Calcium Chloride + Sodium Bicarbonate

[mschwartz]

All,

When Calcium Chloride is added to water, you get wanted calcium ions and
unwanted chloride ions. Does Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) break up
into sodium ions and bicarbonate ions?

If so, wouldn't the chloride ions combine with the sodium ions to form
NaCl, salt? It probably isn't a perfectly balanced equation, but it seems
that it could mitigate the usefulness of calcium chloride.

If each is added in *small* quantities, say Calcium Chloride in the early a.m. and Sodium Bicarbonate in the early p.m., couldn't they become a
useful adjunct to regular kalkwasser use, if kalkwasswer alone was not
supplying enough calcium to meet the daily demands of a given system
(as is my case).

Thanks in advance.

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi Mark:

FWIW, you might want to try posting this question in the Advanced Aquarist's Chemistry and the Aquarium Discussion Forum.

In the chemistry forum you'll get an expert answer from Randy Holmes-Farley or Craig Bingman.

Also, check out http://www.reefs.org/library/howto.html for info on how to get the most out of Reefs.Org...

Welcome aboard!

 

[wade1]

What you will end up doing is increasing salinity over time. NaCl also dissociates into water... The Ca and carbonate get consumed (and bicarb via the fact that its in balance with carbonate) and leave you with NaCl, which is like adding more and more salt to your tank. Thats why using CaOH2 (kalk) is such a great idea... both portions of the equation are consumed.

Make sense?

Wade

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
Some two-part calcium additive is nothing but CaCl2 solution in one bottle, and sodium bicarbonate in the other bottle. With regular water change, the inbalance in Na and Cl should be fine. In one of my tanks, I did not do any water change for about two years. Obviously, this is not possible with CaCl2 and bicarb. additive.