Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Trying to dose the Sodium Hydroxide with the BRS Calcium chloride and balling part c. I'm finding that my Alkalinity keeps dropping no matter how many mil I dose per hour. The PH definitely rises but the Alkalinity will not rise. I'm having to dose Bicarbonate to keep the alkalinity up. Currently I'm dosing 40ml a hour and my alkalinity is at 5.3! Has anyone else experienced this? My system is 70gallons heavy sps. I have been testing hourly and watching the alk drop, so I add 5ml every hour and now I'm getting worried that the ph is hitting 8.3-8.4 and the alk will not rise and Im dosing 40ml per hour! Any advice?

mag 1550
cal- 450
PO4 - .06
No2 - 28.0
Alk 5.3

Do you really mean 40 mL per hour? That is 0.8 dKH per HOUR or 19 dKH per day.

 

[badchev]

Do you really mean 40 mL per hour? That is 0.8 dKH per HOUR or 19 dKH per day.

Yes, 40 mL per hour. Plus Im getting massive precipitation at night on the glass.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, 40 mL per hour. Plus Im getting massive precipitation at night on the glass.

Then definitely stop dosing.

This is my generic recommendation for precipitation issues:

1. Stop all efforts to boost pH.
2. Stop dosing alk for a bit and let it decline.
3. Reduce pH by switching to a low pH alk mix like sodium bicarbonate, or a calcium organic such as Tropic Marin All for Reef.
4. Ensure magnesium is normal to high.
5. Keep organics and phosphate on the high side.

After a few days of not dosing alk, restart slowly, adding additives to a very high flow area so it mixes in fast.

 

[Asthix]

I want to replace my colored tubing that I got in AliExpress, I'm wondering if that's what leaching a bit of tin on my ICP (7ppm).

Have anyone tried the recipe with the Red sea colored tubing made out of TPE?

I'm not sure about using the vinyl tube instead .
I've found what seems to be silicon as it's pretty flexible but I'm not sure that is safe also ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

7 ppm tin, or 7 ppb?

 

[badchev]

Then definitely stop dosing.

This is my generic recommendation for precipitation issues:

1. Stop all efforts to boost pH.
2. Stop dosing alk for a bit and let it decline.
3. Reduce pH by switching to a low pH alk mix like sodium bicarbonate, or a calcium organic such as Tropic Marin All for Reef.
4. Ensure magnesium is normal to high.
5. Keep organics and phosphate on the high side.

After a few days of not dosing alk, restart slowly, adding additives to a very high flow area so it mixes in fast.

Luckily, I happen to have All for Reef on hand and was able to get the tank balanced out, although I'm not too sure about the accuracy of the Alkalinity level so I'm going off of Calcium levels, My tank seems to like 1 mL every hour of AFR, the calcium is maintaining steady at 436 ppm, and the corals seem happy. Downside is the PH is back to 7.8 - 7.9, I notice that when PH is low, the hard coral polyps do not fully extend like they do when PH is above 8.3. I even run a CO2 scrubber on my skimmer and have windows open in the same room, lots of water agitation in the tank and sump. Should I continue with the AFR when I try the Sodium Hydroxide again, or should I switch back to dosing Calcium and Balling C?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Luckily, I happen to have All for Reef on hand and was able to get the tank balanced out, although I'm not too sure about the accuracy of the Alkalinity level so I'm going off of Calcium levels, My tank seems to like 1 mL every hour of AFR, the calcium is maintaining steady at 436 ppm, and the corals seem happy. Downside is the PH is back to 7.8 - 7.9, I notice that when PH is low, the hard coral polyps do not fully extend like they do when PH is above 8.3. I even run a CO2 scrubber on my skimmer and have windows open in the same room, lots of water agitation in the tank and sump. Should I continue with the AFR when I try the Sodium Hydroxide again, or should I switch back to dosing Calcium and Balling C?

I'd continue with the AFR alone for at least a week. If you try to restart at higher pH, it would be potentially useful to continue some AFR, or use a trace element supplement such as Tropic Marin A and K (along with the Balling Part C, which is not a trace element supplement).

 

[badchev]

I'd continue with the AFR alone for at least a week. If you try to restart at higher pH, it would be potentially useful to continue some AFR, or use a trace element supplement such as Tropic Marin A and K (along with the Balling Part C, which is not a trace element supplement).

Sounds good, thank you for the advice Randy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You're welcome.

Good luck!

