How much baking soda to add to increase PH

[lubyone1]

Hi,

I currently have my fish in QT in prep for hypo. As of now my salinity is down to about 1.020 (1.016 on my old hydrometer - luckily i just bought a refractometer). My question is concerning the ph in the water. I've been doing daily water changes with RO/DI and I've noticed my pH is falling. I first noticed when I saw the fish breathing heavily and I decided to run more tests.

My QT is a 30 gallon rubbermaid container with two filters running that I ran on my display for about 10 days prior to establish some bacteria.

How much baking soda should I add to increase the pH of my water?

[seapug]

baking soda raises alkalinity so it will keep your pH from falling but isn't too good for raising it. Baking powder , on the other hand, will raise your pH. Not sure what the proper application is, though.

[steven_dean17]

put this thread in reef chemistry, thats were youll get good answers to this one.

[mbbuna]

baking powder will not raise PH, regular baking soda will raise Alk but will cause your PH to fall. baked baking soda will raise Alk and PH. either way its only a temporary fix because PH in general is controlled by the CO2 level. so as soon as you adjust the PH to where you want the water will try to get back into equilibrium with the CO2 level of the surrounding air. if your PH is not below 7.8 i wouldnt worry about it. if it is then i would try dripping kalk or try to fresh outside air into the room where the tank is.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/rhf/index.php

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/chem.htm

[seapug]

Thanks for clarifying, mbbuna. So it isn't baking powder that raises pH?

I thought that "baking" baking soda basically turns it into baking powder?

[mbbuna]

baking powder is cornstarch, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), aluminum sulfate, acid phosphate of calcium. i dont know what the ingredients other then baking soda will do but the baking soda it self will lower the PH.

baking soda is sodium bicarbonate

baked baking soda is sodium carbonate, by baking baking soda you drive off the CO2 and some moisture changing if from bicarbonate to carbonate.


so baking powder is not baked baking soda

[seapug]

Thanks...just went and checked my wife's baking powder and sure enough...

Don't know how I managed to get that idea in my head. Must have saw some thread a while back where someone referred to it as "baking powder." Glad I never had a reason to try it the way I understood it. lol...

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11203164#post11203164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
Thanks...just went and checked my wife's baking powder and sure enough...



thats how i got the ingredients also :lol: