Soda Ash or Sodium Bicarbonate for KH?

[Douglas]

Soda Ash or Sodium Bicarbonate for KH?. When using one of these products, or having a choice, which is preferred? and why?

[paddyob]

Bicarbonate.

Go to the bulk reef website. They have a video explaining the difference.

In fact here is the page.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/...aquariums.html

[lastlight]

Soda Ash is the most commonly used from BRS. It's recipe 1 and meant to raise your ph. Recipe two uses the other but not many people are trying to lower their ph.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Soda Ash is the most commonly used from BRS. It's recipe 1 and meant to raise your ph. Recipe two uses the other but not many people are trying to lower their ph.

No bicarbonate does not lower your ph unless you dose too much.

If you don't need to raise your ph then soda ash will mess your ph up. At least that was my understanding.

Feel free to educate me if I am mistaken. Because then maybe I bought the wrong one.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/video?file_name=14

[Reefer Rob]

Soda ash only temporarily raises the PH so you end up with PH swings... as well as precipitation. A stable, slightly lower PH is better IMO.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Reefer Rob

Soda ash only temporarily raises the PH so you end up with PH swings... as well as precipitation. A stable, slightly lower PH is better IMO.

+1

[lastlight]

Here's where I was getting my info:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/...t-instructions

Use Recipe 1 if pH is between 7.8 and 8.3

Use Recipe 2 if pH is above 8.3

So now I'm confused. Says right on there recipe 1 is most common?

Why would I get swings if I'm using a doser and it's being spread out evenly throughout the day?

[daniella3d]

I dose soda ash 16 times per day to keep my alkanity at 8 and it does not affect my PH one bit.

Originally Posted by paddyob

No bicarbonate does not lower your ph unless you dose too much.

If you don't need to raise your ph then soda ash will mess your ph up. At least that was my understanding.

Feel free to educate me if I am mistaken. Because then maybe I bought the wrong one.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/video?file_name=14

[Reefer Rob]

I even dosed 20 times a day, and the PH still went up when the Sodium Carbonate was dosed, then it would slowly normalize due to the CO2 level in the room. Dosing Sodium Bicarbonate did not effect the PH when it was dosed.

[lastlight]

Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda which before I ever bought soda ash from brs was always read people were dosing. I was just following BRS ph guidelines when choosing... now I'm a bit worried I should have been using the other (as 35lbs is on its way to me LOL).