Brainstorming Sodium Hydroxide Dosing/Drip System

[Bear22]

Hi Guys,

Have some questions about low pH and the strategies of chemistry to help abate low pH.

My aquarium is a 11 gallon nano with a canister filtration system. I went this route to simplify things as well as aesthetics (my neurosis of having that clean look). I do have a considerable amount of surface agitation going on with the outflow pipe.

Next, I live in the interior West at higher elevation. I have read a few snippets where this works against me in terms of CO2/O2 exchange, but that notion might be nothing more than tribal lore/anecdotal talk.

Opening windows, isn't desirable because a) I don't like the ambient noise levels and b) A large chuck of the year it's cool to cold outside and the heating bill would get excessive. I don't have any interest in making any expensive mods to my HVAC system in terms of air exchange.

Currently, my pH is measuring around 7.6-7.7. I would like to at least get it to 8. I plan on adding some zoas/LPS corals after the cycle is complete and things have matured a bit.

So, based off my readings/research it seems that dripping kalk or NAOH is the way to go.

What are some suggestions here?
What details need to be taken under consideration with the equipment itself in terms of holding up to the caustic properties of NAOH?

Thanks for your insights!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It is not correct that high altitude promotes low pH. The opposite is true due to lower CO2 partial pressure in the air.

Your alkalinity demand may be too low for hydroxide to be added in useful amounts. Do you know your current alk and are you dosing any now?

 

[Bear22]

It is not correct that high altitude promotes low pH. The opposite is true due to lower CO2 partial pressure in the air.

Your alkalinity demand may be too low for hydroxide to be added in useful amounts. Do you know your current alk and are you dosing any now?

Randy, the current alk ranges from 7.5 to 7.9 dkH according to a Salifert test kit. I am experimenting a bit with Brightwell's Ph+ booster, but the effect is negligible.

Cheers,
G

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy, the current alk ranges from 7.5 to 7.9 dkH according to a Salifert test kit. I am experimenting a bit with Brightwell's Ph+ booster, but the effect is negligible.

Cheers,
G

Brightwell’s product is hydroxide, and is an alk booster. If it is not doing anything at a dose that maintains alk, then nothing will have a bigger effect and you will have to look to other methods.

 

[Bear22]

Brightwell’s product is hydroxide, and is an alk booster. If it is not doing anything at a dose that maintains alk, then nothing will have a bigger effect and you will have to look to other methods.

Randy,

I did mention that the tank is cycling and have read that the cycling process drives down pH. What tends to be the typical "drive-down" of pH as it pertains to cycling?

 

[vandy]

Randy,

I did mention that the tank is cycling and have read that the cycling process drives down pH. What tends to be the typical "drive-down" of pH as it pertains to cycling?

i wouldn't worry about ph or alk demands while you're cycling

 

[Bear22]

i wouldn't worry about ph or alk demands while you're cycling

I am just doing preliminary research with respect to the possibility of chronic low pH issues. Fingers crossed, that this won't be much of an issue post cycling ;-)

 

[bubbgee]

Stick to soft corals first. They do not need high pH and will benefit from the nutrient swings you'll encounter.
Using a canister makes it difficult as you don't have access to protein skimmers with co2 scrubbers.

 

[vandy]

I am just doing preliminary research with respect to the possibility of chronic low pH issues. Fingers crossed, that this won't be much of an issue post cycling ;-)

yeah its tough to raise ph on an 11 gallon tank bc your coral stocking wont be enough to account for the amount of hydroxide you need to add to raise it (like randy said). Get a hang on protein skimmer and a co2 scrubber, prob your best bet in the long run. could prob stick to water changes alone to account for your alk/ca/mg demands in the first year, unless you get crazy with stocking bigger colonies of sps

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy,

I did mention that the tank is cycling and have read that the cycling process drives down pH. What tends to be the typical "drive-down" of pH as it pertains to cycling?

I’m not sure I agree with that idea, at least not in that simplistic of a sense, but in any case, I wouldn’t worry much about pH until there are more organisms in the tank that themselves can raise or lower pH.

 

[Pat's Reef]

Hi Guys,

Have some questions about low pH and the strategies of chemistry to help abate low pH.

My aquarium is a 11 gallon nano with a canister filtration system. I went this route to simplify things as well as aesthetics (my neurosis of having that clean look). I do have a considerable amount of surface agitation going on with the outflow pipe.

Next, I live in the interior West at higher elevation. I have read a few snippets where this works against me in terms of CO2/O2 exchange, but that notion might be nothing more than tribal lore/anecdotal talk.

Opening windows, isn't desirable because a) I don't like the ambient noise levels and b) A large chuck of the year it's cool to cold outside and the heating bill would get excessive. I don't have any interest in making any expensive mods to my HVAC system in terms of air exchange.

Currently, my pH is measuring around 7.6-7.7. I would like to at least get it to 8. I plan on adding some zoas/LPS corals after the cycle is complete and things have matured a bit.

So, based off my readings/research it seems that dripping kalk or NAOH is the way to go.

What are some suggestions here?
What details need to be taken under consideration with the equipment itself in terms of holding up to the caustic properties of NAOH?

Thanks for your insights!

I used drip introduction for years with kalkwasser as a topoff on my old Biocube. I used a simple homemade setup. A gallon jug of kalkwasser, a cap with a hole in it, and some air line tubing with a simple screw clamp. I mixed the kalkwasser to standard saturation, ran the tubing through the hole to about an inch from the bottom, but never directly on the bottom, of the jug. Set it on a shelf above and behind my hanging light and started a siphon. I adjusted the clamp until I had 24 drops a minute with the phone stopwatch and a minute or two. I rinsed the tubing daily while mixing the kalkwasser and replaced it if it started looking cloudy. Other than 5-10 minutes a day for that I had no issues. I added anywhere from a couple ounces to a quart of topoff, depending on seasonal humidity, but most was dripped in daily at 24 drops a minute. To figure out the drip rate, start low, 5-10 drops/minute using just RODI water. Adjust daily until you almost match your daily evaporation rate and when you nail it for a few days correctly, then switch to kalkwasser. It does boost calcium and alkalinity, so don’t use it until you need calcium supplements for growing coral or coraline algae. But it held my pH locked in at 8.3 24/7. It never moved off 8.3 the entire time. Anyway, that’s how I did it. And I’ll do it similar every time.