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barderer

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Posts posted by barderer

    DIY Alkalinity test

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    More accurate way to determine Alkalinity

    After trying to get a accurate reading with my color titration Alkalinity test kit and failing. I can't tell the difference between the slight color changes. My gf gives a different reading than I do because we see the color differently. I just don't think those kits are very accurate. So I figure I have a digital pH meter why not do a HCL titration to saturate the alkalinity and calculate the amount of HCL used to get total alkalinity. Note: I am not a chemist but this is high school chemistry so if you are a chemist please take a look at my method and scrutinize.

    The hard part; Making a 0.1 N solution of hydrochloric acid.

    Grab a bottle of muriatic acid from your local home depot. Mine sells 20 baume 31.45% w/w HCl. Now we have to calculate the Morality of this solution. Most bottles will have a baume number on them. You will need this. To calculate the total weight of HCl in the bottle we take:

    Specific gravity * %of HCl = g of HCl

    Specific gravity can be found by 145/(145-baume).

    So in my case I have a s.g. of

    145/(145-20) = 1.16

    Total HCl is 1.16 *1000 * .3145 = 364.82g HCl

    Now I can find my morality, the molecular weight of HCl is 36.46g

    364.82g/36.46g = 10 M

    So in sort, the HCl home depot sells is 10 M. This is way too strong for practical purposes so we want to make a dilution of this for our titration. We are going to need a 0.1 N stock solution of HCl so first we will make a 1 N solution then make a 0.1 N solution from that. You should really make the stock solutions in phases like this for accuracy.

    M1V1 = M2V2 we want to make a 1000ml 1 M solution from a 10 M so.

    10x = 1 * 1000

    x= 100 ml

    So we add 100ml to 900ml of DI water (make sure your water reads 0 on your TDS meter.) and we get a 1 N stock solution. The pH of this solution should read 0.1 if your meter can handle this.

    Now we do the same thing to make a .1 N solution from this solution. Let’s make a 1000ml of this stuff so we don’t have to do it again for a long time.

    0.1*1000/1 = 100 ml. So add 100 ml of the 1N solution to 900 ml of DI water and you will finally have your stock solution!!! Measure the pH of this solution as a check. It should be 1.1 .

    Easy part; Testing

    Now take a sample of your aquarium water, you can use any volume but I like to use 100ml because my pH meter sits nicely in the cup without me holding it at this level. Stick in your pH meter to your sample. You should get the same reading you do when you stick it directly in your tank. If not start over with a clean sample container. Now draw up some 0.1 N HCl solution in to your 5ml syringe. And start dropping into your sample 0.5 mls at a time and watch your pH meter. You are adding a strong acid so your pH should fall rapidly. Once your pH hits 5 start to slow down and add a drop at a time until your pH hits 4.5 . The reason we are shooting for 4.5 is because this is the point where all available carbonates have been converted to carbonic acid. You would think this would be pH 7 but it’s not as carbonic acid is a weak acid and you have to really saturate it etc. Anyway, once you have reached pH 4.5 you are done and now can calculate your total alkalinity.

    Alk mg of CaC03 /L = A x N x 50,000 / mL of sample

    Where A = ml of acid added

    N = normality of your HCL

    So if you added 4ml of 0.1 HCL before you hit a pH of 4.5

    4*0.1*50,000 / 100 = 400 ppm CaC03 equivalents or your total alkalinity is 2 meg/L (mg/L / 50 = meg/L).

    Very accurate! And cheaaap.

    Austin area stores? Recommendations please!

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted · Edited by barderer

    River City - Best prices on dry goods/ Fair to good prices on livestock. They are good supporters of the reef club etc. This is my favorite store.

    AquaTek - By far the most expensive. Overpriced livestock but good location and its reliable as its been there forever. Their stuff is usually healthy.

    AquaDome - Cheapest prices on fish and best selection of saltwater fish I have ever seen. VERY high priced dry goods. I was charged 15 bucks for some frozen mysis there the other day and then saw it at aquatek for 6 bucks a few days later. Sigh. They have there own discount program and don't offer a MAAST discount.

    ACK! HELP! pseudocorynactis!

    in Emergency Discussion

    Posted

    Pseudocorynactis spp. are like Corynactis but are much larger (to about six inches (15 cm) diameter, and usually not colonial. They also reproduce by fission, but it is unusual to find more than about six clones together as a group. The so-called orange ball anemones that can be observed on coral reefs at night are Pseudocorynactis spp. The column varies in color from cryptic shades of brown to orange, red and magenta. The tips of the tentacles are commonly bright orange, but they can also be white. These tentacle tips are extremely sticky, like flypaper, due to the presence of powerful nematocysts. This fact makes the larger species from the Indo Pacific region unsuitable for aquariums housing fishes, which they readily capture. They also can catch mobile invertebrates such as shrimps and snails, and sometimes "attack" sessile invertebrates growing on adjacent rocks, enveloping them in the gastric cavity through a widely opened mouth. Pseudocorynactis spp. can be fed daily, but only require twice weekly feeding to keep them healthy. If they are not fed frequently enough, they shrink. There is a marked behavioral difference between the common Caribbean and Indo-Pacific species.

    The Caribbean species, Pseudocorynactis caribbaeorum mainly opens its tentacles at night, and closes rapidly when it senses light. The Indo-Pacific species remains open both day and night, and is not sensitive to light. The presence of food smells (dissolved amino acids) in the water stimulates either species to open up and extend the tentacles, and the caribbean species can be trained to open in the light by feeding it during daylight hours. The mechanism for its apparent memory is not known.

    Whether you have a large reef aquarium or a simple small aquarium, any of the corallimorphs can be easily maintained and enjoyed for decades.

    ACK! HELP! pseudocorynactis!

    in Emergency Discussion

    Posted

    ORANGE BALL CORALLIMORPH look truly awesome. I couldn't find and definitive information on if they are good or bad. I am leaning toward bad since they appear so similar in "approach" to aptaisa and mango's. Contain the relevant rocks or chip out the rock around the anemones until we determine if they are good ;)

    lamptree

    in Do It Yourself

    Posted

    that actually looks pretty good. Nice and industrial. I wonder if anyone has ever tried making a glass/acrylic top counter sunk so the majority of the surface touches the waters surface. That way no condensation and you could see right down into the tank.

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