[reeffreak]

Have seen the threads on various conditioning systems- containing herbs, enzymes, surfactants, buffers, etc. I'm not interested in the $40/mo snake oil systems. Question is: is there any value (and DIY guidance) in adding surfactants, buffers, or chelating agents to the tub? I'm looking to "soften" the water (not hardness btw- think silky feel). I'm going to assume that this is a surfactant- maybe glycerin or lanolin? Dosage thoughts? Risks? Thanks in advance.

[hrustar]

I'm totally new to spa usage, having had mine for only a few weeks now. But I can say my water is very "silky" feeling and I do not use anything beyond dichlor/MPS plus weekly dosage of scale defender and the occasional need for spa-brite to hep coagulate particles too small for my filter.

All said, what you're asking about seems to depend entirely on the quality of your water supply. My water comes out pretty balanced, and I have yet to need to make any significant ph adjustments.

So, without knowing/testing your "raw" water quality, I think it will be hard for people to really target what you need.

Just a thought. But, as said, I' pretty new at this and still learning.

Good luck.

[mcw53]

Have seen the threads on various conditioning systems- containing herbs, enzymes, surfactants, buffers, etc. I'm not interested in the $40/mo snake oil systems. Question is: is there any value (and DIY guidance) in adding surfactants, buffers, or chelating agents to the tub? I'm looking to "soften" the water (not hardness btw- think silky feel). I'm going to assume that this is a surfactant- maybe glycerin or lanolin? Dosage thoughts? Risks? Thanks in advance.

You don't need all that "stuff". Just add 50 ppm borates to your new fill water. You can use boric acid or ProTeam's Gentle Spa. This will give your water that silky feel and also make water balancing easier. Then follow Nitro's Approach to Water Maintenance. You'll spend about $2/mo on bleach. If you want to use a clarifier, I would recommend SeaKlear's Natural Clarifier (~1 oz/wk).