PDA

View Full Version : what dosing device for dosing baking soda?


meegwell
03/28/2013, 10:15 AM
I've had success using baking soda to raise my alk but I want to automate it. I dont want to dose my ATO supply resevoir so Im looking for another option. What I've don mannually was to add the measured amount to ro/di and slowly add it over an hour or so (for 1dkh lift).

I've never used a "doser" and have never dosed anything else (except myself years ago but thats another story).

What is the ideal setup to automate this process?

thanks!

swanny
03/28/2013, 10:17 AM
BRS sells dosers and timers. I use two for two part and it works great.

wonderz
03/28/2013, 10:47 AM
BRS sells dosers and timers. I use two for two part and it works great.

+1 http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-2-part-doser-1-1-ml-per-minute.html

meegwell
03/28/2013, 02:21 PM
ok so any "doser" will work for this - I'm just not familiar with them thanks.

meegwell
03/28/2013, 02:27 PM
speaking of this, I hadn't really thought through the idea of just juicing my ATO resevoir...just didnt think I wanted to do it. If I do all the math right - volume of resevoir, amount being replaced each week, can I just mix teh baking soda in the resevoir? My resevoir is fed via an ato from my rodi, which is connected to household plumbing. It makes my head hurt thinking about how to do that correctly.

wonderz
03/28/2013, 02:45 PM
yes, you can add baking soda to your RODI in the ATO. just make sure you calculate the amount correctly. if you have a small tank, even small miscalculation might end up badly since baking soda can change alk pretty quickly. a safer route you can take would be adding kalk to your ATO, and it will increase both alk and cal.

EDIT. There is a difference between different dosers. If you are using something cheap like aqualifter, the rate is not consistent as a doser like the BRS one. So you need to take that into account. And sometimes its hard to depend on ATO to do all the job for dosing since it varies depending on how much evaporation on that day.

Sk8r
03/28/2013, 03:31 PM
If you have enough evaporation, you can add to your ATO, but if you're already using it for kalk, no. Don't combine them.

If you are a reef, and can just get your tank in line re alk/cal/mg once, using kalk in the ATO will keep your alk/cal level without needing to dose anything else. I have a blog post on that, re kalk.

meegwell
03/28/2013, 08:27 PM
thanks wonderz/sk8r... Im in that unusual situation of everything fine but alk. Cal is fine at 440 -460, mag a little high usually at 1500.....alk for whatever reason has always been low. Ive changed salt from RC to red sea, no difference...(wc 10% a week) and have used two different tests..salifert and IO....alk is always low....usually 6.1 or so dkh. My tank is new...only 4 months from end of cycle and a mix of coral frags and fish....everybody happy and healthy...sps growing new nubs like crazy....im only concerned with the low alk because from my RC education, i should be concerned. Oh, and just to clarify, I do no other dosing and dont know the difference between kalk and cat.

wonderz
03/28/2013, 10:48 PM
actually, low alk is the most common scenario in a reef tank, especially SPS tank.