 

[oldmonk]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

I am looking at making my own dosing solutions as per your recipe.. few questions on the same

1. My tank pH is between 7.9-8.1 usually. So should I opt for recipe#1 or #2?

2. For the chemicals listed in the recipe, here in India we have multiple options based on purity. Can you help in picking up the right one?

For Calcium : Calcium chloride dehydrate 98% extra pure
Calcium chloride dihydrate 99% AR
Calcium chloride dehydrate 99.5% Molecular Biology

For Alkalinity : Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.5% pure
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.7% AR
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.7% Molecular Biology
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.7% HPLC

For Magnesium : Magnesium Sulphate 0.1M liquid

Magnesium Sulphate dried 98.5% extra pure

Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate 98% extra pure
Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate 98% AR
Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate 99.5% Molecular Biology

And lastly, what trace elements would you recommend to add to this or nothing at all?

Just fyi, I would be making 5litre solution of each.

Current tank parameters : Alk 8.1dkh. Cal 440. Mag 1280 , pH 8.0.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the inconvenience

 

[Miami Reef]

it would be potentially useful to continue some AFR

Why would it be potentially useful to use AFR in comparison to sodium bicarbonate?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Why would it be potentially useful to use AFR in comparison to sodium bicarbonate?

For it’s elements beyond calcium and alk, such as trace elements.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

I am looking at making my own dosing solutions as per your recipe.. few questions on the same

1. My tank pH is between 7.9-8.1 usually. So should I opt for recipe#1 or #2?

2. For the chemicals listed in the recipe, here in India we have multiple options based on purity. Can you help in picking up the right one?

For Calcium : Calcium chloride dehydrate 98% extra pure
Calcium chloride dihydrate 99% AR
Calcium chloride dehydrate 99.5% Molecular Biology

For Alkalinity : Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.5% pure
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.7% AR
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.7% Molecular Biology
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate 99.7% HPLC

For Magnesium : Magnesium Sulphate 0.1M liquid

Magnesium Sulphate dried 98.5% extra pure

Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate 98% extra pure
Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate 98% AR
Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate 99.5% Molecular Biology

And lastly, what trace elements would you recommend to add to this or nothing at all?

Just fyi, I would be making 5litre solution of each.

Current tank parameters : Alk 8.1dkh. Cal 440. Mag 1280 , pH 8.0.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the inconvenience

This thread is about a different recipe that uses hydroxide, but in general, I advise folks to use Recipe 1 instead of 2 unless your pH is already on the high side. So recipe 1 for you.

It’s hard to judge purity suitability from percentage numbers (as opposed to an actual analysis for problem impurities such as heavy metals), but all of them may be fine.

I do not recommend adding any trace elements to it. If you want to dose them, I’d either use a separate commercial mix or get an icp test and decide which may be useful for you.

 

[trmiv]

They are not suggesting it won’t work, just that they do not know. Ignore that admission and just try it. If the solution is clear it is fine.

So I tested this out myself with the Aquaforest mineral salt. I added 150g to 3000ml of water. Shook it like a Polaroid picture, let it sit then shook again. The result was perfectly clear. So it appears it can be doubled.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So I tested this out myself with the Aquaforest mineral salt. I added 150g to 3000ml of water. Shook it like a Polaroid picture, let it sit then shook again. The result was perfectly clear. So it appears it can be doubled.

Sounds good. Thanks for the update.

 

[oldmonk]

This thread is about a different recipe that uses hydroxide, but in general, I advise folks to use Recipe 1 instead of 2 unless your pH is already on the high side. So recipe 1 for you.

It’s hard to judge purity suitability from percentage numbers (as opposed to an actual analysis for problem impurities such as heavy metals), but all of them may be fine.

I do not recommend adding any trace elements to it. If you want to dose them, I’d either use a separate commercial mix or get an icp test and decide which may be useful for you.

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Many thanks for your valuable input.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Many thanks for your valuable input.

You’re welcome.

Happy Reefing!

 

[Jasonak]

Im using silicone tubbing, any reason that bubbles would be forming on the inside of the line. These are on the pick up line and are small 1/8 inch and dont want to really release from the wall of the line if that makes sense.
thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Im using silicone tubbing, any reason that bubbles would be forming on the inside of the line. These are on the pick up line and are small 1/8 inch and dont want to really release from the wall of the line if that makes sense.
thanks

If the water warms up in the line, N2 and O2 may come out. There’s no reaction involving sodium hydroxide that produces gas in plastic. Negative pressure from a suction pump can induce gas to come out of water.

 

[Mickey]

Is anyone using NaOH with the Neptune DDR? I know they say not to use NOPOX in the DDR but I don't know if this high pH solution will have an effect on the acrylic.