keepin' my alk up

[swjim]

Arm and Hammer should be fine. I would just be careful to make the adjustments slowly.

[swjim]

And I agree with Muddybluewater, you should check your Mag levels too if you haven't already.

[txav8r]

Ask Bstreep about this. I think you need to bake it in the oven first to drive off some ingredient.

[swjim]

Ask Bstreep about this. I think you need to bake it in the oven first to drive off some ingredient.

IIRC, baking the baking soda (say that ten times fast) changes it to soda ash, he would want to do this only if his PH was lower than 8.2.

[CoryDude]

Mag was the original direction I tried a while back. I keep it around 1300meq/L.

I think part of my problem was constantly high nitrate levels. I read an article (I think it was from advancedaquarist) where someone postulated that high nutrient levels could cause low alk. Something about causing bicarbonates to precipitate out of the water faster. I need to find that link.

[txav8r]

Found this:

Actually, you do NOT want baking soda. Baking soda will LOWER your pH, in many instances. It's pH is around 7.8-8.0.

And, it will raise your alkalinity.

What WILL raise your pH and your alkalinity is anhydrous baking soda: Put box of baking soda into a baking dish (very clean), and put it in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. This drives off the CO2 - which ist what lowers your pH - and make sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate. I take a box of this and put it in a 3 liter bottle of RO/DI water, and dose with it. The pH of sodium carbonate (anhydrous sodium bicarbonate) is 11.6 - and pH is a logorithmic scale (10 is 10x what 9 is).

This is a great link: http://jdieck1.home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

I'd guess your biggest problem is too much CO2 OR a bad test kit - either pH or Alkalinity. As one who chased an Alk problem a few years ago because of a bad kit, HAVE SOMEONE ELSE TEST YOUR WATER! For pH, your water sample needs to be just water, in a sealed bag (no air).

Oh, yeah: If you dosed Mg, did you test for it? The cardinal rule in Reef Chemistry: "Don't dose anything you don't test for".

[CoryDude]

Jack, do you have the link for that discussion? I'd like the see the op.

[txav8r]

Ask and ye shall receive!

http://www.maast.org/forums/showthre...ht=baking+soda

[CoryDude]

Thanks Jack!

[Bill S]

Cory,

Because pH is tough to maintain high, I'd probably use the anhydrous version of sodium bicarbonate (sodium carbonate). Just be careful, and monitor your pH. After dosing, it will take a few hours for the tank water to be stabilized.