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1) Yes, I understand what calcium chloride is and have not found that Google link for it to be safer than salt because it's for calcification. So what should my cal be at before I precipitate the alk out of my water and my pumps turn white?
2) Salts cheaper
I do remember you saying I was linked to green peace some time ago because I cared about my fish. All you do is switch your answer back and forth. 3) You also stated you don't have to do a w/c because in a perfect setup, one you would make, the biosystem takes care of its self.
If you have an idea or drawing of some sort, please join in. I would love to see your set up and trials. No one has only success, if you been in the hobby there are fails.
Yes this is a public fourm, they can see my pond and my creations. All my fish are alive and the algae is gone, my failed attempts at the ff, but hey There's a whole lot more fails than success at the ff, and yours running would be helpful.
4) Maybe I just need to do something simple to get it to work. At least someone will see this as tangible, not some scientific quote w/o personal pictures. Link a picture of your perfect setup and I'll leave you be.
1) Yes, I understand what calcium chloride is and have not found that Google link for it to be safer than salt because it's for calcification. So what should my cal be at before I precipitate the alk out of my water and my pumps turn white?
In freshwater systems, sodium, that is the Na part of salts used to increase specific gravity (i.e., salinity), is only good for impacting the fish's osmoregulatory system, parasiticide, improving particular medications, makes particular freshwater aquatic medications toxic to fish, and is detrimental to most freshwater plants.
Calcium carbonate or calcium oxide precipitation is unavoidable in alkaline waters due to carbonate (CO32-) accumulation in alkaline waters, as is visually depicted with the freshwater carbonate speciation bjerrum plot.
In our context of freshwater pond systems, calcium chloride is specifically used to act as a buffer to control carbonate (CO32-) presence (due to calcium carbonate precipitation), to give plants calcium and chloride, and the chloride helps defend fish against nitrite toxicity. To learn more about how this product is used in the freshwater watergardening pond hobby context, then read the thread,
Calcium chloride to lower pH.
For our context, the calcium concentration should never go above 120~150ppm and 40~70 ppm is recommended for horticultural aquaculture optimal vegatable/fruit growth, dependent upon the water's nutrient analysis. However, generally, 40~70ppm is the best mark for our context.
If the calcium concentration goes too high above the nutrient balance, then there is more of a risk of phosphate precipitation (that is making nutrients insoluble to plants) and interference of potassium intake of plants since they use the same ion transfer pumps within the roots. If the nutrient analysis is correct, then the nutrient balance can be quite high thus allowing higher calcium concentrations, which is not common and not desired for this freshwater watergardening pond hobby context.
1 pound per 1,000 gallons once a year, sometimes two doses might be needed for new ponds, is more than enough for ponds in this freshwater watergardening hobby unless the desire is to convert it into an aqua-ponic garden system. Be sure to read the aforementioned thread for proper dosing instructions.
2) Salts cheaper
If the context is to increase salinity, then yes sodium chloride, or some variant, is cheaper.
Aquarium salts sold at stores or websites is the most expensive route since you are paying for more than just salt within these products.
BRS price for calcium chloride is incredibly expensive for such a simple product.
$0.34 per ounce for BRS Bulk Calcium Chloride.
At the Chemistry Store (which is also a more pure grade than the BRS product), $0.11 per ounce for Calcium Chloride. During the Winter, this product is sold at hardware stores, that can be found with no additives, and can be bought for even cheaper than this.
3) You also stated you don't have to do a w/c because in a perfect setup, one you would make, the biosystem takes care of its self.
Correct, the integrated aquaculture industry and integrated aquaculture (i.e., aqua-ponics) hobby sector and zero discharge recirculating aquaculture systems do not perform any significant water changes, outside of filtration cleaning, and the "biosystem" still takes care of it self.
4) Maybe I just need to do something simple to get it to work. At least someone will see this as tangible, not some scientific quote w/o personal pictures. Link a picture of your perfect setup and I'll leave you be.
I utilize a flow through water change system and oxidation to deal with my DOCs, but this will soon be removed, hopefully by Spring of next year, once it is fully converted to an aquaponics (i.e., integrated aquaculture) system.
To learn more and to actually see folk with functioning FF devices, then check out the hyperlinks referenced within
post#58 in thread " Introductory 'behind the scenes' story on your ponds ecosystem", which you have contributed quite significantly to this thread as you and others may recall quite vividly.
