Raising Alkalinity Level

[kien]

Originally Posted by htfn

If pH raise that high do you recommend dose alkalinity in the night time? I dose 3 big things when lights on.

Remember that you are mixing Sodium Bicarbonate (Soda ash) with water to make your alk solution, so although it will tend to raise the pH of your tank, it should not raise it to unreasonable values. Certainly not to a pH of 10 ! :-)

If you dose a bit at a time the pH spikes should not be an issue. I have a doser that doses a little bit, 8 times a day. Are you just dumping in the alk solution once a day? How much per dose?

[htfn]

Originally Posted by kien

Remember that you are mixing Sodium Bicarbonate (Soda ash) with water to make your alk solution, so although it will tend to raise the pH of your tank, it should not raise it to unreasonable values. Certainly not to a pH of 10 ! :-)

If you dose a bit at a time the pH spikes should not be an issue. I have a doser that doses a little bit, 8 times a day. Are you just dumping in the alk solution once a day? How much per dose?

I'm using Marine Magic Triple Doser. I dose Ca and KH 10 times a day and Mg at twice a day. I checked my water last SAT when all lights were off and they were at Ca 380ppm, KH 7.7dKH and Mg 1180ppm. My Mg is usually low but all corals are doing fine, so I don't change a dosing rate. I only have a very old pH test kit, so I have not checked yet. Again my corals are doing fine, so I don't think pH level is not critical condition.

[htfn]

I just found KH 1 gallon container was almost empty. It's time to bake again.....

[kien]

If everything looks good and healthy, and the only issue you are having is what a chore it is to mix up alk, then my suggestion would be to buy a hand blender to mix your alk, or to buy BRS Soda Ash. Do not change anything else :-)

[htfn]

Thanks Kien. I'll look at both and decide which way is better and cheaper.

[htfn]

I just mixed baked baking soda with a hand blender. It worked really good and took only few minutes. Thanks again your info Kien.

[asylumdown]

I just use piping hot water when I mix my baking soda, it dissolves for me no problem. Put two cups in to my 2 gallon bucket, turn the tap all the way to hot, wait until it's steaming, and put the bucket under the stream. It cools the water down significantly while it dissolves, to the point where I could even use my hand to mix it with the scalding hot water pouring in to the bucket from the tap if it wasn't also the most unpleasantly desiccating thing to do to your skin. I just mix the bucket with a wooden spoon as it fills up, and by the time the water hits the 2 gallon mark the baking soda is always 100% dissolved, and the bucket water is the temp of a nice bath.

I have way more issues dissolving baked baking soda.