PDA

View Full Version : Increasing PH without side affects?


EleganceMan
12/10/2009, 02:59 PM
I am looking to increase my ph without raising anything else. What can I use and where do you buy it?

Randy Holmes-Farley
12/10/2009, 03:01 PM
Aside from aeration with fresher air, there is no such product (it is theoretically impossible). :)

Limewater gives the most pH boost of any additive.

This has more:

Low pH: Causes and Cures
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

EleganceMan
12/10/2009, 03:08 PM
i am so sick of using all these ph buffers, they are so expensive and dont really do much good. Also they increase my alk along with the ph.

HighlandReefer
12/10/2009, 03:11 PM
Sounds like you are the perfect candidate for using kalk water. It is the cheapest.

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

Randy Holmes-Farley
12/10/2009, 03:12 PM
i am so sick of using all these ph buffers, they are so expensive and dont really do much good. Also they increase my alk along with the ph.


I agree that buffers are not a good way to go. I never recommend a buffer to solve pH problems, although using a high pH additive when you do need alkalinity is a good plan.

But limewater is not a buffer, and is generally not expensive if you buy bulk food grades.

Baked baking soda is as good or better than any buffer, and is cheap. :)

EleganceMan
12/10/2009, 03:24 PM
do you have a specific brand of limewater that you use?

nanojg
12/10/2009, 03:36 PM
Mrs Wages pickling lime is the most readily avaliable source, you can find it in the canning section of most grocery stores. You can also purchase calcium hydroxide online, bulk reef supply for example.

HighlandReefer
12/10/2009, 03:45 PM
The pickling lime is the cheapest and works fine.

I personally use the www.BulkReefSupply.com kalk. I find it is whiter and seems cleaner for some reason to me.

EleganceMan
12/10/2009, 04:06 PM
how do you know how much of the Mrs. wages to add?

my ph is 7.88 daytime
alk is 10.5

i added kent PH buffer lastnight and it increased my alk but no ph!

bertoni
12/10/2009, 06:47 PM
Every tank is different, so dosing limewater takes some experimentation. The biggest worry is spiking the pH too high. I'd suggest watching the first drip fairly carefully.

HighlandReefer
12/10/2009, 08:22 PM
Generally, when first starting to use lime water it is recommended to start with 1 teaspoon per 1 gallon of rodi and adjust from there. Kalk water is saturated at around 2 teaspoons per 1 gallon of rodi. When you use kalk water you adjust it to maintain your alkalinity.

Skinner
12/10/2009, 08:44 PM
Am I wrong or will kalk raise your calcium also?

HighlandReefer
12/10/2009, 09:27 PM
Kalk water will add alk and calcium at the same rate that the occupants will use them. So, you will first want to make sure that your alk and calcium are where you want them before starting kalk. You can use calcium chloride and baking soda to accomplish this. If one or the other are too high, then you will want to stop dosing the part that is too high until it drops down.

Also high calcium salt mixes will make this more complicated since once a water change is completed more calcium is added then you want. This is one reason I prefer IO saltmix.

EleganceMan
12/10/2009, 09:37 PM
so if my ph is 7.88-7.9 and alk is 10.5 should i continue to does until ph is 8.3...my alk would be around 14

EleganceMan
12/10/2009, 09:39 PM
what is the ph of new salt water with rodi water used?

tens8273
12/10/2009, 10:07 PM
i like the brs kalk as well. ridiculously cheap for a 5 gal bucket!

Randy Holmes-Farley
12/11/2009, 05:56 AM
I too use the BRS calcium hydroxide now, but for years I used material from the Mississippi Lime Company that my Reef Club bought in a group buy.

You do not add it with a target pH in mind. You make limewater by adding 1-2 teaspoons per gallon of fresh top off water. You drip limewater to replace evaporated water, and it supplies calcium and alkalinity. You judge the needed dose based on alkalinity, but replacing all evaporated water works for many folks. Just monitor the pH and see what it does.

This has more:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm