Cal Mag Alternatives
- Thread starter Esdreel
- Start date
Esdreel
Active Member
1000-1500 is written on the bottle
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
It has Ca and N because it's calcium nitrate.
Just get some actual calcium nitrate. It's way cheaper. It's only real soluble form of calcium used for hydro.
http://www.cropking.com/HydroponicSupplies/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=264_265&products_id=341
Just get some actual calcium nitrate. It's way cheaper. It's only real soluble form of calcium used for hydro.
http://www.cropking.com/HydroponicSupplies/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=264_265&products_id=341
budman111
Well-Known Member
Nice, thats a great alternative to calmag, what is the gram/L ratio you use with this?
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
That mix is about 2 years old. I have tweaked the numbers slightly since then, but mix #16 isn't too different from #15.
budman111
Well-Known Member
Is this close to the recommended dosage because that will last a long time and I need calcium as a supplement in my NFT tank due to my LED's.
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
You'd need way less than the 2.55g/gal calcium nitrate used in #15 if you're just using it as a booster. 2.55g/gal is meant to provide 100% of the calcium for RO water with no other base nutes or additives, so maybe use 1/4 of that and see how it works.
After a while, I bet you'll replace everything else to use dry salts too!
After a while, I bet you'll replace everything else to use dry salts too!
Esdreel
Active Member
I look at what proportion should be used?You'd need way less than the 2.55g/gal calcium nitrate used in #15 if you're just using it as a booster. 2.55g/gal is meant to provide 100% of the calcium for RO water with no other base nutes or additives, so maybe use 1/4 of that and see how it works.
After a while, I bet you'll replace everything else to use dry salts too!
budman111
Well-Known Member
Cool, will buy some on ebay, calcium liquid supplement is way too expensive for what it is really, my tapwater is 15ppm so basically like RO water so i will 1/4 strength 2.55g/gal as an experiment batch! Cheeers!You'd need way less than the 2.55g/gal calcium nitrate used in #15 if you're just using it as a booster. 2.55g/gal is meant to provide 100% of the calcium for RO water with no other base nutes or additives, so maybe use 1/4 of that and see how it works.
After a while, I bet you'll replace everything else to use dry salts too!
Esdreel
Active Member
Can you tell me of recommendations for magnesium and silicon? What type should I use? What proportion and water mix?
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
Just to be clear, 2.55g/gal wouldn't replace a gallon of cal-mag+, but a gallon of final nutrient solution.
You could dissolve the calcium nitrate directly into the tank if you wanted, or mix it in a cup first to make it dissolve first. (sometimes it's a pain to dissolve directly into tanks).
If you're going to make a stock solution, it should be way more concentrated I use 432g of yara calcium nitrate in a liter bottle and fill the rest with distilled or RO to make a 2 molar solution of Ca(NO3)2, which is somewhat arbitrary. Yara is actually a double salt, 5Ca(NO3) . 1NH4NO3, so 0.4M of that gives 2M of Ca(NO3)2.
You could dissolve the calcium nitrate directly into the tank if you wanted, or mix it in a cup first to make it dissolve first. (sometimes it's a pain to dissolve directly into tanks).
If you're going to make a stock solution, it should be way more concentrated I use 432g of yara calcium nitrate in a liter bottle and fill the rest with distilled or RO to make a 2 molar solution of Ca(NO3)2, which is somewhat arbitrary. Yara is actually a double salt, 5Ca(NO3) . 1NH4NO3, so 0.4M of that gives 2M of Ca(NO3)2.
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
That's basically the same thing, but not the greenhouse version (double salt). I suggest yara just because it's cheaper, but you could use pure calcium nitrate too.
The double salt is 5 parts calcium nitrate, 1 part ammonium nitrate.
Yara calcium nitrate (like i linked), is the double salt.
The double salt is 5 parts calcium nitrate, 1 part ammonium nitrate.
Yara calcium nitrate (like i linked), is the double salt.
Esdreel
Active Member
What is this software? Can I download it right?
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
It's hydrobuddy! It's a pretty good tool for making nutrient formulas. It has 2 modes.
One will take desired ppm of each element and try to find the mass of each salt to get that solution.
The other mode will take mass of salts as inputs and tell you the ppm of each element.
http://scienceinhydroponics.com/2013/02/the-first-free-hydroponic-nutrient-calculator-program-o.html
One will take desired ppm of each element and try to find the mass of each salt to get that solution.
The other mode will take mass of salts as inputs and tell you the ppm of each element.
http://scienceinhydroponics.com/2013/02/the-first-free-hydroponic-nutrient-calculator-program-o.html
Esdreel
Active Member
Thank you very much, this is great, I went to look at it.
budman111
Well-Known Member
I got no idea but advise you to drop the silicon, its largely unnecessary .
Esdreel
Active Member
I need help
http://rollitup.org/t/how-i-to-do.849069/
http://rollitup.org/t/how-i-to-do.849069/