TetraAqua -- EasyBalance

[JohnSmith]

I found this text on the net:

Here is the link to the Walmart.com MSDS for Tetra Easy Balance. http://msds.walmartstores.com/cache/2258_1.pdf

Here is a snip from the MSDS list of "dangerous components:"
Sodium Hydroxide (up to) 2.5%
Tartaric Acid (up to) 2.5%
Formaldehyde (up to) 2.5%

The other ingredients are Sucrose and Water (89.4%) and an undisclosed 3.1% of something.. or maybe it's 3.1% Sucrose but the MSDS doesn't clarify what the missing 3.1% is made up of.

It appears that the Sodium Hydroxide (lye, a base) would react with the Tartaric Acid to form "Sodium Tartrate" or "Sodium Hydroxide Tartrate."

Since I suspect this to be the main active ingredient, wouldn't Cream of Tartar (Potassium Tartrate) be just as effective, if not better?

Regards,
JS

[J double R]

Potassium Tartrate is not cream of tartar. Cream of Tartar is Potassium Bitartrate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_tartrate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bitartrate

[JohnSmith]

Thanks for catching that error ... yes, well consider "Bi" in from of the mention to tartrates ...

Regards,
JS

[J double R]

that said.. Easy Balance is largely a snake oil product, stable pH and hardness is something that is attained through proper tank maintenance and care..it even says that it reduces water change intervals.. :nono:

i wouldnt bother wasting your time attempting to replicate it.

interesting discovery though.. i wonder (for the pure curiosity of wondering) if it would work the same.

[JohnSmith]

Hmm ... that didn't work. Let me try again ...

I added the Cream of Tartar to a 10g aquarium, containing guppies, I use for such. Within a day, I noticed a reduction in nitrates; the next day, a further reduction was noted and seem to have stabilized for the past few days (~1/8 tsp. -- and 1/8 tsp. sucrose.)

Now, this may be unrelated. However, my first suspicions led me here to get others opinions. Perhaps, even, get what others have noticed actions/re-actions from; and, to embark on further experimentation.

Also, Ph was 7.4 and stable, it now appears to be 7.1 and stable ... perhaps slight, but worth noting and watching (I have a chunk of marble in the tank to keep ph on the high side--I would expect it to climb back up.)

Why I used this aquarium in question, is that it always has appeared to gain nitrate values very quickly--with no real relation to food, fertilizer, etc. added to the tank. Almost, as if a strain of bacteria were present which could fix nitrogen from the air ... and required frequent water changes to correct.

Regards,
JS

[JohnSmith]

that said.. Easy Balance is largely a snake oil product, stable pH and hardness is something that is attained through proper tank maintenance and care..it even says that it reduces water change intervals.. :nono:

i wouldnt bother wasting your time attempting to replicate it.

interesting discovery though.. i wonder (for the pure curiosity of wondering) if it would work the same.

I almost forgot my manners, you will excuse me, please--I actually was raised better and my forgets are not my lines fault(s.)

Thank you for your comments and thoughts. They are greatly appreciated on this end. You see, this is mainly exploratory. I was hoping, maybe, someone had already been over this ground.

Stiff upper lip man, and you are greatly enjoyed here! :goldfish:

Thanks,
and warm regards,
JS

[LittlePuff]

I agree with the opinion that Easy Balance is worthless. Nothing can replace water changes.

[JohnSmith]

Absolutely.

Another benefit from this seems to be that it is eventually going to dissolve some, if not all, of the mineral buildup on the top of the tank! (I have made additional additions of the potassium bitartrate ... )

However, all that said, it does appear I am finally going to get some rest from the daily or every-other-day water changes to this particular tank ...

Regards,
JS

[excuzzzeme]

The nearly 90% of "sugar water" I find to be a real eye opener. Glad I gave away what little bit I had a long time ago.(Sample packs that came with 2 different aquariums).

[JohnSmith]

Well, I was looking at the ACTIVE INGREDIENT. However, with the labs they should have at their disposal (TetraAqua), who am I to argue? So, I have given that some thought, this ingredient, sucrose, most likely, would stimulate bacterial growth--I guess they are betting it is beneficial bacteria this is feeding.

Anyway, I think you are correct, the sucrose could be ignored and the beneficial action(s) of the Potassium Bitartrate still realized.

Regards,
JS

[JohnSmith]

The nearly 90% of "sugar water" I find to be a real eye opener. Glad I gave away what little bit I had a long time ago.(Sample packs that came with 2 different aquariums).

In researching all this further, I found this:

http://www.tetra-fish.co.uk/tetraeasybalance/article3.pdf

It seems he would recommend it ...

He also mentions another product, "Tetra Nitrate Minus." Now, I am researching what is in it ...

Regards,
JS

[JohnSmith]

OK, I am going to follow this up, amid the sling of rocks, arrows and, perhaps, bullets! <grin>

Anyway, I "sense" the sucrose is a form of carbon. Of course, if must first be "processed" by the wild yeast and perhaps bacteria in the water. I fear, it can rob oxygen from the water, but eventually ends up as contributing Co2 to the water column.

