Randy Holmes-Farley
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My Tank Thread
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My pH is currently around 7.9 ish and I’d like to raise it to around 8.4! Any product recommendations? And I know slow and steady.
In terms of pH raising chemicals, ALL pH boosters are alkalinity supplements, so only dose them when you need alkalinity. There are three basic types, as well as mixtures of the three types.
Hydroxide is the most potent. Can be from kalkwasser or sodium hydroxide.
Sodium carbonate (washing soda or soda ash or baked baking soda) is second best, with half the pH boost per unit of alk added.
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is the worst. Despite seeming more basic (higher pH) than tank water, it LOWERS seawater pH when added.
Nearly all "buffers" are a mix of carbonate and bicarbonate, so they NEVER have a bigger pH boost than carbonate. Sometimes they have borate thrown in. I would not use those in a reef tank. You are replacing carbonate that corals use up, and if you add borate each time, it can accumulate and cause confusion in what an alk test is measuring.