Baking the Baking Soda

Rcpilot

Rcpilot

Reef enthusiast
Okay, so I've baked 1cup of Arm & Hammer baking soda. I plan on dissolving this in 1g of RO water.

How do I know how much to dose the tank to bring my pH up?
 
I looked at one calculator, but it is for alkalinity. I'm doing the BAKED baking soda so I can get my pH up.

I have 2-part B-Ionic but it only boosts the alkalinity. I can get alkalinity up way high if I use this stuff every day. But the pH is still only 7.8--7.9 in the new frag farm. I want to try and see if the baked soda will do anything for the pH.

Still don't have a new magnesium test kit and times are rough. Can't really afford to buy one right now so was going to play with the baking soda for a month or two and see how that works. I might even start dosing the ice melt flakes too. What was that stuff called? Dow?

EDIT:
Yup, thats the calculator I saw. Can you explain to me how I would use it? There has to be some assumed ratio of the solution you are putting in here. I guess I just don't get it. My concentration is 1c up baked soda in 1g of fresh RO water. Stirred and dissolved into solution.

Can ya help me do the math and figure out how to apply that chart to my situation?

When I look at that chart, it tells me the pH is going to go DOWN slightly. Thats not my goal here.

And when I look at that chart, it tells me to use 2.8oz of solution. Alright, I'm using baked baking soda, so I selected that in the drop down menu. Now how thick is this little baking soda solution? Doesn't say that........ is that 18lbs of baked baking soda dissolved in a 55g drum? Is that 5 cups in 2 gallons? How much are we talking about here? That's just a teensy bit important here.

I don't get it... Could somebody please just hit me in the head with it?
 
Last edited:
i use soda ash from bulk reef supply and it looks like it is two cups for one gallon of ro water. they have a calculater on their site on how to dose it. and i think that soda ash is the same as baking soda. unbaked soda will lower the ph and baked will raise the ph a bit. baking it drives off the co2 that is in the soda. i hope that helps rc its the best i can do
 
Well, then I guess I'm gonna experiment. I did find the article that Randy Holmes wrote and explained the chemistry. He explains the ratios of baking soda and water. I have basically a 50% solution of what he listed on his article. His was 2.5 cups of baking soda and I have 1 cup.

I'm going to dose it 1 tsp each day and see what happens. Of course, I'll have to test it like crazy to monitor it. That sucks, but I have plenty of liquid pH test solution. I leave the refugium light on 24/7 so I think it's pretty steady in there. Going to test it right now after the lights have been out for 2.5hrs. See if it matches my daytime pH readings. If it does then I know the tank is at least stable.

I'll just dose it with a teaspoon or 20ml of the solution and then test it 3 or 4 times in the next 24hrs. Can build a spread sheet if anyone wants to see the results.
 
Just tested:
ph 7.8
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
KH 8

Going to test again in about an hour to make sure it's really stable and then dose it with one teaspoon of my baking soda solution. I'll test it about 20-30 minutes after the dose and then again tomorrow morning.
 
Tested the pH again. Still 7.8, so I added 5ml of the solution I mixed. Waited about 20 minutes and did a pH test. Didn't move. Tested the KH - didn't move. So I added another 5ml of the solution. Waited 20 minutes. pH might have creeped up just a tiny bit. KH is still the same. I added another 5ml of the solution and will test again in 20 minutes.

I just want to see it move. If it goes up to 8.0 I'm stopping for the night. I'm not sure where to draw the line. I'm adding 5ml every 20 minutes so far. Just did the math and it looks like I will use 1ml per gallon of water. I'm guessing I have about 55g of water here, so should take about 50-55ml to have an effect. Thats based on me having a 50% concentration of the recommended mix in Randy's recipe.
 
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I don't have 2 and 1/4 cups - per the original recipe. I have 1 cup, so that's how much I mixed up. I've read Randys recipe several times and also seen that calculator about 10 times.

Either I'm a complete idiot, or people aren't reading my actual question. That calculator DOES NOT WORK. It's for adjusting ALKALINITY.

If I wanted to jack my alkalinity, I have a box full of "buffers" here that will jack my alkalinity off the frickin' CHART. I could have 500dkh if I added enough of these commercial "buffers"

But as I stated from the very beginning, I'm looking to adjust my pH higher.

I'll figure it out on my own. Thanks.
 
Either I'm a complete idiot, or people aren't reading my actual question. That calculator DOES NOT WORK. It's for adjusting ALKALINITY.
But as I stated from the very beginning, I'm looking to adjust my pH higher.
Click to expand...
LOL Well the calculator DOES work for everyone else. Just wondering, why are you dosing baking soda, which you should obviously know raises alk, if you only want to raise your pH?

I posted more than enough links regarding all your chemistry questions. It would help if you maybe read and tried to understand them. Not sure what else to tell you except do some reading.
Reef Central Chemistry Archive
 
I did read them. I've read all of them multiple times. I've been over and over Randys recipe and articles you linked. I had already read those links when I posted my original question.

You seam to think I'm just blurting out questions before I've done ANY homework at all. I'm not like that. I can assure you, I've been over and over this crap about 20 times before I ever posted the original question.

I still don't get it. You posting links to stuff I've already read and then insinuating I haven't read them is - well, its quite insulting to be perfectly honest with you.

Either EXPLAIN it to me and HELP me or STFU and go away. Fair enough?
 
ccCapt said:
LOL Well the calculator DOES work for everyone else. Just wondering, why are you dosing baking soda, which you should obviously know raises alk, if you only want to raise your pH?

I posted more than enough links regarding all your chemistry questions. It would help if you maybe read and tried to understand them. Not sure what else to tell you except do some reading.
Reef Central Chemistry Archive
Click to expand...

Okay then, smarty pants - you wana EXPLAIN to me how to raise my pH?

You seam to be the resident expert, so now's your chance to shine.

Or do you just post the links, but actually have no idea how it works?
 
In case you haven't figured it out yet CCapt - you've irritated me.

Help or go away. I can run MYSELF in circles all by myself. Don't need your help to do that.
 
Nice. And you're a moderator?

Figured you'd say something like that. You don't actually understand it EITHER, but you're not man enough to admit it.
 
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Rc,Try heres something to try.I dont know if it'll fix your problem or not,but it wont hurt anything to try it.
Mix a 1/2 teaspoon of the baked baking soda in a cup of RO water and add it to your tank.That should bring your alkalinity up to 9 DKH.Then the next day,add another of the same dose,which should put you at 10 DKH,maybe just a tad lower.
Do that untill your at 12 DKH and see how that effects you PH then use the calculator to keep it at 12 for a while.
I dont know that it'll keep your PH up,but it seems to keep mine there.At least its something to try:dunno:
 
Alkalinity is a measure of your tanks ability to resist changes in pH. So if your alkalinity is high, your pH will not change quickly, or often.

They are interrelated. Increasing alkalinity will help keep pH stable. So once alkalinity is high, and you do boost your pH up, it is likely to stay up.

You cannot have a stable pH without having high alkalinity.
 
haha nice! In all of this go around and around I think I have actually learned something. I am beginning the study of water parameters and the chemistry that surrounds the issue. Now I am sure that I am a layperson outside of the pharmaceutical industry in which I work so if anyone has some seriously low tech idiot proof resources for chemistry and things of the nature I would appreciate it.:bowdown::bounce:
 

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