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Dissolving GH booster

san-ho-zay

san-ho-zay

Member
Joined
18 Jun 2008
Messages
98
Location
Otley, UK
In have very soft water and, in addition to adding MgSO4 as part of EI macros, I add about 3/4 tsp GH booster at each water change (tank volume 300 litres). It's the GH booster that Aquaessentials used to sell and isn't very soluble (which is not a criticism of AE).

Is something like Seachem Equilibrium easy to dissolve, or is it basically the same stuff?

What's the best way to get the stuff in the tank without clouding and/or leaving a residue on plants? I've tried leaving it in a jug of water but I just end up with a brownish undissolved sediment. I've also tried just dumping it onto the top of filter sponges but it doesn't completely disappear before the next w/c.

Does any of this matter?

EDIT: My water quality report suggests 7.69mg Ca/l and 1.74 mg Mg/l.
 
I just received my salty shrimp gh+ booster yesterday and it dissolves instantly. Check out our supplier called fresh water shrimp they sell it as well as aquarium plant food.
 
Westyggx said:
I just received my salty shrimp gh+ booster yesterday and it dissolves instantly. Check out our supplier called fresh water shrimp they sell it as well as aquarium plant food.
Click to expand...
yeah i can vouch for that, i have this too and have also noticed how well it dissolves, its great stuff. I also use sera mineral salts on my larger tank but find it much more difficult to dissolve and causes some temporary cloudiness.
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Thanks for all your replies. :thumbup:

Does this GH booster say what's in it? I can add magnesium easily, it's more the boost to calcium I guess.
 
This is the only info on the site.

Bee-Shrimp Mineral GH+ has especially been developed for the keeping and breeding of bee shrimp, bumblebee shrimp and tiger shrimp in an aquarium, to mineralise RO water, rainwater, fully desalinated water etc. It raises the total hardness (°dH) without significantly influencing the carbonate hardness (KH). This is especially important for shrimp originating from softwater habitats (ratio of KH/°dH: 0.06/1.0).

Bee-Shrimp Mineral GH+ contains all the important minerals and trace elements your shrimp need for their well-being, an intensive colouration, successful breeding and healthy growth. It also furthers plant growth and the microbial regeneration of biological filter substrates. The danger of noxious bacteria is reduced, as these salts especially further the growth of antagonistic (beneficial) microflora.

Bee Shrimp Mineral GH+ does not influence the pH directly.
For keeping and breeding bee shrimp, aim for a pH of under 7. As soon as biological biodegradation processes start in your tank this may happen all by itself. However, if the pH remains higher, the low carbonate hardness (KH) enables you to influence the pH very easily, e.g. by the use of black alder cones or peat (both containing fulvic acids), or with pH-reducing additives.

Instructions of use
Mix with water outside of the aquarium. Bee-Shrimp Mineral GH+ dissolves almost completely within seconds, and the water is ready for use at once. Please make sure that any undissolved particles go into your tank, too. Close the container tightly after use.

Dosage
Use Bee-Shrimp Mineral GH+ to re-mineralise RO water, rainwater, fully desalinated water etc. to reach a total hardness of about 6 °dH and/or a conductance of about 200 +/- 50 µS (Microsiemens). For this purpose, an evenly full measuring spoon (about 3 g) to 20 litres of water is sufficient. Measuring spoon enclosed.
 
Richard,
If you just want to add Calcium with an easily soluble salt, why not just add Calcium Nitrate or even Calcium Chloride? These are highly soluble salts of Calcium. Traditional GH Booster has lots of stuff in it and there are more than a single recipie:
Grumpy's GH Booster:
Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4)
Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4)
Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4)
Ferrous Sulfate (FeSO4)
Manganese Sulfate (MnSO4)

Barr's GH Booster
Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4)
Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4)
Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4)

Seachem Equilibrium
Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4)
Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4)
Magnesium Sulfate (MnSO4)
Ferric Sulfate Fe2(SO4)3
Manganese Sulfate (MnSO4)

It's the Calcium Sulfate that makes the mix hard to dissolve because it isn't very soluble. Of course, the solubility improves if your tank is acidic, such as when you add CO2.

Cheers,
 
I'm with Clive, I followed his advice a while back on adding calcium. just purchase some calcium nitrate from one of the forum sponsors fluid sensor or aquarium plant food, and add a small teaspoon full on water change day.
I also have very soft acidic water with a low calcium content so did this on my high tech. The calcium nitrate dissolves really easy in a small glass full of aquarium water..a quick 30 second stir and it's all gone.
On my low tech I use seachem equilibrium and it's a pain to dissolve, infact my tank ends up looking like its snowed in it for the best part of 3 days.


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Thanks Clive and Alistair, that sounds like a plan.

Presumably I'd have to dose this separate from any sulphates? Would mixing magnesium sulphate and calcium nitrate, or potassium sulphate and calcium nitrate just precipitate the calcium sulphate back out?
 
No mate, just chuck it in whenever or with whatever. Shouldn't be an issue.

Cheers,

EDIT: Holy cow, Alistair, did you realize you have exactly the same avatar as Westyggx? Are you guys twins seperated from birth, like Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger? Bizarre... 😵
 
ceg4048 said:
It's the Calcium Sulfate that makes the mix hard to dissolve because it isn't very soluble. Of course, the solubility improves if your tank is acidic, such as when you add CO2.

Cheers,
Click to expand...
Makes sense, when i prep my water change water i add my mineral salts to this and it doesnt fully dissolve at ph 7 from the tap. However when it goes into the acidic tank the small undisolved particles quickly disappear. Also tends to suggest that the salty shrimp gh+ doesnt use calcium, or at least not as much, as the powder dissolves very quickly in the same tap water.
 
Ady34 said:
Also tends to suggest that the salty shrimp gh+ doesnt use calcium, or at least not as much, as the powder dissolves very quickly in the same tap water
Click to expand...
That's possible, but not necessarily so. It may actually suggest that they do not use Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4) as their Calcium source, or that they use a combination of calcium salts based on cost. As mentioned, some Calcium salts are much more soluble than others. The least soluble common salts are Calcium Carbonate, which is basically chalk, and Calcium Sulfate, which is basically plaster of Paris.

Look at the solubility numbers in neutral pH water at 20 degrees C.:
Calcium Carbonate: 0.15 grams can be dissolved in 100ml
Calcium Sulfate: 0.25 grams can be dissolved in 100ml
Calcium Chloride: 74.5 grams can be dissolved in 100ml
Calcium Nitrate 121.2 grams can be dissolved in 100ml

It's no contest. Calcium Nitrate is almost 600 times more soluble that Calcium Sulfate.

Cheers,
 
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