Please, if you're using a solution of sodium carbonate, pH is not an issue! Testing will tell you what you'll need, but I'm thinking somewhere around 20 mls, if not more.....you have clams. Again testing will tell you what your daily consumption is.
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Just to be clear, you are mixing up just sodium carbonate, and not the "new" alk that includes sodium hydroxide.
Please, if you're using a solution of sodium carbonate, pH is not an issue! Testing will tell you what you'll need, but I'm thinking somewhere around 20 mls, if not more.....you have clams. Again testing will tell you what your daily consumption is.
Any ideas why my manual daily dose of baked sodium bicarbonate (sodium carbonate) isn't raising the alk in my tank?
Tank volume after displacement 40L
Stock solution using baked bicarbonate (sodium carbonate) measured from 156g and then baked. Mixed into 1L rodi water. Using the dosing calc I'm led to believe to raise from current 6.1dKH to hit 7.5dKH I need 10.5ml
So for the last 2 days I've been Dosin 7ml/day (as to account for not raising ph too high too fast. However dKH has held at 6.1dKH.....
I'm not measuring ph as I've not got a ph tester, is it best i begin to dose unbaked bicarbonate as this doesn't raise the ph?
Thanks.
A.
I've filled the table like this,
Look correct?
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Correct, I used sodium bicarbonate and baked it which leaves sodium carbonate. That's all I mixed for the alk part.
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Randy, or perhaps someone who might know. Would this work and be safe for dosing in my reef tank.
Wow, I'm led to believe carbonate raises ph substantially in comparison to bicarbonate!!! Going by comments and the calculator shown above in notes.
I have no way to measure pH.. it must have been astronomically high...
A handfull of acropra browned. A few days before this happed, my black cucumber (which I have for 5 years) decided to crawl into the powerhead and release toxins which killed nearly all fish. There are not many organisms left.. The feeling of failure after failure... hurts. Spending all my time figuring out chemistry, diy projects etcetera everything went well.. and letting these relative simple things kill the tank within a week. I will keep you updated.. hopefully no one will make the same mistake...Sorry to hear this. keep us updated on how organisms fare.
The pH was likely in the 9's. There's a big buffering effect on the pH rise as magnesium hydroxide and calcium carbonate precipitate (luckily for us)
Unfortunately for us, the magnesium hydroxide that forms also buffers it as you try to lower it again, but the calcium carbonate does not since it won't redissolve.
If my pH is around 8.0-8.2, without addition of any kind...would I be able to use Recipe 1? I just don't want to commit to something, then find out it's not a match or screw something up.
Hi Randy, thanks a lot for your long term commitment to help us with reef aquaria chemistry.
I have a 120 g SPS tank with a long history of low pH. Typically pH goes down at night to 7,6-7.65 and goes up during the day to 7,9-7,95. I have the air intake of the skimmer connected to the outside, but even with that the pH very seldom goes beyond 8.0. For a long time I have been using a calcium reactor to keep alkalinity and calcium in place, helped by a kalwasser reactor which delivered kalk at nigh to help with pH.
When I heard about your new two-part with a pH boost I decided to give it a try. I didn't have sodium sulphate at hand so, just for the purpose of the trial, I prepared the alkalinity solution just with sodium hydroxide at 2X strength. The effect was terrific. For the last week my pH has ranged from 7,75-7,8 (night) to 8,15-8,2 (day) with a stable alkalinity (GHL KH Director). As soon as I got sodium sulphate I prepared a large batch of the number 2 solution, again at 2X strength. To my surprise, now the boosting effect on pH is mostly gone. My pH is now again more or less (may be a little higher, but just a little) in the old range. So, I have two questions:
1. Is it posible that the pH boosting effect is much higher with a sodium hydroxide solution alone than with the NaOH and NaSO4?
2. If the answer to this first question is positive, would it be too bad to remove the NaSO4 from the solution and leave the NaOH alone? I know there is a ionic imbalance involved here.