Vinegar and Kalk

[davidwillis]

You can add it once the container is empty. There’s no reaction between soda ash and sodium hydroxide.

When CO2 enters the container of sodium hydroxide, it turns some of the hydroxide into carbonate (soda ash). Same alk potency, but less pH boost.

So if for example you need a higher ph boost than soda ash, but not as high as sodium hydroxide, you could mix a solution of the two? Could you also apply this to sodium bicarbonate? So if you wanted a small boost, but not as much as soda ash, you could mix soda ash with sodium bicarbonate? And I don't really see the reason, but could you mix sodium bicarbonate with sodium hydroxide to make something similar to soda ash?

 

[Miami Reef]

So if for example you need a higher ph boost than soda ash, but not as high as sodium hydroxide, you could mix a solution of the two? Could you also apply this to sodium bicarbonate? So if you wanted a small boost, but not as much as soda ash, you could mix soda ash with sodium bicarbonate? And I don't really see the reason, but could you mix sodium bicarbonate with sodium hydroxide to make something similar to soda ash?

You can definitely can mix sodium hydroxide and carbonate. I don’t think I’d ever consider mixing hydroxide with either carbonate or bicarbonate in my tank. It’s very rare to ever get a pH reading too high in aquariums with proper alkalinity and aeration.

A 1:1 molar mix of bicarbonate and hydroxide gives the exact carbonate recipe, so there’s little reason to make such a mix.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I figured out the scoop size. 22.75g, so 182g = 8 scoops. BRS recommends 4 scoops per gallon, but doses twice as much. Is there a risk of precipitation at 8 scoops per gallon? In a BRS video they say you have to do half the amount for it to all dissolve.
Also BRS uses 381g of soda ash which from what you said is the same amount of alk as 283g of sodium hydroxide.

I should be getting my sodium hydroxide tomorrow, so I will start mixing it up.

I believe that folks find the 8 scoops dissolves, but if it doesn’t, you can just use more water.