What should I know about baking soda before i use

[bluesurf1]

I'm planning to baking soda. Waht should I know or do before using. I heard something about baking it. Please elaborate for me. Thanks

 

[Rurouni Kenshin]

You bake it for an hour to get all the moisture out of it otherwise it will have a slight pH lowering effect.
Use this to calculate how much to use:
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

 

[Wiskey]

But if you bake it it will have a ph raising effect. I think something like a 1-7 mix of baked-to unbaked makes the PH uneffected, but check that because that ratio may be wrong.

Whiskey

 

[SeanT]

The one thing I would like to convey to you is to NOT RAISE your alk too quickly.
Do it over a period of days.
I learned that lesson the hard way.

Sean

 

[bluesurf1]

Yeah slowly seems to be the key. So if I bake it and drip at night that would prob be best! Rich thanks for the calculation chart That is great.

 

[doody]

Awsome link.

 

[kevin2000]

Many people use baking soda to raise alkalinity.

As I recall about 96% of alkalinity consist of nothing other that carbonate and bicarbonate ... bicarbonate is simply baking soda ... carbonate is simply washing soda ( which is baking soda that has been heated in an oven to remove moisture).

Baking soda may have a minor depressing influence on PH when first introduced to a tank .. Washing soda may have the opposite affect and increase Ph ... both stabilize in a reasonable period of time and so long as you "go slow" it really doesn't matter much whether you're using baking soda, washing soda, or a combination of both.