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Question about GH booster

4735 Views 12 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Aioros, 
chumlee
On the EI dosing regime sticky it says :

20~40gal
50% H20 change-weekly
1/4 Tsp-KN03 3x a week
1/16 Tsp-KH2P04 3x aweek
1/2 Tsp-GH booster once a week
5ml or 1/16Tsp-Trace 3x a week
Optional
1-2ml-Fe/Iron 3x a week

I have a 20g long....at the bottom of the page where he shows how he doses on his 46gal, it doesnt say anything about GH booster, but instead uses K2S04. I know that Potassium sulfate is in the GH booster, so I was wondering if it would be okay to replace the parts where it says k2s04 with GH booster (It only says GH booster one time a week though).
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Seattle_Aquarist
Hi chumlee,

Tom Barr spoke here at GSAS about 10 weeks ago.

He stated that the formula for GH Booster is basically 1/2 K2SO4; 1/4 Gypsum (CaSO4); and 1/4 Epsom Salts (MGSO4).

I hope this information helps!
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J
GH booster only gets added once a week on the day of the WC.

The only way I have found do dose GH booster correctly is to go the the LFS and pick up a kH and gH test kit for $8. I add GH booster until I get the reading to 5GH an then I add baking soda until I get the KH to 3. I tried following the sticky for GH and found that it was way off for me. It really depends on the brand of GH booster and the ratios they add. When I was dosing per the sticky I was telling me 1 tsp. However, when I stated testing my GH booster required 7tsp not 1.

I hope this helps.
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Ben Belton
How easily does Tom's GH booster dissolve? I've used Seachem's Equilibrium and it is a nightmare to get it to dissolve. Maybe they use calcium carbonate which isn't as soluble in water. I finally resorted to just using Epsom Salts, K2SO4, and CaCl2 for reef aquariums. (only a little of the CaCl2)
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chumlee
If you're asking me, i wont know until later today when I get my ferts in the mail...a couple of hours from now probably. Ill let you know.
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Ben Belton
haha.... anybody will do, but of course we expect your report in a couple hours. :)
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Seattle_Aquarist
Hi Ben Belton,

I live in an area with very, very, soft water, so I have been using something to raise the Ca and Mg levels almost since Day 1. CaSO4 dissolves much better than CaCO3, but it turns the water "milky" for several hours. Dosing before "lights out" pretty much resolves the issue. BTW, the GH Booster formula that Tom was discussing was the aquariumfertilizer.com Barr's GH Booster which he helped to develop.

I like CaCl as well, dissolves quickly and clear. The only problem is the heat generated from the chemical reaction with water. I mix it prior to adding to the tanks and it works fine. CaCl (Dri-Z-Air) is inexpensive, about $1.50 at a good hardware store.
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chumlee
I just finished dosing my tank for the first time. The gh booster didnt dissolve well, but I think its because my whole pack of gh booster (none of the other packs ,just this one) was a solid block! I spent some time breaking it up but I think all of the finer pieces of the powder did dissolve but the bigger chunks are still sitting at the bottom of the tank.

Does anybody know if I can mix the Gh booster, KNO3, and Kh2P04 the day before in some tank water, so that It will dissolve. I would also do this for CSM+B, if its possible.
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wkndracer
chumlee said:
Does anybody know if I can mix the Gh booster, KNO3, and Kh2P04 the day before in some tank water, so that It will dissolve. I would also do this for CSM+B, if its possible.
Click to expand...
Mix the KH2PO4 separately.
The GH booster can be broken back down using a rolling pin. Separate some into a heavy zip lock and roll it :tongue:.
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J
The day of the water change you don't need to dose anything expect the GH booster. The KNO3, KH2PO4 can be mixed up ahead of time and dosed when you dose the macros the day after. The CSM+B can also be mixed a head of time and can be dosed in the solution form when you dose micros.

This is a good website to look at for mixing and dosing liquid solutions:
http://www.aquaspire.com/threads/liquid-fert-solution-by-bgz.20/#post-99
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J
(double post)
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D
It may not take just a rolling pin. Try a hammer. GH Booster can get almost as hard as a rock.

Once you break it up, though, it is still hard to dissolve. I mix some in hot water in a jar and shake it a lot. Then pour off the milky water into the water change water, and add more hot water to the remaining GH booster and shake the jar again, and again... About the 3rd or 4th time I get tired shaking and just dump it into the garbage can where I am preparing the new water.

I find Barr's GH booster dissolves easier than Seachem Equilibrium.

My tap water GH is just fine for most fish and plants, and I only use GH booster for hard water fish- Rift Lakes and Livebearers, mostly.

Do not go by any recipe and assume you need a certain amount of any GH booster.
Test the GH, test the Ca and Mg separately if there is any question, then dose to correct the tap water (or whatever your source).

If all you need is potassium, then just dose it as KH2SO4 or other potassium fertilizer. You might not want to dose enough KNO3 of K2PO4 to supply the K needs of the plants. That could overdose the N and P.
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A
Are there any problems with letting it finish dissolving inside the tank? Or is it mainly an efficiency procedure?
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