PH, ALK & Ca

[kevinl]

I needed to raise my alk, too low.
Started mixing 8 teaspoons of baking soda / 1 gallon of fresh water & aerated over night.
Added mixture this morning slowly over the course of the day.
Ca started out today at 450, PH 7.9 & Alk 2.5 meq
Now I read Ca 400, PH 8.2 Alk 3.5 meq
I'm getting the Alk up but loosing the Ca. According to the calculators out there a Alk reading of 3.5 meq would balance with a 430 Ca reading.
I've never used the 2 part additives to keep both up & have read that it's hard to try to play with one of the two readings ( Ca & Alk ) alone. One causes the other to go out of wack when adding only one solution. (???)
The big thing I like however is the increase of the PH. 7.9 early today was not just because it was an early reading. I've always had problems with a low PH, 7.7, 7.8 ---- 7.9 is the best I could ever get, even in 16 years of fish only tank.
SO, I want to keep the PH up & I got my Alk up also. What can I use to keep the Ca level up. I have used in the past Kent Marine buffer and others. They all never gave me the results I got with this solution of baking soda I used today.
Thanks

 

[ZigZagZombie]

I drip kalkwasser. You have to drip it slow though. (very high PH) This should raise your Ca. I drip that and add a 1/2 tsp of Reef Builder, the one that says raises carbonate alkalinity every few days. Works for me, keeps my Ca, Alk, and Ph where i want it. Im sure other people do it different though. :wink:

 

[kevinl]

Thanks Zig Zag,
I have read about the Kalkwasser mix. To me, I don't have a heavy load, demanding a lot of up keep. What I have been doing is my regular water changes and that has helped a lot in maintaing proper levels. Things are growing well for me. It was this other thread I read about washing soda!
The Alk raising thing & it worked with the PH as well. See, Ca has never been a problem with the water changes. Just the Alk would slowly fall, that's why I tried all those buffer additives that never worked. So if I don't have to add the hassle of mixing dripping & ect I'd like to skip that chore.
Who know's how long this change will last also, I'll have to wait and see. I have been keeping records though. I was unaware of the dripping method causeing the raise in PH though.
Too me though, if the Ca is already there WHY drip?????????????
Thanks for your thoughts though.

 

[ZigZagZombie]

Then i wouln't drip if your Ca is right. Never used washing soda. Just remember the higher your Alk gets the lower your Ca will get. So when your raising your Alk, keep an eye on your Ca. I never had a problem with PH, allways around 8.4. Kalkwasser is very high in PH, which in turn should maintain your PH level.

 

[kevinpo]

Hi Kevin,
What you experienced is exactly what one would expect to happen. If you add calcium chloride (Kent Turbo Calcium for example) it will raise your calcium level. I dose baking soda/washing soda @6:1 ratio one day and then Turbo calcium the other to keep my levels where I want them. I have tried all the major brands of calcium chloride and found that the Turbo calcium is the best value.

Here is a great article that I found, easy to understand and very helpful.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

HTH,
Kevin

 

[kevinl]

Thanks Kevin,
GREAT HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kevin