Balling /w Sodium Carbonate Vs. Sodium Bicarbonate help

[JFD]

Hello friends,

I'm hoping to confirm the conclusions I got to or if not, if someone could direct me to the right conclusions.

I'm using balling at the moment with Sodium Bicarbonate and in order to have a ionically balanced outcome, I'm adding to the aquarium 1 mol of CaCl2-2H2O and 2 mols of NaHCO3. This means that I'm adding 147gr of Calcium chloride for each 168gr of Sodium Bicarbonate.

Now, my pH has been slowly decreasing over time despite myself using a Co2 scrubber with an outside intake of air. So, I was thinking that to counteract this I could start using (at least for a while) sodium carbonate rather than bicarbonate. Unlike the bicarbonate, as far as I know sodium carbonate not only won't lower the pH, in fact it will help raising both KH and the pH.

Hope I'm right so, far.... So, looking at the formulas and the molecular weights, I got to the conclusion that for a balanced mix, I need 1 mol of CaCl2-2H2O and 1 mol of Na2CO3, which means that, for each 147gr of calcium chloride I will use 105.98gr of sodium carbonate.

Are my assumptions/conclusions right? Thanks a lot!

Cheers.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Soda ash, sodium carbonate, baked baking soda...... Will only provide a temporary bump in PH. You will still get the rise in alkalinity.

Especially with Soda ash, it's best to dose very slowly and at different times than dosing calcium. It can precipitate very easily, so dose into a high flow area.

 

[JFD]

Soda ash, sodium carbonate, baked baking soda...... Will only provide a temporary bump in PH. You will still get the rise in alkalinity.

Especially with Soda ash, it's best to dose very slowly and at different times than dosing calcium. It can precipitate very easily, so dose into a high flow area.

Thanks! Yes, understand and agree...

I actually dose everything through dosing pumps (have 8 channels dosing various things - including Balling), each of the the Balling components is dosed 7 times a day spread in 3 hours intervals, so every hour I'm dosing something...

 

[Flippers4pups]

Where is your pH been at? You probably already know this, do you have the room for a refugium? Chaetomorpha on a reverse light schedule may help.

 

[JFD]

Where is your pH been at? You probably already know this, do you have the room for a refugium? Chaetomorpha on a reverse light schedule may help.

7.7-7.8...

Yes, I do - it is tiny though (just created a new thread with a journal for my aquarium) and yes I run it with reverse light schedule!

 

[JFD]

Where is your pH been at? You probably already know this, do you have the room for a refugium? Chaetomorpha on a reverse light schedule may help.

It is interesting as the pH only dropped in the last few days (along with the alkalinity)... Until now it has been 8.0-8.2 with similar values for KH.

I thought the Ca levels would be dropping too, however I've checked and they are at the levels they have been 430...

 

[Flippers4pups]

Happens.

 

[JFD]

Happens.

Thus me wanting to try Sodium Carbonate rather than Sodium Bicarbonate...

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thus me wanting to try Sodium Carbonate rather than Sodium Bicarbonate...

Some people use it with success. Me, no. It would precipitate on me and coated everything in my sump. Pumps....... and I dripped it slowly. Went back to plain old baking soda.

I make it up in a gallon jug of RO/DI water to 1 1/8 cup of baking soda. Mix well and use this calculator:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

Works well. I also use kalkwasser in my ATO.

 

[Skydvr]

That calculator is what I use as well. It gives you the ballanced alkalinity to calcium ratio.

 

[JFD]

Some people use it with success. Me, no. It would precipitate on me and coated everything in my sump. Pumps....... and I dripped it slowly. Went back to plain old baking soda.

I make it up in a gallon jug of RO/DI water to 1 1/8 cup of baking soda. Mix well and use this calculator:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

Works well. I also use kalkwasser in my ATO.

Thanks mate! ;Happy

I also used that calculator to come to my conclusions, thus me asking if someone with an academic chemistry background (or more knowledge than me ) could vet my conclusions, or on the other hand correct me if I was worn...

In any case, I do thank you truly as I understand you are trying to definitely help!

That calculator is what I use as well. It gives you the ballanced alkalinity to calcium ratio.

Thanks mate!