Do all alkalinity buffers raise salinity?

[Grkgod36]

As the title states ,
I,trying raise my dkh only , my mag is at 1500 , calcium at 460 and dkh at 6

 

[bertoni]

Yes, but not very much. There's no way to add alkalinity without raising salinity, by definition. It'd take a very large overdose to make a difference.

 

[Grkgod36]

Gotcha , my mag and calcium are high from my salt mix . What's would be best to raise dkh only ?

 

[azjohnny]

Soda ash. Go to Bulk Reef Supply and do a search for Soda Ash

 

[garygonzales]

i think buffers will raise your alk and stabilize your ph...i dont think it will do anything to your salinty...

 

[bertoni]

Baking soda is another easy way to raise alkalinity. It also leaves the pH basically unchanged, which can be helpful if the pH of the tank is okay already.

 

[acer]

Doesn't cooked Baking Soda raise PH? While Soda Ash will slightly lower PH. But both raise Alk.

 

[bertoni]

Soda ash (sodium carbonate) can be made by heating baking soda in an oven for a while. It does raise pH. Sodium bicarbonate actually drops the pH very slightly until aeration brings the pH back up.

 

[Grkgod36]

Which two Brs products Can I use for this ?
I have been dripping kalk and I just can't get the dkh up ..

 

[acer]

You don't need 2 products Grkgod36 for ALK supplementation - only one. I think the BRS product of Soda ASH will work fine:http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-soda-ash-sodium-carbonate-aquarium-supplement.html


Use their calculator after you test the ALK to determine how much to supplement.

I personally use cooked Baking Soda because I have issues with keeping my PH up over 7.9 and the Cooked Baking Soda raises PH more than the BRS product does from my experience - but you have to be a bit careful with it so you don't raise PH too much or too quickly. But either way will both do the job regarding raising your ALK.

I am still a bit confused Bertoni. The BRS product is labeled Soda ASH ( Sodium carbonate ) - not sodium bicarbonate. But it does not increase my PH the way my home made cooked Baking Soda does. Please explain ....

 

[bertoni]

Either of the BRS alkalinity supplements should be fine, or you can use baking soda from the grocery store, which is what I and a lot of other people use.

As far as varying pH effects, it's possible that the sodium carbonate in the BRS has converted partially back to baking soda, which can happen with contact with carbon dioxide and moisture from the air.

 

[acer]

Interesting- however, my homemade solution is actually much older than the BRS product I bought. Oh well....

 

[moatdaddy]

can you tell us how you are taking baking soda from the shelf and then using it for the aquarium? you said made by heading in oven for a while. how long, what temp? how did you find out how much to mix and the corresponding dose?

If this has all been answered feed me a link good sir.

 

[acer]

Here ya go:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/

Recipe #1, Part 2: The Alkalinity Part

 

[bertoni]

I'll take a look at the BRS description of their product. I would have guessed that it was mostly sodium carbonate, but I might be wrong.

 

[moatdaddy]

10 years later and still good info, impressive.

You find this easy enough to avoid the extra cost of buying from BRS?

 

[disc1]

You find this easy enough to avoid the extra cost of buying from BRS?

I don't have any issues with pH in my tank so I don't bother with the baking. I just use it just like it comes from the store dissolved in some RODI. That definitely comes out better than buying from BRS.

If you do cook it, the important factors are:

Spread it thin : A thin layer will convert better.
Cook it hot : Extra heat won't hurt and your oven can't get hot enough to make sodium oxide.
Cook it long : Too long doesn't hurt either. A little extra time just ensures that the conversion is complete.