"What if"

[shrimpchips]

Yeah, I agree that the OP (well on the other thread) was a bit (or more) "doom and gloom" about using DIY - it's a viable alternative, with inherent risks/problems just like everything else.

brand name/DIY aside, I just hate it when I'm in the elevator with buckets or bags of white powders and someone else steps in. Man, that becomes a long awkward ride to the 17th floor...

[Myka]

Originally Posted by shrimpchips

My FM balling salts come in a plain white 4kg pail with a colourful sticker on the side. Damn colour stickers making it so expensive.

Hmmm....interesting.

[fiorano]

what about dosing.... milk... for CALCIUM we drink it maybe fish would liek it? haha but seriously ive never had the guts to try the diy supplements and salts and such. ... i almost tried vodka dosing but got scared again haha i think i just dont know enough about these things and dont want to put my reef at risk. but in the future i will be upgrading to a 225 so costs will be a fair bit higher and by then i will definitley want to try some of these diy methods. i just have to find the right ones i guess.

[fkshiu]

Originally Posted by iansfishy

As for people who are simply making their own salts with Dow and other cheaper products, and not doing the balling method I dont think he cares. Just my two cents. But what about the products from Littlesilvermax, will they substitute for the FM product?

I have used both BRS and LSM CaCl (among other chemicals). The BRS product mixes every bit as clear as the FM stuff. There is a small amount of residue at the bottom of LSM CaCl, but no more than what's there when I mix some IO.

You can use bulk chemicals for the "Balling Method" without issue. There's no magic to the Balling Method. It's essentially just a packaged and marketed version of Randy Holmes-Farely's two-part solution which is available to everyone for free:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

And I think AquaDigital cares a great deal about people using non-FM chemicals because the more people that are scared out of using bulk chemicals and into FM stuff, the more green shall line his jeans. I'm not saying that's wrong, it's just human nature.

[lastlight]

Three awesome posts there guys.

I'd like to add that if I paid the price for the name brand stuff I'd be lining my jeans with a different color.