Ph

[Holyreefer]

I was wondering if i am adding CA by a reactor and it keeps my ALK at the desired parameters...
Can i use baking soda and RO water on a dosing pump to keep my PH in check? I have been reading the the difference between the baked soda verses the unbaked and because my PH is pretty consistant i would use the baked one.

 

[Bri Guy]

Baking soda is Sodium Bicarbonate, so by adding it to adjust your pH you will also be raising your Alk baked or unbaked, and if your levels are kept at the right levels with your RX, you won't be able to do this.

 

[jdieck]

If you are using a calcium reactor and is properly adjusted to provide your requirements of Calcium and Alkalinity without impacting your PH to levels before 8.0 then you do not need to add anithing else.
Because using an additional supplement will call for the reduction of the Ca reactor output then you need to insure that the additional supplement is also balanced so it can provide calcium as well as alkalinity (same as the Ca Reactor).
If your tank PH drops too much with the Ca reactor then, the easier way to keep a higher PH is to supplement your Top Off with a Kalk drip or a Kalk reactor which is also a balanced (Calcium and Alkalinity) addition.
You could use sodium carbonate (Baked Baking Soda) to supplement the top off and maintain higher PH but you might have a Calcium / Alkalinity balance problem.
Becase baked baking soda only provides alkalinity then you will have more alkalinity added in proportion to calcium which might have to be supplemented manually or with an additional separate doser (Like supplementing a two part system) or to switch to a salt containing low alkalinity and high calcium for water changes. IMO using baked baking soda will be more complicated and difficult to adjust than just using Kalk.

 

[Holyreefer]

my other thing is because my PH doesn't have a major or minor change at all it makes me think the ph probe is calibrated incorrectly or even it has been reading incorrectly...

bump

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13044482#post13044482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Holyreefer
my other thing is because my PH doesn't have a major or minor change at all it makes me think the ph probe is calibrated incorrectly or even it has been reading incorrectly...

bump

Proper aeration, reverse photoperiod on refugium and adding Kalk at night will basically prevent PH swings, if you do not have any of these in operation I definitively take a look at the probe calibration.

 

[Holyreefer]

i do have my refguim light coming on at night while the remaining lights are off i don't dose kalk, at all the only thing i dose is Calcium from the reactor.

But why would people have major changes in their ph...
I don't have a huge demand as i only have a few corals as of now (working on that now)

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13047899#post13047899 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Holyreefer
But why would people have major changes in their ph...

There is a natural PH cycle over day and night. During the night phothosynthesis is reduced and as a result CO2 is not consumed and accumulates thus lowering the PH. During the day CO2 gets consumed when light are on so the PH increases.
This cycle repeats daily unless there is something to counter act it.
Lights on at night in another part of the system, adding Kalk (that consumes CO2 can counteract the PH drop at night.

 

[jlinzmaier]

When I started my calcium reactor I had significant problems keeping the pH up. It typically ran 7.7-7.8. I routed my air intake to my skimmer outside (this limits the effects of co2 from inside the house) and I added a diffusing chamber for the reactor effluent. Since those modifications, pH runs from 8.05-8.25.

Adding a second method of alk/ca dosing in addition to a ca reactor can complicate things. Especially if your dosing baking soda to maintain pH. If your going to add a second means of ca/alk maintenance in order to maintain pH, do yourself a favor and just use kalk.

Jeremy

 

[Holyreefer]

I have been adding calcium using my CA reactor but i have it set on a timer. Whenever my closed loop comes on is then the CA reacotor comes on as well...

So total my closed loop and reactor maybe on for 14hrs out of 24...

 

[jlinzmaier]

Why do you do that?? Ca reactors IMO (and many others) should be run 24/7 to minimize elemental (alk/mg) fluctuations.

Jeremy