stumped on my parameters

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I also called and asked my LFS and they said to keep using the BRS cause the PH would increase and seeing that I don't have a PH testing kit, it would be better to use the soda ash for the time being.

I went on to the @Bulk Reef Supply site and the calculator said to use 71.4 ml. I know that is the amount to bring it up from 5dKH to 9dKH and I wouldn't want to do that in one dose on a 25gallon tank. so in a series of 5 days of dosing I would have to be dosing 14.5 ml per day and that would "theoretically" be increasing the dKH by 1.25 dKH per day.
to me that still sounds like its way too much too fast and I would still have to be worrying about the PH increasing and not having a tester right now. I think my math is on the right track with it, but I also suck at math.

Dosing soda ash (baked baking soda - sodium carbonate) I would definitely be testing for PH increases.

Dosing baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) no worries about PH increase.
 

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'll get you that answer, one second.

Here you go. Randy explains it better than me:

 

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here what I've used to adjust alkalinity for decades:

GUEST_615987e6-e033-49da-a253-c6d22b008b40.jpeg


Screenshot_20190806-182402.png


And what I use for alkalinity and calcium in my ATO reservoir top off water, to make kalkwasser:

26521fbc-e2b1-465e-afbc-a405ae53f74f_1.23f07f6f1d15c92ccfcb3db82f41dfa4.jpeg


Calcium hydroxide. Food grade. Cheap and cheap. Can get them at any Wally world....etc.

Results:

DSC_0082.JPG
DSC_0144.JPG
 

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Bleigh

The best bad influence
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
9,074
Reaction score
22,373
Location
Charlotte, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
As @Bleigh stated, assuming your using a refractometer, is it calibrated?

Is your test kits within expiration dates? What kits do you use?

Your alkalinity is low.
Your calcium is okay.
Your mag is okay.
Your N03 is low.
Your P04 is okay.

Nitrate can be raised by feeding more.

Alkalinity can be dosed by using sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, not baking powder). Straight arm and hammer baking soda.

In a one gallon jug, mix 1 1/8 cup of baking soda in with a gallon of RO/DI water. Dose no more than 1dkh per day. 7-8 dkh is ideal. Use this calculator to dose:


Dose slowly into flow, ideally in a sump.

Works everytime.
Do you know what concentration this gets the all too? The calculator tells me I only need 4.5 grams of baking soda to get to my desired alk. Not sure what that translates to with the concentration you suggest. Of course, I could calculate it myself, but I figured I’d see if you knew it off the top of your head.
 

Bleigh

The best bad influence
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
9,074
Reaction score
22,373
Location
Charlotte, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That answers my questions. :) before I finished asking thank you!!!

Your welcome! Anytime you can save some money and still get the job done, it's a win win!
 

Bleigh

The best bad influence
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
9,074
Reaction score
22,373
Location
Charlotte, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Your welcome! Anytime you can save some money and still get the job done, it's a win win!
Just did a little less than third of how much it said would move me up 2.5 dkh. I’ll check the kh once the water has had some time to mix. Dang this has to be an amazing money saver!
 

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Just did a little less than third of how much it said would move me up 2.5 dkh. I’ll check the kh once the water has had some time to mix. Dang this has to be an amazing money saver!

I'd be careful raising it more than 1dkh a day!

It works well.
 

Bleigh

The best bad influence
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
9,074
Reaction score
22,373
Location
Charlotte, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'd be careful raising it more than 1dkh a day!

It works well.

I dosed enough to raise it by about .8 dkh without accounting for daily consumption. So I doubt it will raise it that full amount.
 
