sodium bicarb users (2-part)

[christyf5]

For those of you that use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) as part of your "DIY" 2 part solutions...how the heck do you keep this stuff in solution? Mine seems to come out of solution (not precipitate, just doesn't dissolve). I'm using the recommended 2 1/4 cups or whatever it is per gallon. Am I doing something wrong? Does the water need to be warm to mix it in? I'm getting about an inch of slurry on the bottom of my 1gal milk jugs.

Previously I was baking the baking soda but it was preciptating in my tank. At least with the unbaked stuff I don't end up with a mountain of it in my sump.

[Kryptic4L]

kind of wondering myself, but i believed i used more along the lines of 2 3/4 cup per gallon. Mixed everything for days and even brought the temp up to that of tank water.

I came to the conclusion I had a saturated solution, and transferred it to another container through a coffee filter.

Havent used it yet however so im not sure, the alk kinda fixed itself during the time I was making it.

I will be following to see what the answer is here ,

[Fishlips]

I never worry about what didn't dissolve. I give a slight bend to the stiff tubing I use in the bottle so it doesn't suck up the sediment.

[kien]

I warm up the water a little bit. Actually I mix the baking soda in a pot on the stove with the burner on low. Also, I don't stir to mix I use a hand blender, so much easier than stirring because if you stir you have to poor in the two part very very slowly for a long long time.

[christyf5]

kien, it sounds like you're quite the whiz in the kitchen :wink:

You guys are still using the 2 cups per gallon then? I'll have a go at that heating/mixer thingy

[Jason McK]

I use 2 cups/G. I mix up 4G at a time but adding all the water and baking soda to a 5G salt bucket and through a power head in. I let the power head go and mix it over night. Don't have any problems will anything coming out of solution

J

[Fishward]

If you don't bake it, the recipie only calls for 1 1/8 cup per gallon. that might be why you're having trouble getting it all to dissolve. thats what i use too and i have a hell of a time just getting 1 1/8cup to dissolve.

[Delphinus]

2 - 1/4 cups for me, I boil a gallon of RO/DI in the kettle then pour half of that into a Pyrex bowl and add the baked baking soda very slowly. Once added together I add the other half gallon to the slurry. I use a whisk to mix it in as I go. The key is to add very small amounts at a time whilst mixing. Too much at a time and it clumps. And it's not so much a clumping issue, and even though it's not really a precipitate either, but it's stuck somewhere in the middle. Ie., once clumped it will never dissolve. I sometimes get all ticked and then mix it in a blender and I seem to get a slightly higher yield but the vast majority ends up as a undissolvable supernatant still (just pulverized into powder).

I have about a 75% success ratio nowadays when I mix the stuff ("success" meaning "no supernatant") but it boils down to how patient I am at the time. They key is going slow, ..... but the problem is I hate how long it takes. :lol:

[christyf5]

If you don't bake it, the recipie only calls for 1 1/8 cup per gallon. that might be why you're having trouble getting it all to dissolve. thats what i use too and i have a hell of a time just getting 1 1/8cup to dissolve.

yeah I noticed that on randys recipe #2 and was wondering if I was attempting to supersaturate the solution or something. I think I'll either heat or try a powerhead and see how it goes :biggrin:

[Delphinus]

Oh you're doing the unbaked, right, sorry. Yeah, I dunno. I found that the half recipe mixes in eventually but it just takes forever. Better off just putting a powerhead in the reservoir and let it mix forever and ever and it'll eventually dissolve in.

It's the baked baking soda that reacts too much when added too much at a time and once it's done that, it's done forever.

I still don't really know if one method works better for me or not.

[Canuckgod420]

I noticed when adding the baked solution to my sump it would percipitate into clumps.....so I mixed it with some RO water first before adding it and now have no problems.

[Tom R]

Hi Christy

I am using the Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk 2 Part Instructions: Recipe 2

It calls for 1 1/8 cups of BS to each gallon of RO water.

I mix 5 gallons at a time in a large 6 gallon salt bucket with 6 cups of BS.

I use a MJ 1200 pump and let it mix for a couple of days with little to no residual.

If you feel this recipe ids too week you can just adjust the dose either frequency or quantity.

I would not want to dose if there is any residual in the water.

Tom R

[Reefer Rob]

I mix 1600gm in 10 liters of water. Not sure what that is in cups, but I like to be accurate. It makes it easier to set your dosing amount. I just shake the container a few times over a couple of hours and it mixes clear.

[Tom R]

I mix 1600gm in 10 liters of water. Not sure what that is in cups, but I like to be accurate. It makes it easier to set your dosing amount. I just shake the container a few times over a couple of hours and it mixes clear.

1 cup = 250 ml

A box of Arm & hammer is 500 ml or 2 cups

Tom R

[PoonTang]

If you don't bake it, the recipie only calls for 1 1/8 cup per gallon. that might be why you're having trouble getting it all to dissolve. thats what i use too and i have a hell of a time just getting 1 1/8cup to dissolve.

+1
never had a problem mixing it doing it this way. Also note you need to change your calcium recipie too if you want them balanced. Dont forget that when you change you will most likely need to double your rate on your doser. :mrgreen:

[banditpowdercoat]

I'm going to be gettng into this soon. What is the recipies again? Ca, Alk and Mag? I have a 55lb bag of Mag, hoping not to have to mix with Epsom?

[Norstar]

Is Arm & Hammer just as good as the expensive ones in LFS? It would certainly be way cheaper if it works just as well!

[PoonTang]

Is Arm & Hammer just as good as the expensive ones in LFS? It would certainly be way cheaper if it works just as well!

yes

[Reef_kid]

My recipe i have used for about 10 years

STOCK :

1 BOX baking soda
1 box washing soda or (1 box baking soda baked at broil 20 mins)
vinegar to adjust pH of buffer

Stock Concentrated dry

6 part baking soda
1 part washing soda

mix very very.

to test:

1 tsp will raise the ALKALINITY Ka by 1 unit (on the D) in 25 gallons of water.
and should maintain the PH at 8.2

test a small sample
1ml into a fresh water gallon.
test pH and check that its 8.2 (the buffering capacity of the two)
test Ka: before and after:p it should be pretty high. due to this sample being very concentrated.

check a 5 gallon bucket by adding 1ml of the dry powder
it should read 8.2 ph and the ka should raise by 1 unit.


keep as dry stock and make a pop bottle up with a tsp. or so.
do not increase Ka by more than 1 unit a day