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Unread 02/19/2019, 11:51 AM   #1
NaClH2ODave
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Baking Soda in Top Off Water

Even though I dose equal amounts of 2-part, I've had to drip about 2 tsp of baking soda a day to keep my dKH above 7.0

Is there anything wrong with with mixing 2 tsp of baking soda per gallon of RODI water in my top off container as 1 gallon is about how much evaporates per day?


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Unread 02/19/2019, 12:27 PM   #2
azsoccerpop
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Nope. But curious as to why you are using so much more Alkalinity over calcium. If you have excessive calcium deposits on your equipment you may be precipitating calcium carbonate out which is driving down your alkalinity.


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Unread 02/19/2019, 12:41 PM   #3
NaClH2ODave
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Calcium has always been around 450, and magnesium around 1395.

Are you saying that adding less calcium might increase the alkalinity?


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Unread 02/19/2019, 12:53 PM   #4
azsoccerpop
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yep very possible. You may need to stop dosing everything and let it all balance out again. I got my alkalinity to a safe point around 8 and then juts let it all drop. all the while testing to see the drops daily. I came back in at alkalinity of 7.5 and tuned to maintain 7.8 which on my system is CA 420 and Mg 1320. sounds you maybe your fighting trying to keep higher number then the tank can do. This was my method and I use Aquaforest Component 123+ balling so juts my 2 cents. May want to do some RHF reading he is the chemist for all of us.


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Unread 02/19/2019, 01:49 PM   #5
dkeller_nc
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As to your original question, the answer is "it depends".

If you've an SPS tank, the answer is an emphatic "no", since these animals require consistent alkalinity. Large swings in alkalinity (+/- 2 dKH) over short term periods can actually kill them.

And evaporation varies more than you might think - hourly, daily, weekly and seasonally. So relying on evaporation to replace alkalinity would be inconsistent at best.

If you've a soft coral or mixed LPS/softie tank, then you might get away with it since these animals are less sensitive to changes. But it's still not recommended.


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Unread 02/19/2019, 08:15 PM   #6
mcgyvr
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Simply dose what you need for each component of the 2 part...
No rule that says you must dose equally...Many don't..


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Unread 02/19/2019, 09:53 PM   #7
bertoni
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There are a few processes that can cause unequal consumption of two-parts:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.htm

Most often, I think the issue is the effect of water changes added to the large amount of calcium in our tanks, compared to alkalinity, as measured in terms of calcium carbonate. It's 20 ppm Ca++ for each 2.8 dKH consumed.

The bottom line is that I wouldn't worry about a bit of extra baking soda in the mix. I agree that evaporation might be a bit too variable across time, but your system might be fine as is.


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