Can baking soda be added to tank water?

[Megatrev62]

Hello, just wondering if baking soda for alk.could be mixed with the tank water or should it be dissolved in ro?

Please tell me why or why not.Would the only issue be clouding of the water?

Thanks

 

[b_s_c1]

I do it all the time and have had no ill effects. I add it to NSW to bring up the alk and if my alk is low in my DT I add a tbs or two to a cup of SW and then pour a little at a time into the overflow. It is my understanding that adding two much at one time will increase your pH so if you are adding it to the DT add it slow.

Remember you do not want to increase the alk in your DT to rapidly so take it slow and raise it 1dkh per day.

 

[Megatrev62]

Thanks. I use Natural salt water, and alk. was low. Last week before a water change I added too much baking soda to a 5 gallon bucket. It was extremely cloudy after being stirred. Added it to the tank anyway and all was good.

Tank was very cloudy for a few hours. I worried a little about it. I was under the understanding that alk. could go up immediately to where you want it?

What size tank do you have? Thanks

 

[HHIreefer843]

are yall adding normal baking soda, like arm and hammer?? and do yall bake the baking soda first, doesnt that have affect on PH

 

[disc1]

There is a limit to how much baking soda you can dissolve in salt water before you start precipitating calcium. So making concentrated solutions for dosing should be using rodi.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree with David. I would definitely not recommend adding baking soda to tank water to produce a strong alk solution. You will quickly begin to precipitate calcium carbonate. RO water is much preferred, but adding the dry solid to a fast flowing part of the sump is probably better than adding the solid to a bucket of tank water and trying to dissolve that.

 

[Megatrev62]

Thank you all. Yes the precipitate was huge when I added the baking soda to the bucket. I will dissolve it in RO first.

The precipitate does no real harm correct?

 

[Mikez1207]

Regular baking soda lowers ph. Baked baking soda or ash soda raises ph

 

[disc1]

The precipitate does no real harm correct?

It's not good for coral if it gets directly on them and it sucks all the calcium and alkalinity out of the water. But otherwise it is just sand.

 

[Megatrev62]

Thanks