I suspect great care would be necessary in adding "the correct" amount of sucrose to obtain the above. Indeed, I have done an experiment and added "too much", of course, a nice bloom of bacteria was obtained and fish gasping for air--a water change "fixed" this ... I am now playing with a saturated solution of common sugar, sucrose, to the water to effect a "positive" action--i.e., accelerated plant growth ...

Surely, someone has already done this, and "been there" ...

I currently have added one drop of saturated sucrose solution per gallon of a test aquarium. I plan on doing this every-other-day and halting at the first sign of clouding or fish stress ...

As you can tell, I am willing to experiment ...

Regards,
JS

[quatermass]

I found this text on the net:

Here is the link to the Walmart.com MSDS for Tetra Easy Balance. http://msds.walmartstores.com/cache/2258_1.pdf

Here is a snip from the MSDS list of "dangerous components:"
Sodium Hydroxide (up to) 2.5%
Tartaric Acid (up to) 2.5%
Formaldehyde (up to) 2.5%

The other ingredients are Sucrose and Water (89.4%) and an undisclosed 3.1% of something.. or maybe it's 3.1% Sucrose but the MSDS doesn't clarify what the missing 3.1% is made up of.


Hi John,
I too have been messing around with EasyBalance and I thank you for the link to the MSDS file.

I have a experimental 15L tank recently fully cycled with no fish (just added ammonia) and ended up with a nitrate level of 80ppm.
So I added 0.5tsp of Frutose (what I had to hand) and within 1 day I have a very cloudy tank, obvious low O2 level from all the small snails that were trying to escape and within 2 days I had zero nitrate! :lol:

Obviously I used too much sugar, so I'm going to retry with Aquarium waste water so see how much is required to get Nitrate lower.
I'm not an EasyBalance fan, I know the benefits of water changes. But I like to tinker.

Here is a link to the Patent that Tetra told me:
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7244358/fulltext.html

When I'm done I'll put the results up on The Aquarium Wiki Encyclopaedia (http://theaquariumwiki.com/)
for the World to enjoy.

[GoldLenny]

I found this text on the net:

Here is the link to the Walmart.com MSDS for Tetra Easy Balance. http://msds.walmartstores.com/cache/2258_1.pdf

Here is a snip from the MSDS list of "dangerous components:"
Sodium Hydroxide (up to) 2.5%
Tartaric Acid (up to) 2.5%
Formaldehyde (up to) 2.5%

The other ingredients are Sucrose and Water (89.4%) and an undisclosed 3.1% of something.. or maybe it's 3.1% Sucrose but the MSDS doesn't clarify what the missing 3.1% is made up of.

It appears that the Sodium Hydroxide (lye, a base) would react with the Tartaric Acid to form "Sodium Tartrate" or "Sodium Hydroxide Tartrate."

Since I suspect this to be the main active ingredient, wouldn't Cream of Tartar (Potassium Tartrate) be just as effective, if not better?

Regards,
JS

Sorry to interject in this old thread but I thought I should get my kudo's since I was quoted. LOL That "text on the net" was from my blog or possibly from a reply to someone elses blog about Easy Balance... and I've also repeated it in other forums over the years. ;-)

My blog article...
http://goldlenny.blogspot.com/2008/12/tetra-easy-balance-with-nitraban.html

And my reply at the bottom of this blog back in 2007.
http://aquarium-journal.com/2007/04/tetra-easy-balance.html

I found this thread while searching for something else and recognized my words. ;-)

I also remember making a snide comment about how the hydroxide (base) and the tartaric acid would counteract each other and then the formaldehyde would preserve the fish so they would look alive as the water circulates them around the tank. ;-)

[quatermass]

I see that.

But I'd like to know if Sodium Tartrate is the plant fertiliser or water buffer they claim it does the balancing with. I asked Tetra but they just clammed up.

I've now been putting in sugar into my freshwater test tanks for a month or two now. Seems to work as far as the Nitrates go.
I hesitate to use Vodka though! :)

BTW, the use of sugar in aquarium tanks was first talked about on Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com mailing list back in 1997 as far as I can tell.

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/forum/index.php?topic=305.msg2405

Amazing how it's soon forgotten.

[Sploke]

I know vodka dosing is becoming more common in reef aquaria for nitrate reduction.

[tarquin375]

I have used EB for seven years in my tanks. I have seen and smelled a positive difference in water quality. I have never noticed adverse effects on my fish due to its use. Even though Tetra says you can wait six months for a water change, that doesn't mean you have too. Because its directed to be dosed weekly, even weekly water changes won't dilute its other benifits. My water is kinda whacky and EB helped resolve issues with hardness/Ph I was having when I first set up my tanks(two 20s then). I am neither a chemist nor a willing experimenter and therefore paying for this product when certain products usually found in a kitchen can do the same thing is not an issue for me.