Make Your Own Salt Mixtures
Written by Wednesday, 02 July 2003 02:00
I have been asked many times in the past to give a list of the salts that I use in my tank. This article will give you all the basics on the salts I use. One may go for the whole list or just stay with the two basic compounds, namely Magnesium sulphate (or chloride) and Sodium bicarbonate. Essentially, the former raises the GH (General Hardness), while the second raises the KH (Carbonate Hardness) and buffers your water at about pH=8.2-8.4
The first table gives the quantities I use for my tanks. The quantities mentioned are full teaspoons and correspond to the water volumes indicated (which represent the water volume changed). You must remember to replace the water evaporated before the water change. I tried to make this chart an easy to use tool. Of course, precision can be improved by the use of an electronic balance but I figured that teaspoons are easier to find in the average hobbyist's home.
|
Water Volumes ⇒ Liters ⇓ |
CaSO4 |
MgSO4 |
NaHCO3 |
NaCl |
KCL |
KI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20 |
0,04 |
0,32 |
0,61 |
2,50 |
0,75 |
0,02 |
|
30 |
0,06 |
0,47 |
0,91 |
3,50 |
1,05 |
0,02 |
|
45 |
0,09 |
0,71 |
1,37 |
5,50 |
1,65 |
0,03 |
|
80 |
0,16 |
1,26 |
2,43 |
9,60 |
2,88 |
0,06 |
|
100 |
0,20 |
1,58 |
3,03 |
12,00 |
3,6 |
0,07 |
|
200 |
0,41 |
3,15 |
6,07 |
24,00 |
7,2 |
0,14 |
|
378 |
0,77 |
5,95 |
11,47 |
46,00 |
13,8 |
0,28 |
|
400 |
0,81 |
6,30 |
12,14 |
49,00 |
14,07 |
0,29 |
|
1000 |
2,03 |
15,75 |
30,35 |
122,00 |
36,6 |
0,73 |
|
Target Water |
GH=14 |
pH=8,4 |
|
KH=14 |
|
The following chart is a list of the salts most widely used in fish keeping. Some basic information is presented. The salts are characterized as "absolutely essential", just "essential" or listed for those who want the complete picture.
|
CaCO3 |
Practically insoluble. You should use a very small quantity of this and supplement it with Calcium sulphate and Magnesium sulphate to bring the General Hardness to the desired level. Its solubility is only slightly increased if bicarbonate is present in the solution. Note: It may precipitate in your tank. When dissolving it you should use many changes of water and mix with new hot water again and again. Allow 3-4 minutes for the undissolved stuff to precipitate and use only the dissolved part. Don’t buy anything over 1 Kg, will last for years. |
|---|---|
|
CaSO4 |
Slightly soluble. Again, you should use a very small quantity and supplement it with Magnesium sulphate to bring the GH to the desired level. Use hot water to increase solubily. See the remarks for the Calcium carbonate. Again, buy 1 Kg at most. |
|
MgSO4 |
Practically soluble. This is the salt which is mainly used to raise the GH of the water (sometimes referred to as EPSOM salt). Absolutely essential for plants. I recommend a 5 Kg supply for anyone maintaining 2000 liters of African cichlid water. Will last a year or so. Absolutely essential. (Can be substituted for by magnesium chloride – MgCl2) |
|
NaHCO3 |
Freely soluble. You can add as much as 30 grams / 100 liters safely. Great buffer capacity (increases KH but not GH), absolutely essential for Africans. Increases solubility of other carbonate salts (like calcium carbonate). I buy it in 10 Kg bags. Will last almost a year. Absolutely essential. |
|
NaCl |
Freely soluble. Doesn’t contribute to GH but is essential for African cichlids. Do not use table salt (contains flow enhances including cyanide salts). I buy it in 50 Kg bags. Will last almost a year and a half (see water change details). Essential. |
|
KCl |
Freely soluble. Potassium is needed by both the fish and the plants. Use it in combination with Sodium chloride. I buy it in 20 Kg bags. Will last almost a year and a half. Essential. |
|
KI |
Soluble. Not to be used all the time. I add a small quantity (see table) every time. Iodine is needed by Malawi cichlids, although it is not necessary for other Rift Lake cichlids. An expensive chemical, however 1 Kg will last for years. |
All comments concerning these chemicals are based on my water change schedule and the tap water I have. The tap water in Athens has a GH = 7, KH = 5, pH = 7.8 (most of the times). So the quantities stated in the chart are adequate to raise these parameters to the values desired. If your water is softer or harder than mine, you have to add more or less chamicals respectively. The time each bag will last is calculated for weekly water changes of 35%. Total water volume changed weekly is approximately 800 liters.
For a GH / quantity of chemicals chart click here.
For more information on equivalent quantities of chemicals click here.
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