Best method to maintain Alkalinity and Calcium ratio?

[Tim Olson]

Im dosing via my ghl limewater. I dose 500 ml a day. Alk is steady at 8.5dkh. I won't use another method this way is so easy.

I agree ... I've found it much easier to dose limewater vs. putting the powder in my ATO. Also, it's easier to control the precise amount of limewater, and it doesn't dirty up my ATO container and pump.

 

[Forsaken77]

@Forsaken77 Not exactly that but your on the right track. Plants use light and carbon dioxide, the end result is oxygen.

pH in your tank is a direct correlation of carbon dioxide in your water. So if you can keep photosynthesis going at night as well it will offset your drop in pH.

Isn't what I stated pretty much what you said? Having a chaeto reactor on at night will increase oxygen in the water, thus stabilising the Ph more at night.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Isn't what I stated pretty much what you said? Having a chaeto reactor on at night will increase oxygen in the water, thus stabilising the Ph more at night.

There's some minor quibbling with the cause an effect. Just to be clear, there's no effect of oxygen on pH. It is the CO2 being consumed (whether O2 is produced or not) that raises pH.

 

[Forsaken77]

There's some minor quibbling with the cause an effect. Just to be clear, there's no effect of oxygen on pH. It is the CO2 being consumed (whether O2 is produced or not) that raises pH.

Thanks for clarifying that, Randy. I just look at it as getting rid of C02, which inevitability leads to a more oxygen rich environment, will stabilize the Ph. No, the Oxygen has nothing to do with it but is the end result of eliminating more C02 and I just feel it helps people get the situation a bit better. Because even if you work on improving Oxygen, you're in turn reducing C02.

Obviously, in technicality you're correct. I always feel a simpler approach to explaining things helps most people understand better. For example, like reducing the C02 will oxygenate the water more and that pretty much gets the point across in regards to a Ph swing, imo.

Serious question.... Is it possible to gas off, or reduce, C02 without increasing Oxygen? Because it seems they're in direct relation to each other. The more there is of one, the less there is of the other. I get that you can have enough Oxygen and still have too much C02 for certain circumstances. Just wondering if it's possible to affect one without affecting the other.

 

[Srob]

Great info

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Serious question.... Is it possible to gas off, or reduce, C02 without increasing Oxygen? Because it seems they're in direct relation to each other. The more there is of one, the less there is of the other. I get that you can have enough Oxygen and still have too much C02 for certain circumstances. Just wondering if it's possible to affect one without affecting the other.

Definitely. For many processes we use, they are independent.

Using limewater/kalkwasser consumes CO2 and has no impact on O2.

Using a CaCO3/CO2 rteactor adds CO2 and has no impact on O2.

Denitrification produces CO2 and has no impact on O2.

Also, aeration (e.g., skimming) can raise or lower them independently, depending on the tank levels relative to the air levels. It might even do different things different times of the day.

 

[RamsReef]

What about to much cheato / to large of a reactor?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/should-i-put-on-the-brakes-ph.318161/

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What about to much cheato / to large of a reactor?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/should-i-put-on-the-brakes-ph.318161/

What is the question about it?

 

[RamsReef]

In the thread I linked I have turned back on my cheato scrubber and my ph has been climbing steadily upward, past 8.4

Can a large refugium deplete the CO2 to a point of being harmful?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In the thread I linked I have turned back on my cheato scrubber and my ph has been climbing steadily upward, past 8.4

Can a large refugium deplete the CO2 to a point of being harmful?

No. I've never seen that happen.

In fact, the only time pH ever gets too high is with large doses (usually overdoses) of limewater/kalkwasser.