Alkalinity consumption rate

[asylumdown]

It turns out I've been dosing my two part chems all wrong for like the last year and a half. I'm an idiot, and it's probably responsible for a fair portion of the issues I've had (a coral killing home renovation not withstanding).

Anyway, I've fixed it, and since then my corals have just taken off. Not surprisingly, my consumption rate of chems has also taken off.

Since I clearly have no idea what I'm doing 7 years in to this, I just want to get a barometer for how much others who are using a 2 part recipe are dosing. I'm using Tropic Marin's 2 part, and I *think* they use sodium bicarbonate (though it might be soda ash), and through the magic of grade 10 stoichiometry I've figured out that I'm adding roughly 45.36 g of the stuff to my tank every day, and seeing as my dKH fell 1.01 in the last 48 hours that's not enough.

It seemed like a lot, because when you mix it up in to solution at Tropic Marin's recommended concentration that works out to 540 ml/day, but now that I've equated that back to dry weight it really doesn't seem like that much to me considering how many large SPS corals I have. One of the glass vials from a hanna checker weighs 11 grams empty with no lid.

[Wheelman76]

I've followed the problems that you've had over the last year and a half and im curious what you mean when you say that you have been dosing your two part chems all wrong ?

[Snappy]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

I'm using Tropic Marin's 2 part, and I *think* they use sodium bicarbonate (though it might be soda ash),

I just buy Arm & Hammer baking soda at Costco and bake it in the oven at 350 for an hour - this turns it from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate (AKA soda ash) which is an advantage if you need to raise your PH level, otherwise you can just mix the baking soda. Be sure to pour it into the water and not add the water to the baking soda or it doesn't mix well. Making your own 2 part would likely save you some $$$. If you have any questions about 2 part dosing give me a call - I have been dosing my own home made 2 part (Randy Holmes Farley's recipe) for almost 10 years.

[TimT]

My daily usage on Sodium bicarb is presently 128grams/day. I've been making some system changes so corals are still adapting hence growth rate is not what it normally is.

Something I have wondered about is if the chemically produced(Solvay/Ammonia Soda Method) Sodium bicarb absorbs residues from the processing equipment(metal piping and towers) and how much ammonia it retains.

Another concern I have is if you leave Sodium bicarb in your fridge it acts as a deodorizer. Does the Sodium bicarb sitting on the shelf with the other cleaners and chemicals absorb what they are off gassing?

Those two concerns are why I use(and sell) Natural source, water extracted, aluminum free USP #1 grade Sodium bicarb.

Cheers,
Tim

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Snappy

I just buy Arm & Hammer baking soda at Costco and bake it in the oven at 350 for an hour - this turns it from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate (AKA soda ash) which is an advantage if you need to raise your PH level, otherwise you can just mix the baking soda. Be sure to pour it into the water and not add the water to the baking soda or it doesn't mix well. Making your own 2 part would likely save you some $$$. If you have any questions about 2 part dosing give me a call - I have been dosing my own home made 2 part (Randy Holmes Farley's recipe) for almost 10 years.

Do you bake it all at once after you buy it, or only a portion when you are ready to mix your solution?

I used to use the Seachem Reef Buffer (expensive) and have recently switched to bi carb (from Tim). But if it raises PH after baking, maybe I should do that?

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by Wheelman76

I've followed the problems that you've had over the last year and a half and im curious what you mean when you say that you have been dosing your two part chems all wrong ?

Ugh, I'm ashamed to admit it. I was dosing unequal amounts of a 'balanced' supplement. I didn't realize just how unequal it had gotten, but by three weeks ago I was dosing almost exactly 2x the alk as calcium. Which means I was also dosing 2x the amount of sodium.

Why you ask? Because I'm a moron and forgot something I thought I knew like the back of my hand 5 years ago

Not sure if that contributed to anything, but my tank would always drastically improve after a few large water changes in a row. Since I fixed it, things that haven't grown in a year are growing and a problem I was having with Acropora hyperplasia has started to resolve itself. I think I'm also now seeing my tank's "real" consumption rate,

[asylumdown]

I used to use baking soda, but even when mixing with DI water, I'd get this weird chalky precipitate at the bottom of the container. The tropic Marin stuff doesn't do that. It is expensive, however, and if Tim considers 128 grams/day low, I might have to switch.

Tropic Marin recommends dissolving 420 grams of the alk and 380 grams of the calcium in 5 L of water. At 540 mL a day and rising, I'm burning through my 3 gallon dosing containers pretty fast. How much do you think I could increase the concentration of each without risking supersaturation precipitation?

[mark]

assuming you're mixing a solution, from RHF 2 part guide

[PFoster]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

Ugh, I'm ashamed to admit it. I was dosing unequal amounts of a 'balanced' supplement. I didn't realize just how unequal it had gotten, but by three weeks ago I was dosing almost exactly 2x the alk as calcium. Which means I was also dosing 2x the amount of sodium.

Why you ask? Because I'm a moron and forgot something I thought I knew like the back of my hand 5 years ago

Not sure if that contributed to anything, but my tank would always drastically improve after a few large water changes in a row. Since I fixed it, things that haven't grown in a year are growing and a problem I was having with Acropora hyperplasia has started to resolve itself. I think I'm also now seeing my tank's "real" consumption rate,

Yeah well we all make mistakes sometimes.

This does illustrate the major flaw in the so called "balanced" system.
Maybe this applies in a lab, but definitely not in real life.
And certainly not on an sps system, as anyone that has successfully kept an acro tank knows this.



I use the Fauna Balling system for my alk, and i have will switch to a USP grade #1 alk from time to time.

Our sps system has a consumption rate of around 253 grams per day,
but this is based on 3 x 4' x 8' coral beds full of sps and with regular and large WC's.
WC's are replenishing alk
Corals coming in and out disrupt stability which decreases consumption…
So basically my data is useless for you, but still

Keep dosing and keep testing till your tank is stable.
And once it seems to stabilize don't stop testing.
You will seem to reach a balanced point.
then your sps will basically go "hey this is freakin perfect growing condition"
And your consumption rate will skyrocket again.
Then once you balance out you will be tuned in.

A drop of 1 dKh in a day…. yeah thats not good for happy sps at all…
Personally i like to keep my alk swings below .5dKh per day, up or down.
So don't raise it to fast either, but make sure it doesn't go to low either (yes i know, kinda hard to do.

[TimT]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

I'd get this weird chalky precipitate at the bottom of the container.

That might be because either your trying to mix too much bicarb into the amount of water or the water is cooling too much after dissolving and the bicarb won't stay in solution. I find it works better if you warm the water to about 80°f. I mix at a concentration of 86 grams sodium bicarb to 1 litre of water. I stir it for 15 minutes to make sure it's all dissolved.