NaOH and calcification

[Iyad Aoun]

hello, and happy new year
It's been a while I am dosing my reef tank with NaOH. Tried everything else and had little success
I always used 2 ph-meters , calibrated ,so I wanted to be sure about the ph readings
Before NaOH ,ph readings were never more than 8.2
But since I am using it I have easily 8.4
I even noticed much less diatoms in my tank ,but that I don't know if the raise in ph can kill them
Problem is and big one , is a nasty deposit all over the tank and on my pumps of CACO3 , I think, and I have to frequently remove the pumps, soak them in white vinegar so they are ready again
Acid environment will dissolve calcium salts while basic one will precipitate them. So any idea of how to get rid of this issue while maintaining dosing NaOH.
I noticed but not sure of it that since I am adding more cacl2 daily I have less deposit.
correct me if I am wrong
Appreciate any advice
Thank you
Iyad AOUN

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What alkalinity are you maintaining?

 

[Iyad Aoun]

What alkalinity are you maintaining?

I always maitained alcalinity little more than 7 to 8 maximum because I had better corals than higher values.But since I am using NaOH , alcalinity reaches 10 and sometimes 12. I kept dosing Naoh since my corals were ok .

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I always maitained alcalinity little more than 7 to 8 maximum because I had better corals than higher values.But since I am using NaOH , alcalinity reaches 10 and sometimes 12. I kept dosing Naoh since my corals were ok .

High pH and high alk is the perfect recipe for precipitation.

IMO, it’s the main reason such combinations can be problematic.