Baking soda to up alk

[fishguy597]

Well my calcium is way above 500 and the salifert test isn't much good above 500. So I shut off my calcium reactor to bring it down. I have been keeping an eye on my alk and dosing baking soda to maintain my alk. Over the last few days. my alk has been dipping down 1-1.5 dkh .then I bring it back up to 8.5. My ph. is at 8.2 with the lights on, haven't checked with the lights out. I noticed yesterday that a few of my monties do not have good poloyp ext. do you think this is happening because of using the baking soda or possibility of ph. fluctuations? I know the ca reactor will bring down the ph. while running.

 

[jimsplace]

My guess is alk swings.

 

[acrohead500ppm]

are you baking it in the oven to bring up the pH of the powder?

 

[mightymizz]

Large Alk swings can have a pretty negative effect on SPS. Be careful here. Sorry, but I also don't know anything pertaining to the use of Baking Soda, although I have heard about it before.

 

[rwb500]

sounds like you're doing the right thing - letting calcium settle down while maintaining alk. don't bake the baking soda. assuming your tests are accurate, the only problem might be too large of an alk swing when you dose the baking soda. Try breaking it up into a few times a day. I use two part and I have my pumps come on 7 times a day, to minimize swings.

also, polyp extension is not a huge deal. it could be nothing. but even if the corals are unhappy until your calcium reactor comes back, no real damage will be done.

 

[divewsharks]

issue does sound like alk swings.
using baking soda is completely fine as long as its food grade.

are you adding it straight or did you mix into some RO water?

 

[toothman]

I have used arm and hammer baking soda for 7 yrs. If you bake it, it drives out co2 and raises ph it changes it from sodium bi carbonate to sodium carbonate, one problem using baking soda it has a ph more like 8 and you would like 8.3. baking it will bring it to a more friendly addition with a higher ph.

 

[fishguy597]

As early as I have to wake up for work I only have time to check it when I get home.then make my adjustments as needed. I thought in the earlier post baking it was a joke. I also wasn't sure if my ph was coming up since my calcium reactor was off. I have only been monitoring the ph in the ca reactor. its almost been a week and my calcium is still up there guess ill wait it out and keep adding the baking soda.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Baking soda looses the Co2 when you mix it and the Ph climbs back up. Just takes a couple of minutes as you drip it in. Used to bake it years ago but dont anymore. Have been using arm and hammer every day for ten years. Seems to work. However, in my experience, alk swings will cause browning and other stress responses from your corals. They dont like to see the alk swing around.

 

[Hephalump]

If you have an ato you can try adding the baking soda to the top off water to minimize swings.

 

[fishguy597]

ya unfortunatley no ato. Its just taking forever for my ca to come down. just trying to manage my alk swings the best way possable. cant wait to get my ca reactor back on line.

 

[Shells4]

I'm having the same problem with my calc. and alk. and no ATO. I am working on making something with a slow, constant drip to avoid fluctuation. I have a 2.5g water jug with an IV tubing I have being trying to glue in place. So far I haven't found the right glue to hold it long term. Thinking of trying a PVC cement. Anyway, maybe you have room for a milk jug or a small soda bottle to give you a more constant alk. level. Just a thiought.

 

[bigt0706]

Use a piece of hard tubing in side the jug and airline outside and u can create a suction and adjust the flow by tying a losse knot

 

[FragIt Dan]

I find I lose about 20ppm Ca for about 1.5degrees of dKh. If you are dosing dKh every day then you are likely dosing approximately the same everyday(?), so premeasure your dose out and add a bit before you take off for work, a bit when you get home and the rest when u head to bed. Things will gradually get better .

 

[polywise]

fishguy597,

You might have better results adjusting your calcium reactor v.s. trying to adjust with baking soda.

Do you use a controller for PH in the reactor?

 

[fishguy597]

I find I lose about 20ppm Ca for about 1.5degrees of dKh. If you are dosing dKh every day then you are likely dosing approximately the same everyday(?), so premeasure your dose out and add a bit before you take off for work, a bit when you get home and the rest when u head to bed. Things will gradually get better .

Thanks not a bad idea. it just seems like my alk absorption rate isnt consistent. I have been checking it everyday with a salifert kit and one day ill be down 1.5,1,&even .3 from one day to the next. my mag is a little high at 1450.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Yea I break my baking soda into two additions dripped in with a gallon of water each time. One in morning and one later. You want to adjust your ca reactor to be stable and then do any moving around that you need with calcium chloride or sodium bicarb dependng on whether you need calc or alk. Dont try to move your levels with your ca reactor. If you do that you will need to readjust the reactor when you get to target. You dont want to be chasing that ghost.

 

[fishguy597]

fishguy597,

You might have better results adjusting your calcium reactor v.s. trying to adjust with baking soda.

Do you use a controller for PH in the reactor?

Yes I control the ca reactor off of a controller. the alk is only a problem since the reactor is off. my ca was probably close to saturation most likely due to the oceanic salt I use. The reactor should release equal parts of alk,ca,and mag I believe .

 

[fishguy597]

BTW most of the time I just keep an eye on alk and not so much the ca . as long as the alk has been stable my sps have been happy and growing. I'm just tinkering and probably should have left it alone. I haven't had any calcium precitate in any of my pumps. its just pegged out on my test kit, & verified at the lfs .

 

[polywise]

What PH target and and what +- do you hold it to in the reactor?

I have found in the past that to raise alk, you can either slightly raise the reactor PH being controlled, or keeping the PH as is, and tweaking the flow up a bit.