i should change my signature to don't mess with perfection.......but i enjoy being a freak
you had it right all along
you had it right all along
Using baking soda(near disaster)
- Thread starter Bderick67
- Start date
FishSkins;627506; said:
Thank you, from what I understand a zero dkh leads to very unstable Ph, and my Ph did vary a little, my fear was that something would happen to cause a Ph spike(little did I know that I would happen) At this point I don't regret that it happened but I do wish I had done differently. My fish survived and Im thankful for that, and this is knowledge gained.
The problem may be my quest for perfection.
Oh by the way I love your avatar
Wow..glad the fishes are okay.
Why not use some crushed coral instead? I know it takes some time, but at least it will gradually raise your ph and kh.
Plus crushed coral, you don't need to add anymore when doing w/c, unlike baking soda, you need to add it everytime you do w/c.
Use a handful of CC in a mesh bag or something and put it in your filter. Watch the water parameters to gauge if you need more or less CC.
Why not use some crushed coral instead? I know it takes some time, but at least it will gradually raise your ph and kh.
Plus crushed coral, you don't need to add anymore when doing w/c, unlike baking soda, you need to add it everytime you do w/c.
Use a handful of CC in a mesh bag or something and put it in your filter. Watch the water parameters to gauge if you need more or less CC.
prophets;627590; said:
Yes crushed coral would work, but my water volume is 90-93 gallons and I change 35 - 40 gallons at least once a week (when my schedule lets me I do one every 4 days). So with the volume of water I am cycling I don't think the crushed coral will work. Also I don't know for sure but the crushed coral could raise my dGh(general hardness) which I do not want.
I had a good thing going for 3-4 months, but with zero dKh I was flirting with possible disaster. I will get the Sodium bicarbonate to work or I will go with a combination of Seachems Acid and Alkaline Buffers
Thank you for your suggestion.
O.K. I did some testing and here are the results;
R/O water
pH is 6.2
dKh is 0
Tap water(untreated)
pH is 7.6
dKh is 5-6
mixed water 7 parts R/O to 3 parts untreated tap
pH is 7.0
dKh is 2
Each part is 1 cup(8 oz.) so total water is 80 oz. I added a short 1/2 tsp of sodium bicarbonate to the mix (by short I estimated it is actually 3/8 to 7/16 tsp.)
the result is
pH is 8.0
dKh is of the chart, tested twice, quit adding drops at 30 so the dkh is above 30.
If you guys do the math you will find for these tests, the 1/2 tsp per 80oz is real close to what i put in my original mix. The original dose was 4 tsp per 5gallon water (640 oz.)
The only diference with the test is I used untreated tap water, but I don't believe this would alter the results.
Well, I guess ya live and learn. Should've done this testing before hand.
Anyone see anything I may have missed with this test?
R/O water
pH is 6.2
dKh is 0
Tap water(untreated)
pH is 7.6
dKh is 5-6
mixed water 7 parts R/O to 3 parts untreated tap
pH is 7.0
dKh is 2
Each part is 1 cup(8 oz.) so total water is 80 oz. I added a short 1/2 tsp of sodium bicarbonate to the mix (by short I estimated it is actually 3/8 to 7/16 tsp.)
the result is
pH is 8.0
dKh is of the chart, tested twice, quit adding drops at 30 so the dkh is above 30.
If you guys do the math you will find for these tests, the 1/2 tsp per 80oz is real close to what i put in my original mix. The original dose was 4 tsp per 5gallon water (640 oz.)
The only diference with the test is I used untreated tap water, but I don't believe this would alter the results.
Well, I guess ya live and learn. Should've done this testing before hand.
Anyone see anything I may have missed with this test?
I am really rusty with my Chemistry, but I do know Sodium Bicarbonate will raise both the pH and Alkalinity (what ever _H that is; the pH buffer). The weird thing about Sodium Bicarbonate is that it can raise the pH a lot while only raising the Alkalinity a little, OR it can do the opposite in raising the Alkalinity a lot and the pH a little. Or it can give you anything in between. What determines the amount of which it raises depends on the pH of the water (yes it all sound nuts but bear with me). If you add your dose all at once to a small volume of water, it will raise the pH to 8.4 and then raise the alkalinity with the remaining chemical. If you add it in small doses it will favor changing the pH more than the Alkalinity.
I think temperature may play a part in it too; it is an endothermic reaction but that is all I can recall. Also, Sodium Carbonate (Soda Ash) will raise the pH much more than the Alkalinity if that is ever the desired result.
When using Sodium Bicarbonate, always mix your dose with an amount of water until dissolved. Then add only a part of that mixture to the tank (in very small doses or drip it in as to not make a sudden change). Test the results before adding the full dosage to make sure the pH and Alkalinity are heading in the right direction and one is not acting unexpectedly. If all is ok, continue with the treatment or adjust accordingly.
I think temperature may play a part in it too; it is an endothermic reaction but that is all I can recall. Also, Sodium Carbonate (Soda Ash) will raise the pH much more than the Alkalinity if that is ever the desired result.
When using Sodium Bicarbonate, always mix your dose with an amount of water until dissolved. Then add only a part of that mixture to the tank (in very small doses or drip it in as to not make a sudden change). Test the results before adding the full dosage to make sure the pH and Alkalinity are heading in the right direction and one is not acting unexpectedly. If all is ok, continue with the treatment or adjust accordingly.
Thanks for the input Chompers, alot of variables to consider Think I'll go back to doing what I was with just the R/O mixed with taps water.
For an update, I have been changing 10 gallons daily with straight R/O and been dosing with seachems "Acid Buffer" My Ph is now 7.0 and the dkh is 4 with my dGh being unchanged at 4. My Discus act like nothing ever happen. The two that have paired up even spawned Xmas evening. They keep using the side of the overflow box, usually the eggs fall of but this last batch actually stuck. Although the eggs were gone this morning. I'm sure one of the rubberlips or the farowella got em.
For an update, I have been changing 10 gallons daily with straight R/O and been dosing with seachems "Acid Buffer" My Ph is now 7.0 and the dkh is 4 with my dGh being unchanged at 4. My Discus act like nothing ever happen. The two that have paired up even spawned Xmas evening. They keep using the side of the overflow box, usually the eggs fall of but this last batch actually stuck. Although the eggs were gone this morning. I'm sure one of the rubberlips or the farowella got em.
