Baking soda for dkh?

[Gtinnel]

Once baked how long can it be stored for?

When I started dosing by hand I used some store bought alk/calcium that I had from before I left the hobby long ago. So I was using some that was a half full gallon that had been in my garage for over 10 years.
Like @homer1475 stated Randy had said that it can basically be stored indefinitely. If you mean as a powder after baking it I don't have a clue, but my guess would be not very long before it would need to be baked again before use.

 

[Reef.]

When I started dosing by hand I used some store bought alk/calcium that I had from before I left the hobby long ago. So I was using some that was a half full gallon that had been in my garage for over 10 years.
Like @homer1475 stated Randy had said that it can basically be stored indefinitely. If you mean as a powder after baking it I don't have a clue, but my guess would be not very long before it would need to be baked again before use.

Yeah that was my question, was wondering if the baking process only stayed affective for a short length of time.

 

[homer1475]

Yes the baking process only lasts a short time. I forget what exactly randy said(was years ago lol), but your supposed to bake it, cool it, then use it. It will absorb moisture from the air.

Another reason why I just use recipe 2.

 

[Gtinnel]

Thank you yes I've been so intimidated, and scared to ruin everything I have. But that makes me feel better I'm baking the stuff now very interesting this hobby

Just start of slow and test for parameters regularly until you get to where you need to be. It always better to start low and slowly add more. When I started I would check my alk/calcium daily until I figured out exactly how much I needed. Now I only check about once or twice a week.

Also you didn't seem to mention calcium, but they get used at a constant ratio so if your tank is using alk then you will need to start dosing calcium at some point too. Once you get both levels where you want them the 2 parts get dosed equally (or at least what i use does, I don't think this is necessarily true for all 2 parts).

 

[Gtinnel]

Yes the baking process only lasts a short time. I forget what exactly randy said(was years ago lol), but your supposed to bake it, cool it, then use it. It will absorb moisture from the air.

Another reason why I just use recipe 2.

I assumed it would re-absorb moisture and possibly co2 but that was just a guess. I still use randys 1st recipe because I don't have a lot of room in my stand for bottles, so the stronger the solution the better for me. Plus a gallon will last me about 4 months, my tank is still pretty low demand.

 

[Swampriss]

Yes I had to dose some calcium as it started to get lower 380 ish. One last question some people say mix the baking soda with rodi water, and I was just going to mix it with my tank water in a bottle and slowly add it over the day. That okay too ? Also the water in my tank was made with rodi just to be clear lol

 

[homer1475]

No do not mix in in tank water, it will precipitate. You need to mix it with RO/DI.

 

[Swampriss]

My plan is to store my cooked baking soda dry and only mix up what I need daily with tank water in a bottle. Adding it slowly over the day

 

[homer1475]

Best is to just mix 1G at a time.

DO not leave the baked baking soda dry as it will absorb moisture from the air and not be as effective.

 

[Swampriss]

No do not mix in in tank water, it will precipitate. You need to mix it with RO/DI.

Thank you

 

[Swampriss]

Aweasome thank you, so mix it with rodi water. How long should I allow it to cool?

 

[homer1475]

I found 10 to 20 minutes was enough to handle. It cools off pretty quickly.

I always put a piece of aluminum foil on my cookie sheet when I baked it. That way I could just fold the foil up, and pour it into a bottle.

 

[redfishbluefish]

.......... I'm still pretty new to this 6 months in about so I'm a wee bit lost on this 2 part dosing

Might I suggest this finely written article that explains it all:

How Much Two Part Do I Need?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Once baked how long can it be stored for?

OP just a note on baking soda, check the ingredients if not using arm and hammer as some have other stuff added, I found my supermarket’s own brand of baking soda was 100% sodium bicarbonate at a fraction of the price of arm and hammer (that stuff ain’t cheap).

Baked or not baked, sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate are as stable as rock and will last forever. As far as cost, I buy the big bag at Sam's club for seven bucks and change for 15 pounds.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Yes the baking process only lasts a short time. I forget what exactly randy said(was years ago lol), but your supposed to bake it, cool it, then use it. It will absorb moisture from the air.

Another reason why I just use recipe 2.

Respectfully, this is not true. Assuming you store it in a container/bag, nothing is going to happen with it. Without the container/bag, my only concern would be absorbing unwanted "odors" from the air. And as far as cooling, that isn't necessary, short of not burning yourself. I typically make up my solutions when the newly made soda ash is still hot.

 

[redfishbluefish]

.........I always put a piece of aluminum foil on my cookie sheet when I baked it. That way I could just fold the foil up, and pour it into a bottle.

Excellent tip using foil to help pouring powder into your bottle. Otherwise, that is a pain getting that last bit. Better yet for me, considering I have commercial quantities, is to use parchment paper. I'm liking this idea a whole bunch. It's one of those things of, "Why didn't I think of that." Thanks.

 

[Swampriss]

Might I suggest this finely written article that explains it all:

How Much Two Part Do I Need?

Thank you so much I kept trying to find some good articles. I feel stupid but this stuff is hard and I feel like I need to read everything a few times to get it so this is perfect

 

[homer1475]

Excellent tip using foil to help pouring powder into your bottle. Otherwise, that is a pain getting that last bit. Better yet for me, considering I have commercial quantities, is to use parchment paper. I'm liking this idea a whole bunch. It's one of those things of, "Why didn't I think of that." Thanks.

I originally used parchment paper(have an endless supply being a chef lol), but I found it was a little to flimsy, hard to fold, and shape into a funnel without spilling half of it on the floor. Butcher paper might work though, as it's a little thicker. I used aluminum foil because it's what I had on hand and worked so well I just continued to use it.

 

[bkhunt]

All I ever use. I use baked baking soda - peladow (calcium chloride) - diy amino acids - tree stump remover (potassium nitrate) - sodium nitrate. All these fancy products did not exist in the 1998 when I had my first tank.

 

[Courtney Aldrich]

Here's some DIY instructions from Meleev's Reef with pictures: https://www.melevsreef.com/articles/diy-make-your-own-soda-ash-cheaply

I don't recommend using aluminum foil. It can potentially leach aluminum. This paper shows ppm levels of aluminum when cooking (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6804775/).