gallons
So one 50 pound bag yields 56.8 gallons and so the price per gallon would be:
$46.32/56.8 = $0.82 / gallon
ALKALINITY PART
Sam’s sells a 13.5 pound bag of Arm and Hammer for $5.65. Randy’s recipe calls for 594 grams per gallon. So:
(13.5 lbs x 454 g/lb) / 594 g/gal = 10.3 gallons
So a 13.5 pound bag makes 10.3 gallons at a price of:
$5.65 / 10.3 gallons = $0.55 / gallon
As you can see, using Randy’s homemade recipe will save you a couple bucks.
If the above posts are claiming BRS two part is super cheap, then DIY is super-duper cheap. I just did a cost analysis and a gallon of calcium costs me 82 cents while a gallon of alkalinity costs 55 cents.
In THIS LINK you will find a link to Randy’s recipe in Post #1 and the recipe for Alk, Calc and Mag in posts #1, #15 and #17, respectively.
EDIT TO ADD
While typing I see that Jim responded with his cost analysis, so I'd figure I'd add mine here for DIY.
For the following math, I will use 1 pound = 454 grams.
CALCIUM PART
A 50 pound bag of Prestone Driveway Heat sells for $46.32. Randy’s recipe calls for 400 grams per gallon. SO
(50 lbs x 454 g/lb)/400 g/gal = 56.8 gallons
So one 50 pound bag yields 56.8 gallons and so the price per gallon would be:
$46.32/56.8 = $0.82 / gallon
ALKALINITY PART
Sam’s sells a 13.5 pound bag of Arm and Hammer for $5.65. Randy’s recipe calls for 594 grams per gallon. So:
(13.5 lbs x 454 g/lb) / 594 g/gal = 10.3 gallons
So a 13.5 pound bag makes 10.3 gallons at a price of:
$5.65 / 10.3 gallons = $0.55 / gallon
As you can see, using Randy’s homemade recipe will save you a couple bucks.
It is the brand that Julian Sprung sells/pimps. I read the contents and it has a bunch of stuff including mag, strontium, molybdenum, and a bunch of other stuff. I have had success with it but was wondering...
Yes, this is my main reason for posting. I like to save money but I also will pay a premium for the extra stuff that homemade recipes don't include. I am torn between saving money and providing more than just calc, all, and mag to the tank. I use about a gallon of each about every 4 to six months at $28/pack so I can save money but it is really not a bunch in the grand scheme of things. I also use instant ocean and not reef crystals so dosing is important to me to replace what IO doesn't provide that RC does.
Not surprising, since he's the president of the company.
Although I do not trust people that pimp their own stuff I do respect him ( I bought his book back in the early 90's when he was being blasted by the community about protein skimmers, algae scrubbers and the like before he got into marketing products) so I do have some bias about the subject.
Yeah that's me... I don't even buy the bulk product from brs. I buy the pre-portioned ones haha
I was worried about accidents as well but I was also told that kalkwater helps precipitates po4 out of the water so I have been using it in addition to dosing.
Btw. I prefer the non supplemented type... *Snap*
i can see that happening. calcium phosphate likely has a very low solubility. the OH- helps deprotonated the phosphate, and then the calcium and phosphate bind and crystalize. but i have no idea how big of an effect this has. particularly because if those are the only things at play, then the only difference is the pH change from kalk, since you are aiming for the same [Ca++] regardless of which method you use. and since you want your pH in a tight range, im not sure how big of a role that will have.
but im not a chemist.
i can see that happening. calcium phosphate likely has a very low solubility. the OH- helps deprotonated the phosphate, and then the calcium and phosphate bind and crystalize. but i have no idea how big of an effect this has. particularly because if those are the only things at play, then the only difference is the pH change from kalk, since you are aiming for the same [Ca++] regardless of which method you use. and since you want your pH in a tight range, im not sure how big of a role that will have.
but im not a chemist.
You sure sound like a chemist! LOL. I know I was having trouble keeping the ph over 8 and my ca was on the low side ( this was before the c balance dosing I do now) so one of the reasons for the kalkwater was to keep the ph up. I also keep my refuge lights on a reverse cycle fro the display lights as well.
I think I am, at least for the time being, going to keep using c balance since I go through about a gallon every six months and don't test for mag yet. It also has strontium in it ( which I don't know what it does but is supposedly beneficial ) and at about $60 a year it does not break my bank. I am probably going to go with the homemade stuff once the c balance starts to eat into my pocket and on my list of things to get is a mag test kit.
I used esv mag and 2 part calcium and had amazing growth, then I just started using their salt which you mix yourself more time consuming but then you are doing a wc and dosing at the same time
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