What to dose?

[lightningfront]

I'm thinking of making a DIY drip doser for my tank and am undecided on what I need to drip. I would like to raise my pH and dKh. With my API test kit I have been measuring between 7.9-8.0 pH and 7-8 dKh and from some reading it seems that is a little low. I'm not sure if I need to drip calcium or not cause I believe the cal test if off as it says i have over 500ppm Ca when I don't dose and I'm using Red Sea Coral Pro which has 450ppm Ca. I do a 30gal water change every 2-3 weeks on a 125 gallon tank (~170 gallon total volume) and I have never tested below 500ppm Ca with my test kit. I'm most likely going to order a Salifert kit and re-test everything (I've heard these are the best tests)

What should I dose to raise dKh and pH?

[Logzor]

You should use kalkwasser (limewater). You can buy it from the Kroger canning section under Mrs. Wages Picking Lime. It is the exact same compound found in the fish store only way cheaper.

Two teaspoons per gallon will make saturated limewater. You can either drip it, dose it, or top off your water with it. It ends up being an extremely cheap and effective way to raise PH and dKH.

This will add a number of trace elements also, including some calcium.

For more detailed information check out:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

[lightningfront]

Appreciate the info. I was thinking lime water but wasn't sure it added DKh and pH, I just thought it was a way to raise Calcium until I read that article. Good to know info.

What do most people use as a drip dosing container?

[verper]

If your Calcium is that high, you will want to dose only the Alkalinity part of the two part solution. Its very easy to make.  Per the article referenced below:
Recipe #1, Part 2: The Alkalinity Part

Spread baking soda (594 grams or about 2 ¼ cups) on a baking tray and heat in an ordinary oven at 300°F for one hour to drive off water and carbon dioxide. Overheating is not a problem, either with higher temperatures or longer times. Dissolve the residual solid in enough water to make 1 gallon total. This dissolution may require a fair amount of mixing. Warming it speeds dissolution. This solution will contain about 1,900 meq/L of alkalinity (5,300 dKH). I prefer to use baked baking soda rather than washing soda in this recipe as baking soda from a grocery store is always food grade, while washing soda may not have the same purity requirements. Arm & Hammer brand is a fine choice. Be sure to NOT use baking powder. Baking powder is a different material that often has phosphate as a main ingredient.

Recipe #1 is for use in reef aquaria whose pH is normal to low. In practice, more reef aquarists end up choosing this recipe than Recipe #2. It will tend to raise pH due to its alkalinity part's elevated pH, as do most of the commercial two-part additives. The increase in pH depends on the aquarium's alkalinity and, of course, on how much is added. Adding on the order of 0.5 meq/L of alkalinity increases the pH by about 0.3 pH units immediately upon its addition (and even higher, locally, before it has a chance to mix throughout the aquarium).


http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

Do get some good test kits and check your Alk, Calc, and pH levels.  Here is a online calculator to give you an idea on how much to dose to get everything in the right range.  Choose the Randy's Recipe 1:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

[fishnuttoo]

+1 for verper, exactly what i do...............................

[ohioreef]

FWIW, limewater is not very good at raising alk/ca. It is much better used to maintain the levels once you have them established. I top off with limewater and every once in a while I have to boost my Ca and/or alk levels.

[Arcade_Guy]

i've read that baked baking soda can be a bad thing to do?? Not too sure about the validity of this, but i've read multiple articles about how the anti-caking agent in baking soda among other things can have adverse effects..

not to hijack the thread or nothin, but it'd be interesting if anyone had actually experienced any of these ill effects, or if these geeks are just blowin smoke

[cyberwollf]

I have the same issue.  With mostly softies, my Ca stays where I put it but i seem to have to dose to keep Alk up. With a normally low PH I do use baked baking soda to raise Alk while raising Ph.

Baked baking soda works great, and probably free from your pantry. doesn't take much.

Do you have a link against using BBS, i have not read that?

[verper]

i've read that baked baking soda can be a bad thing to do?? Not too sure about the validity of this, but i've read multiple articles about how the anti-caking agent in baking soda among other things can have adverse effects..

Randy Holmes-Farley first wrote about the DIY two part in April '04 - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/chem.htm .  There are many thousands of reefers that use it since then with no ill effects.  I personally started using it in early '05 and have used nothing else until this last month when I finally hooked up my GEO Calcium reactor.  I run a predominately SPS system and have had zero problems using the two part system in my 4 years of dosing.

or if these geeks are just blowin smoke

Based on my experience, I'd say they are.  I'd be interested in seeing the multiple articles you've read.  My guess much of it is hype by someone that doesn't know the facts.  No different than the people that hype the fact that you MUST have a food grade Rubbermaid container to store your RO/DI water and salt water.  When in fact the only difference in food grade and non-food grade is the manufacturing plant certification and has little to do with the plastic used.