Is Baking Soda all that Great for Raising Alk ?

sen5241b

Reef enthusiast
I use Unbaked Baking Soda, which is sodium bicarbonate, to raise my alk but I'm told that corals really need calcium carbonate. Typical alk tests don't really measure the bicarbonate directly. Is using baking soda on a regular basis, instead of calcium carbonate, possibly detrimental to corals in the log run? Should I spend money on a calcium carbonate additive?

I'm also wondering if the reason I have seen very little coralline growth in the last year is becuase my alk is mostly sodium carbonate --possible?
 
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Maybe, i thought there was a thread awhile ago talking about how you have to bake the baking soda to convert it to a usable form for the corals.
 
Dosing calcium is required. Definitly look into a calcium supplement. Bulk reef supply has good stuff. The only difference between sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate is the effect it has on ph. Bulk reef also sells sodium bicarbonate if you dont want to use baking soda.
 
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the calcium carbonate has nothing to do with baking soda as far as i know. just get a good cal supplement for your calcium levels. i use the bulk reef supply 2 part. it comes with soda ash for alk, calicum cloride, and a mixed mag supplement
 
In salt water, the sodium carbonate splits into ions of sodium and ions of carbonate. So the carbonate is available to the corals. Calcium Chloride splits into calcium ions and chloide ions. The corals dont care where the calcium or the carbonate come from since all they see are the ions floating around in solution. As long as the calcium is where it should be and the carbonate is where it should be, your corals will be fine.
 
+1 BJ. I have never had a problem keeping my Calcium up simply using water changes, but my alk is very variable... so I dose baking soda. if you see a consistent low calcium AND low carbonate, you can get the two part dosing system.

FYI... calcium carbonate is a solid, doesn't dissolve in water... so.... you probably won't find a a single doser for that that actually works. 2 part is needed.

Also, the purpose of baking it is to take out all the excess water, turning it into all carbonate, which does not decrease pH, whereas bicarbonate will slightly decrease pH.
 
+1 BJ. I have never had a problem keeping my Calcium up simply using water changes, but my alk is very variable... so I dose baking soda. if you see a consistent low calcium AND low carbonate, you can get the two part dosing system.

FYI... calcium carbonate is a solid, doesn't dissolve in water... so.... you probably won't find a a single doser for that that actually works. 2 part is needed.

Also, the purpose of baking it is to take out all the excess water, turning it into all carbonate, which does not decrease pH, whereas bicarbonate will slightly decrease pH.

I thought you baked it to drive of C02? and stop it from dropping ph?
 
driving off water shifts the equilibirum back to carbonate. CO2, bicarbonate, and carbonate all exist within 3 equilibria, depending on how much water, pH, and temperature.... by taking out the water, you eliminate two of the equilibiria (the one with bicarb and carbon dioxide) thereby reducing the number of species present in the solid.

but yes, the carbon dioxide is the agent that lowers the pH directly... but it's only there as a side effect of water being present.
 
but I'm told that corals really need calcium carbonate.
Not true. Coral take sodium carbonate, calcium chloride and magnesium out of the water column and use it to form calcium carbonate...which is what the hard skeleton is made of. Aragonite sand is also calcium carbonate. It will not dissolve in saltwater unless the pH is around 7.4 or lower.
 
driving off water shifts the equilibirum back to carbonate. CO2, bicarbonate, and carbonate all exist within 3 equilibria, depending on how much water, pH, and temperature.... by taking out the water, you eliminate two of the equilibiria (the one with bicarb and carbon dioxide) thereby reducing the number of species present in the solid.

but yes, the carbon dioxide is the agent that lowers the pH directly... but it's only there as a side effect of water being present.

:frustrat: scientists lol, Ill beg your theories on VSV dosing later:mrgreen:
 
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