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still confused.


fishmanmike01

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Thank you' date=' Im not a chemist so that just made my brain boil.[/quote']

 

I am a chemist... or at least I teach chemistry... reading something like that makes my brain boil too, sometimes.

 

Alkalinity is the same thing as carbonate hardness, and it does interact with pH, but is not directly related. You cannot monitor the alk just by watching the pH. You need to test for alk if you want to know about alk.

 

Adding alk does increase the pH, but it is only one factor in the equation.

 

The best thing to do is to get a calcium test kit (not a cheap, inacurate, one. Get a good one) and an alkalinity test kit. test your tank before and after adding your two part. Let the tank circulate for a couple of hours after adding so it can mix before you test.

 

Test (Calcium, alkalinity, and pH) your tank for several days in a row to see how it behaves (write it all down so you don't have to remember all the numbers). then adjust your additions accordingly. If your numbers don't change, SLOWLY increase the amount that you dose. If your numbers go WAY UP, then decrease the amount that you are dosing.

 

Don't forget to add Magnesium every now and then. Corals use it too, just not as much as Ca and alk.

 

dsoz

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so i guess my next question is how do you raise ph without raising alk?

 

Have you tested your alk? If it is low, it is probably because your alk is low. Alk acts as a pH buffer, and it keeps pH in balance at the right spot. If Alk is at the right level, it is really hard to get pH out of whack.

 

Otherwise, you could use a basic product like sodium hydroxide (lye), but that is a little bit harsh for our tanks.

 

dsoz

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A calcium reactor will drop pH -- the effluent has a relatively low pH (from the CO2, necessary to dissolve the aragonite). Dripping kalk will raise pH, but I wouldn't do it without a controller... a slipup can easily nuke the tank.

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Or if you get real trixy, you could just add another sump with live rock next to the sump holding the calcium reactor and its effluent. This will allow for increased stability and will keep your sump water more equal with that of your tank. I like volume and space for more live rock or algae (whistle)

 

Raising your ph really isn't crucial or anything that I would worry at all about Mike. I think the numbers that you posted look pretty hot to me. Add a bag of nice carbon near a high flow area in your sump and you should notice a clarity increase if that is an issue at all for you.

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Unfortunately' date=' the low pH of the effluent will affect the tank. People often mitigate this by using a second reaction chamber or dripping kalk.[/quote']

 

When I get a calcium reactor on my dream tank, I hope to have an upstream fuge that is 50% of the display volume. Maybe I'm just a crazy algae lover, but I think this will take care of the CO2 that would cause the low pH.

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