Low Alkalinity, how to solve?

[mginani]

Up to this point I have only had fish but would like to add coral soon. I have the Red Sea Pro test kits and my Magnesium is 1320 and Calcium is 400.

My problem is the Alkalinity. After much confusion on Red Sea's KH test, I called them and they claim that you should read the test when the solution turns pink even though the endpoint color on the instruction card I have is red. They say it should be pink and are sending me a new card. Based on reading when the solution turns pink, my alkalinity is 5.6. Seems odd that it would be that low but I tested 4 times. Does this seem plausible? If so, how do I raise the alkalinity?

[keithhays]

What ever the color is prior to the last agent when it changes to any other color is when you take the reading. One version I had of that test goes from pink to fuchsia. :)

If it is low and everything else is normal, baking soda is usually a good way to go.

[mginani]

Okay, how much do I add and do I add to my display tank or to the sump? I have a 90 display tank with roughly a 15 gallon sump.

[keithhays]

I always keep this site in my favorites:
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

Put in all the numbers and gallons of water, select the alkalinity for baking soda and you are on your way.

I usually mix it with rodi and put it in the sump. The PH will go down a little initially, but tomorrow it will rise assuming you are well aerated and have good flow.

Your goal is to stay in the box.

[mginani]

Thanks! FYI, my PH seems to stay a little low (around 7.8-7.9). Based on that would your advice be the same? I do have good circulation in the tank, not sure why it stays low.

[keithhays]

I think it would be the same. If you had an emergency where the PH was headed for 7.0 or something, I would say you need to soda ash, but by tomorrow you should see a rise above 8.0.

[Guss]

Raise it slowly or you could shock stuff in the tank. It happened to me mix the baking soda then add a little each day till you hit the level you want. Allow for reaction time between doses.

[countrykat]

Up to this point I have only had fish but would like to add coral soon. I have the Red Sea Pro test kits and my Magnesium is 1320 and Calcium is 400.

My problem is the Alkalinity. After much confusion on Red Sea's KH test, I called them and they claim that you should read the test when the solution turns pink even though the endpoint color on the instruction card I have is red. They say it should be pink and are sending me a new card. Based on reading when the solution turns pink, my alkalinity is 5.6. Seems odd that it would be that low but I tested 4 times. Does this seem plausible? If so, how do I raise the alkalinity?


My card shows orange, when I finally hit something close to orange I was off the chart but I never called them. I just got my test kit out and will test again. I have never seen pink with my kit though, now I'm worried because according to the color on my card my kh has always been 4.0. Soda ash ( calcium carbonate ) I found some at brs.

[whitemarlin]

With your PH on the low side you should bake the baking soda first, and that will raise your PH instead of using unbaked which will lower your PH. bake it at 300 for an hour.

[countrykat]

My card shows orange, when I finally hit something close to orange I was off the chart but I never called them. I just got my test kit out and will test again. I have never seen pink with my kit though, now I'm worried because according to the color on my card my kh has always been 4.0. Soda ash ( calcium carbonate ) I found some at brs.




Just retested and I am 11.2 kh with lps and softs. Now I don't have to spend a small fortune with brs to get chemicals.

[bnumair]

if ur tank runs low ph then u need to use soda ash and not baking soda.

[whitemarlin]

if ur tank runs low ph then u need to use soda ash and not baking soda.

soda ash is just baked baking soda

[keithhays]

With your PH on the low side you should bake the baking soda first, and that will raise your PH instead of using unbaked which will lower your PH. bake it at 300 for an hour.

One thing I have start doing with this is that if I need to raise alkalinity quite a bit, but don't want to lower the PH for the next several hours, I will mix up from 2/3 to 3/4 of the alkalinity that I need from baking soda in RODI, then add the remaining in the form of baked baking soda(soda ash). There is a little bit of art here. If when I do this, my PH is already on the low side, there will be slightly more of the soda ash mix versus if it is a normal reading. By the next day everything is the same either way, but this keeps the PH from bouncing all over the place.

[cichlid nutz]

Make yourself a Kalkwasser drip system. I do 4 gallons of Kalkwasser every other week.

BTW - Kalkwasser = pickling Lime (Calcium Hydroxide) you can usually pick it up in the supermarket where the food canning items are for cheap.

[keithhays]

Make yourself a Kalkwasser drip system. I do 4 gallons of Kalkwasser every other week.

BTW - Kalkwasser = pickling Lime (Calcium Hydroxide) you can usually pick it up in the supermarket where the food canning items are for cheap.

To be clear on this one (most people at some point use this), in order to use it, you must first have balanced calcium and alkalinity as it is dosing both in balance. It will not raise one above the other, but once you do have it in balance and assuming you are consuming both in balance, it will maintain that level and generally keep your PH in line as well.