"Recipes for solutions for marine aquarium" - (my mixes)

Keeping a marine aquarium is not an inexpensive pleasure. Many aquarists regularly buy specialized products at inflated prices, often without understanding their composition and actual effects. However, there are many homemade solutions that can be prepared independently with minimal cost while achieving excellent results.

Calibration Fluid for Testing Water Salinity:

Proper calibration of refractometers and other equipment is fundamental for controlling salinity in a marine aquarium. You can easily prepare a standard 35 ppt (1.026) salinity solution at home. You'll need 36.5 grams of quality table salt without impurities and water with zero TDS.

Start with a visual inspection of the salt—it should not contain insoluble particles, otherwise measurements will be inaccurate. Dissolve the salt in about 300 ml of water, carefully ensuring that no undissolved crystals remain at the bottom. If you notice sediment, it's better to start over with cleaner salt.

Next, add the same water and bring the total weight of the solution to exactly 1 kilogram, not 1 liter by volume. Use accurate scales, zeroed with the empty container. The temperature of the finished solution should be exactly 25°C for accurate calibration. By following these conditions, you'll get a perfect calibration fluid with a salinity of 35 ppt.

Homemade Solutions for Replenishing Elements

All powders listed below can be purchased on Amazon Phosphates and nitrates often require adjustment in a reef aquarium.

Phosphate Solution - purchase Monopotassium Phosphate powder of pure grade on Amazon. Dissolve 15 grams of this powder in one liter of zero TDS water. The resulting solution will be so concentrated that just one milliliter, added to 100 liters of aquarium water, will raise phosphate levels by 0.05 units.

Nitrate Solution - purchase Sodium Nitrate powder on Amazon and dissolve 137 grams of this powder in 1 liter of water. One milliliter of this solution per 100 liters of aquarium will raise nitrate values by 1 unit. This is incredibly economical compared to commercial alternatives that cost dozens of times more.

Potassium - for potassium replenishment, use Potassium Chloride, two grams of which per 1000 liters of aquarium water will increase potassium concentration by 1 ppm. An average reef system of 1000 liters typically consumes about 20 grams of potassium per month, which is approximately 1.38 grams per day.

Strontium - important for coral skeleton growth, can be replenished using chemically pure Strontium Chloride. Typical consumption is approximately 1 gram per 500 liters of water per week.

Glycerin Instead of "Bacteria"

Many manufacturers sell expensive products with "bacteria" in attractive bottles, although in reality these are just varieties of organic carbon. The most accessible source of such carbon is regular food-grade glycerin with a purity of at least 90%.

To reduce nitrates and phosphates, use a maximum dose of 5 ml per 1000 liters of water, or 1 ml per 200 liters. If you just want to feed beneficial bacteria without accelerating denitrification processes, dose half as much—approximately 0.5 ml per 200 liters.

For convenient dosing through automatic systems, glycerin can be diluted with distilled water in a 1:3 ratio, which won't affect its effectiveness but will make it more fluid. However, you'll need to account for this concentration reduction when calculating the dose.

Eliminating Algae and Unwanted Octocorals

Bryopsis is one of the most difficult algae to eliminate in a marine aquarium. Even crustaceans and mollusks don't eat it, and mechanical removal is often useless due to rapid regeneration. "Fluconazole," an antifungal medication available in any pharmacy, comes to the rescue.

Instead of aggressive methods requiring filtration to be shut off for a week, use a gentle approach: dissolve one fluconazole tablet (150 mg) in warm water and add it to the aquarium at a rate of one tablet per 500 liters. After adding, turn off the Skimmer for 3-4 hours. Repeat the procedure every day for 7 days.

Initially, you won't notice any changes; the algae will look healthy even 5 days after starting treatment. But after the full course, Bryopsis will begin to die off, gradually losing its structure and disappearing without negative effects on other inhabitants. As a bonus, Valonia will also disappear if it's present in your aquarium.

For targeted elimination of Octocorals, such as Pulsing Xenia, Anthelia, or Clavularia, which can become a real problem due to their aggressive growth, use Mebendazole (Vermox tablets). Dissolve 1/8 of a tablet in 40 ml of water and add 3 ml of the resulting solution to a 300-liter aquarium.

The concentration of the active ingredient will be microscopic—only 0.9 mg per 300 liters, which is completely safe for fish and other corals but selectively affects octocoral species. Within a day, the problematic corals will begin to wither and then die completely without any harm to other inhabitants.

Fish Treatment

Instead of expensive ready-made medications for treating fish, use a combination of three available drugs: Ciprofloxacin, Metronidazole, and Furacilin. This triple therapy effectively deals with the vast majority of bacterial and parasitic diseases.

To prepare a therapeutic bath, dissolve 0.15 grams of ciprofloxacin, 0.25 grams of metronidazole, and 0.15 grams of furacilin in 1.5 liters of marine water. For simplicity, you can use one tablet of each medication for a volume of up to 2 liters.

Place the fish in the prepared solution for 3-4 hours, ensuring aeration. The ideal time for the procedure is at night when fish are less active and easier to catch from the aquarium. Use an opaque container with a lid to minimize stress.

After the bath, rinse the fish in clean marine water and return it to the aquarium. Repeat the procedure every other day, for a total of 4 times. This course effectively eliminates most external parasites and prevents bacterial infections.

To combat internal parasites, you can use Praziquantel if you can find it. To prepare the solution, dissolve 3 grams of Praziquantel in 25 ml of ethyl alcohol, then add another 25 ml of alcohol and 15 ml of purified water. For a therapeutic bath, use 4-5 ml of the resulting solution per 10 liters of marine water and keep the fish in it for one hour.

Home preparation of marine aquarium products is not only a significant saving but also gives you an understanding of the processes occurring in your system. By knowing the composition and action of each substance, you can more precisely control water parameters and the health of your marine pets. Experiment, observe the results, and adjust dosages based on your ecosystem's response.