# Morton Salt Substitute (KCl)



## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

just double checking my math...

i bought morton brand KCl for adding potassium, and the container says that each serving (1/4 tsp or 1.2g) is 610mg KCl. does this mean when using the dosage calculator I should double the amount of product to get the correct concentration of KCl ? 

by the way, the other ingredients included tricalcium phosphate and monocalcium phosphate... since there were other ingredients in there, i'm hoping the 50% KCl overwhelms the phosphate levels to the point that it won't disrupt my ratios... anyone with first hand knowledge of the phosphate concentration in salt substitues? 

Oqsy


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

Follow this example : http://users.ev1.net/~spituch/Chemicals/chemicals.html#Phosphate from Muriate of Potash (KCl), 0-0-60


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

need some clarification on what i'm reading...

to reach the desired concentration (10 ppm) i multiply that by 3.77 l/g and multiply again by total volume of the system in gallons, and divide this by the concentration of K+ in KCL

to find the concentration of K+ in KCL I multiply .498 (% of K in KCl) by 1000 (mg/g or ml/l depending on physical state of compound.

Since my bottle of KCl is 50% KCl and 50% other ingredients, would I need to change the .498 to (.498 x .5), thus doubling the amount of dry compound needed to reach desired ppm? 

Thanks for your help,

Oqsy


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## malkore (Nov 3, 2003)

use chuck's site: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm

KCL is potassium chloride in the drop down menu.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

i understand how to use the calculator. i understand how to find the amount of pure KCl to use to get a particular concentration with or without the calculator. what i don't know is if I am correct in saying that this product which is labeled as 610mg KCl per 1.2 mg (*not* pure) requires twice as much per dose as pure KCl would... make sense? a very simple and intuitive question i'm sure... instincts tell me that a powder that is 1/2 something I want, and 1/2 other stuff needs twice as much to get the same dosage as something that is 100% of the same desired compound. I'm just looking for reassurance that there's not something I'm overlooking in the math or chemistry.

Oqsy


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

Oqsy, 
If you use Nu salt, 0.5 teaspoon will increase 10ppm of K / 40gl of water. Nu salt has around 96%of KCl and 6 grams of it contain 3000mg of K. If you said that the Morton substitute only contain 50% KCl, I would assume you need to double it. I'm not sure how safe the other ingredients though.

The safest way to go is go to Mortonsalt.com and ask them how much K is in 1teaspoon serving of your salt. They should be able to answer you.

Hope that helps a bit.


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## Rolo (Dec 10, 2003)

I'll just do the calculations for ya.

10mg/L x (3.785L/gallon) = 37.85 mg/gal K+
37.85 mg/gal x 5 gallons = 189.3mg K+ = 0.1893g K+ 
0.1893 g K+ x (74.6g KCl/39.1g K) = 0.361g KCl
361mg KCl x (1200mg salt/610mg KCl) = 710mg = _0.71g salt_
0.71g x (teaspoon/4.8g salt) = _0.15 teaspoons salt_

So to raise the concentration of K+ 10ppm in 5 gallons of water, using only this brand of salt, add 0.71g (accurate), or 0.15 teaspoons.

If your not interested in all those calculations, just use this equation. NOTE: This only works with your particular brand of salt. It is only as accurate as the ratios you got off the bottle (0.25 teaspoons = 1.2g salt, and 1200mg salt = 610mg KCl).

*0.00294VR = teaspoons of salt.*

V = volume of water in gallons. Multiply tank volume by 0.85 to find water volume.
R = desired _raise_ (not concentration) of K+ in ppm.

BTW, I would be wary of using this salt. Who knows what the rest of the 50% is.


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

Well, there you go. Chris solved the problem roud: So basically double the chuck's calc.


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## Rolo (Dec 10, 2003)

ninoboy said:


> Well, there you go. Chris solved the problem roud:  So basically double the chuck's calc.


 Opps forgot the best part. I compared the equation with Chucks calculator and the outcomes are the same. Just when using Chucks calc, you can double the grams of KCl find out how much salt to use and measure with a balance. BUT DO NOT use the tablespoon/teaspoon measurement. That is only for pure KCl. I just suggest using the equation provided.


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## malkore (Nov 3, 2003)

since it's designed for human consumption, it darn well better list any 'other ingredients' on the package.
I would assume, however, that the other stuff is probably just anti-caking compounds...how safe those are for a fish tank, I do not know.


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

when comparing listed ingredients on both the morton and the "no salt" i virtually the same ingredients, except I saw mineral oil listed on "no salt" and not on the morton's, and a little light in the back of my head blinked dimly... mineral oil... doesn't sound like something that would dissolve easily... and recalling other ppls battles with oily surface scum I decided against it. I also just assumed (most likely incorrectly) that they were comparable products with almost identical formulas competing for the same market, so I bought the cheaper of the two without the questionable "mineral oil" ingredient (both contained phosphate compounds). From now on I will purchase "No Salt" or KCl from Home Depot water softener aisle if it turns out that Morton's contains "dangerous" ingredients. 

Oh my. I just went downstairs and got the package for reference, and what an *idiot* I am. Allow me to list all ingredients and nutritional information and explain my error(s).

*Morton Salt Substitute for salt free diets 

Serv. Size 1/4 tsp (1.2g)
Servings 74
Calories 0

Amount / Serving
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Potassium 610mg 17% 
Total Carb. 0g 0%
Protein 0g

Contains: Potassium Chloride, Fumaric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate*

Potassium is already separated from Cl, oops. no need to double and it is practically pure KCl after all. 610 mg K per 1.2g KCl is right at 100% KCl. 

DOH! I wasn't paying close enough attention and could have sworn that the label said 610 mg KCL, not just K. All that extra math for nothing. I'm glad I didn't double dose it yet. I'm also not worried about the extra ingredients anymore, as such a small concentration shouldn't hurt anything as long as they're not poisons. I apologize for a wasted thread.

Oqsy


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## Rolo (Dec 10, 2003)

Well im just gald to know, and that you realized it was 620mg of K, not KCl. This makes the equation invalid - a word to everyone.

I'm confused, are those ingredients from mortons or no-salt? I would just quite yet assume it is nearly 100% KCl.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Sep 13, 2003)

i got a similar water softener but different brand..it's like 98.9% pure KCl are you sure yours is 50% kcl?


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## Oqsy (Jul 3, 2004)

Oqsy said:


> Potassium is already separated from Cl, oops. no need to double and it is practically pure KCl after all. 610 mg K per 1.2g KCl is right at 100% KCl.
> 
> DOH! I wasn't paying close enough attention and could have sworn that the label said 610 mg KCL, not just K.



no, it's not 50%... it's more like 99%. 

Oqsy


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## hubbahubbahehe (Sep 13, 2003)

oh sorry, i read wrong.


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

YOu know.. have you even disolved this stuff in water first and put into the tank( and let it set for awhile)???

I got some KCL (agriculture grade).. and it forms a thick white "skin" on the water after some time.. in teh tank it does not.. but in a small quantity of water it will (especially in high ammounts of KCL). I take the skin-water and filter it through a funnel with 50 micron polyester filter stuffed in the funnel... it grabs all the gunk and leaves clear fert behind.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Sep 13, 2003)

i do get a film but i didn't know it was from kcl...my mollies skim the surface anyway and clear it up real nice. they are a lifesaver cuz i dont' have to spend time filtering it


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

the white film im talking about is really thick (but it was in a mix that would kill fish (just to dose from)).


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## hubbahubbahehe (Sep 13, 2003)

what dose would kill fish? the white film would kill fish?


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