OP
OP
Barnabie Mejia

Barnabie Mejia

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 10, 2019
Messages
565
Reaction score
1,035
Location
El Paso, Texas/ Chamberino, New Mexico
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
OK, so I looked at that site and I figured that I need 11.4 ml to make the change from 5 to 9dKH. Is that 11.4 ml that the calculator gives out the dose? Or is it the total amount? I’m just confused cause the BRS calculator gave me 71ml total needed for the change....
 

lapin

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
10,572
Reaction score
17,709
Location
Austin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is what I got from Randys article. I dont see where the baked baking soda ( a sodium carbonate) will not re dissolve. Maybe im blind. *-}

Many aquarists are familiar with the cloudiness that forms when high pH two-part calcium and alkalinity additive systems are added to marine aquaria.
The initial cloud sinks and spreads out, eventually dissolving.
A similar phenomenon is not observed when adding calcium or magnesium salts, but is observed when adding sodium carbonate solutions. Baked baking soda is sodium carbonate is an alkaline salt
This cloudiness is, at least in part, magnesium hydroxide and is formed when hydroxide ions are added and the local pH rises.
In any case, any magnesium carbonate that does form will probably dissolve later as the pH returns to normal reef aquarium levels, so whether the initial cloudiness contains any magnesium carbonate or not is not a critical issue. It does not contain calcium carbonate if mixed in reasonably quickly (a couple of minutes or less),
as CaCO3 would not dissolve when mixed with seawater (and this material is observed to dissolve).
 

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
OK, so I looked at that site and I figured that I need 11.4 ml to make the change from 5 to 9dKH. Is that 11.4 ml that the calculator gives out the dose? Or is it the total amount? I’m just confused cause the BRS calculator gave me 71ml total needed for the change....

If using just powder baking soda, not made into solution:

Screenshot_20190806-201925.png


If made into solution:

Screenshot_20190806-201946.png
 

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is what I got from Randys article. I dont see where the baked baking soda ( a sodium carbonate) will not re dissolve. Maybe im blind. *-}

Many aquarists are familiar with the cloudiness that forms when high pH two-part calcium and alkalinity additive systems are added to marine aquaria.
The initial cloud sinks and spreads out, eventually dissolving.
A similar phenomenon is not observed when adding calcium or magnesium salts, but is observed when adding sodium carbonate solutions. Baked baking soda is sodium carbonate is an alkaline salt
This cloudiness is, at least in part, magnesium hydroxide and is formed when hydroxide ions are added and the local pH rises.
In any case, any magnesium carbonate that does form will probably dissolve later as the pH returns to normal reef aquarium levels, so whether the initial cloudiness contains any magnesium carbonate or not is not a critical issue. It does not contain calcium carbonate if mixed in reasonably quickly (a couple of minutes or less),
as CaCO3 would not dissolve when mixed with seawater (and this material is observed to dissolve).

You know about it better than I do.

I know that once it plates heaters and pumps, it doesn't dissolve. Ive had it so thick you needed to chisel it off. That stuff wasn't going anywhere. Maybe it would dissolve in a year or longer......idk.

Have you had it plate everything that generates heat?
 

Flippers4pups

Fins up since 1993
View Badges
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
18,499
Reaction score
60,635
Location
Lake Saint Louis, Mo
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
@lapin, here's the result of soda ash dosing over 3 months. Precipitation coated everything in my sump, even the tank walls. It was dosed as a drip over hours each time into a high flow area. I just went down to the sump and took these pictures:

IMG_20190806_202925.jpg


IMG_20190806_202931.jpg


IMG_20190806_202937.jpg


I tried scraping it off with a razor blade, three years ago! That's "3" years ago! It's still there. Back then it took muriatic acid to clean my pumps and heaters.
 

W1ngz

Failed Padawan
View Badges
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
2,307
Reaction score
3,825
Location
Montreal, Canada
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
OK, so I looked at that site and I figured that I need 11.4 ml to make the change from 5 to 9dKH. Is that 11.4 ml that the calculator gives out the dose? Or is it the total amount? I’m just confused cause the BRS calculator gave me 71ml total needed for the change....

Use the calculator and just select baking soda, enough to raise 1DKH. Dissolve that into a cup or two of RODI water. Pour half of that in the tank, pour the other half a few hours later. Repeat this daily until you get where you want to be. The concentration doesn't matter in this specific application since you just want to pre-dissolve the baking soda to prevent precipitation from too high a concentration for too long in one place.
 
Back
Top