Ph booster

I never finish anythi

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2022
Messages
1,943
Reaction score
5,182
Location
Wales (United Kingdom)
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No it’s fine , I get used to the people who have awesome tanks after years of asking questions and finally have the recipe but don’t want to share

Happy reefing
100% this . I ain't policing just learned to never chase number unless you really have to .
 

danlechem

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 30, 2024
Messages
71
Reaction score
97
Location
uk
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My tank was running fine with 7.7ph slow bit steady coral growth. Decided to try and get 8 with na03 and lime water and my sky went to 12 and calcium through the floor making everything look s#+t. Ph jumped massively to 7.8! I've got dkh back down to 9 and calcium's steadily rising - I'm wondering weather to try chasing ph again and go back to a lesser dose of na03 - my head tells me to leave it alone and go back to afr dosing only!
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

Reef Chemist
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
77,737
Reaction score
77,285
Location
Massachusetts, United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My tank was running fine with 7.7ph slow bit steady coral growth. Decided to try and get 8 with na03 and lime water and my sky went to 12 and calcium through the floor making everything look s#+t. Ph jumped massively to 7.8! I've got dkh back down to 9 and calcium's steadily rising - I'm wondering weather to try chasing ph again and go back to a lesser dose of na03 - my head tells me to leave it alone and go back to afr dosing only!

Chasing pH is a reasonable thing to do. Chasing incorrectly is not.

One certainly needs to monitor alkalinity when dosing high pH alk supplements, and dosing alk (such as with NaOH, sodium hydroxide) without calcium will allow calcium to deplete and should be balanced with calcium dosing.
 
OP
OP
S

scotty333

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2024
Messages
2,025
Reaction score
780
Location
portugal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Chasing pH is a reasonable thing to do. Chasing incorrectly is not.

One certainly needs to monitor alkalinity when dosing high pH alk supplements, and dosing alk (such as with NaOH, sodium hydroxide) without calcium will allow calcium to deplete and should be balanced with calcium dosing.
Is this suitable?

 
OP
OP
S

scotty333

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2024
Messages
2,025
Reaction score
780
Location
portugal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Randy Holmes-Farley

Reef Chemist
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
77,737
Reaction score
77,285
Location
Massachusetts, United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

It might be fine. Percent purity is a hard thing to judge by. Food and pharma grades actually have metal limit specifications.
 
OP
OP
S

scotty333

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2024
Messages
2,025
Reaction score
780
Location
portugal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Isn’t kalkwasser cheaper ? Or will this raise calcium also?
 

BriDroid

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2024
Messages
438
Reaction score
676
Location
Prosper, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I also like the tinkering aspect. I picked up a free Pinpoint pH monitor and saw that my pH is between 7.6 and 7.8 in any given day. I decided to play with a DIY CO2 scrubber. It made a difference for a couple of days. I was able to reach 8.0 late in the afternoon. Now I’m back to the same 7.6 to 7.8 and the media is only half purple. It will get expensive fast for very little change. The coral looks exactly the same too. I’ll use this media up and go back to the old days of not caring about pH!
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

Reef Chemist
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
77,737
Reaction score
77,285
Location
Massachusetts, United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Isn’t kalkwasser cheaper ? Or will this raise calcium also?

Kalk can be very inexpensive, as can food grade sodium hydroxide. Each has pros and cons.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

Reef Chemist
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
77,737
Reaction score
77,285
Location
Massachusetts, United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Does the sodium also raises calcium like kalk ?

No, which is the benefit since it can be made more potent and is not evaporation limited the way kalkwasser dosing is. One optimally uses it as part of a DIY two part.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

Reef Chemist
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
77,737
Reaction score
77,285
Location
Massachusetts, United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I could in effect add enough to raise ph .4 by adding into my ato once a week?

You will always be limited by tank alkalinity, unless you do not care about how high it might get or how much abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate might happen. 0.4 ph units is asking a lot.
 

Faurek

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 19, 2021
Messages
326
Reaction score
247
Location
Portugal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you really want higher pH decrease your alk and CA dosing and substitute for kalkwasser, most proven method I can think of. Using pH boosters is fine if they tell you how much alk they raise, if they just say that they stabilize pH it's playing Russian roulette with your tank to some degree.
 
OP
OP
S

scotty333

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2024
Messages
2,025
Reaction score
780
Location
portugal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you really want higher pH decrease your alk and CA dosing and substitute for kalkwasser, most proven method I can think of. Using pH boosters is fine if they tell you how much alk they raise, if they just say that they stabilize pH it's playing Russian roulette with your tank to some degree.
Ill see how the aeration experiment goes then see
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

HAVE YOU EVER ACCIDENTALLY FLOODED AN AREA BECAUSE OF YOUR TANK?

  • Yes, It caused major damage.

    Votes: 26 7.0%
  • Yes, but it caused only minor damage.

    Votes: 105 28.5%
  • Yes, but there was no damage.

    Votes: 153 41.5%
  • No, thankfully!

    Votes: 83 22.5%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 2 0.5%
Back
Top