Want info on raising alkalinity

[Carmen]

A newbie here, started my tank late Sept. of last year. I have a 75 gal., total water volume of 120 gallons with sump. I use Salifert tests for all my testing. I'm having an issue with the alkalinity levels--but first, here's what I got after testing last night:

Calcium, 500; Mag, 1470-1500; Nitrites 0; Nitrates, 10; Amm., 0; Phos., .03; Salinity, 1.025; and finally Kh,15.5 dKH and Alk., 5.50 meq/L.

I've been reading about different ways to raise the alkalinity. The one I like best for now is to use baking soda. I looked up the calculator on BRS and it recommended 4.3 oz to raise it up to 8 (a number I put in).

Is 8 the number I should be shooting for or should it be higher? I understand that it needs to be added slowly as to not shock the tank.

Typically, how long does a dose of baking soda last? I perform water changes once a week. Will it last that long? Right now I have 6 fish, 3 anenomes and just a few soft corals. Appreciate any comments.

 

[HiddenUser]

8dkh is fine. I think the recommendation is around 7-12dkh.

I use BRS 2-Part and IIRC the instructions say not to increase the alkalinity more than 1dkh/day.

I can't comment on how long baking soda will last, but you'll want to test daily (at the same time each day) to see how much alkalinity your tank is consuming on a daily basis.

 

[Carmen]

8dkh is fine. I think the recommendation is around 7-12dkh.

I use BRS 2-Part and IIRC the instructions say not to increase the alkalinity more than 1dkh/day.

I can't comment on how long baking soda will last, but you'll want to test daily (at the same time each day) to see how much alkalinity your tank is consuming on a daily basis.

What is IIRC? Oh yes, I will be testing daily. I just wondered if anyone had any experience on using baking soda and how long it last. I'm leaving town on the 8th and won't be back until the 17. I would have to order on line to get a doser or a Kalk reactor and I don't have enough time to do that. I was wanting to start with BS---hoping it would last the 10 days I'm gone---doing a water change and addition of BS before I go, of course.

 

[Reefing Madness]

DId I read your tests right?
KH is 15?
Alk is 5.5meq/L??
Those numbers are way to high, why would you want to raise them even higher??
You want meq/L between 2.86 and 4.29
You want your KH between 7-12
The Baking Soda will last just like all other things you will dose, it all depends on what you have in your system thats going to use it up. If you have alot of LPS and SPS then its going to get used up quickly, if you just have LPS and Coralline, it will get used up slower, but get used up none the less.

 

[Carmen]

DId I read your tests right?
KH is 15?
Alk is 5.5meq/L??
Those numbers are way to high, why would you want to raise them even higher??
You want meq/L between 2.86 and 4.29
You want your KH between 7-12
The Baking Soda will last just like all other things you will dose, it all depends on what you have in your system thats going to use it up. If you have alot of LPS and SPS then its going to get used up quickly, if you just have LPS and Coralline, it will get used up slower, but get used up none the less.

Ummm, I was told by someone that the alkilinity was really low. I never took chemistry in school :/ so all of these measurements are foreign to me and truthfully, I don't understand what I'm reading...plus being a newbie I'm still learning about taking care of the water. So are you saying because the alkilinity is measured by meq/L that it's the right level? The KH is measured by dKH at least that's how its broken down on the Salifert directions.

I wonder how these levels could be so high then? I have not added anything to the water. How would you lower it, or does it need to be lowered?

 

[mike007]

Ummm, I was told by someone that the alkilinity was really low. I never took chemistry in school :/ so all of these measurements are foreign to me and truthfully, I don't understand what I'm reading...plus being a newbie I'm still learning about taking care of the water. So are you saying because the alkilinity is measured by meq/L that it's the right level? The KH is measured by dKH at least that's how its broken down on the Salifert directions.

I wonder how these levels could be so high then? I have not added anything to the water. How would you lower it, or does it need to be lowered?

Agreed 15 dkh is way to high. You need to quit trying to raise it and let it come down.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Your system will lower them by itself, in a bit of time.
Chemistry And The Aquarium: Solving Calcium And Alkalinity Problems ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[Carmen]

Your system will lower them by itself, in a bit of time.
Chemistry And The Aquarium: Solving Calcium And Alkalinity Problems ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

To Mike007, I haven't done anything to my tank yet, but was planning on adding baking soda, because I was told that 7 or 8 was the number to shoot for in alkilinity. That was a good article Reefing Madness! The good new is, according to the article is while my situation is uncommon, it's the easiest to fix, and will self correct over time.

 

[Carmen]

Go to the thread "Raising Alkinlinity with Baking Soda" on this fourm. She reports having 4.5dKH alkinlinity. Mine was read as 5.50 meq/L, not 5.50 dKH. Is that the difference? I'm just trying to understand the measurements and why mine is considered high while her's is low.