Brightwell Alkaline8.3 verses Reef Code B?

Jamie814 · Mar 18, 2022

They both list the same ingredients on the bottles but when I dose Reef Code B the water clouds until the droplets disburse in the current. The Alkaline8.3 does not cloud when it is added to the water....SO what is the difference between them?

blaxsun · Mar 18, 2022

Alkaline 8.3 doesn't cloud.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 19, 2022

The impact on cloudiness (temporary magnesium hydroxide precipitation) has to do with the inherent pH of the supplement. Bicarbonate doesn’t cloud the water, while carbonate and hydroxide do. Ignore the cloudiness as long as it redissolves.

Jamie814 · Mar 19, 2022

Thanks for your reply Randy. I did mix the Alkaline8.3 stronger with rodi and noticed it does also now cloud the water as the droplets dissipate in the sump. But my original question still remains, what is the difference between the two supplements?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 19, 2022

Jamie814 said:
Thanks for your reply Randy. I did mix the Alkaline8.3 stronger with rodi and noticed it does also now cloud the water as the droplets dissipate in the sump. But my original question still remains, what is the difference between the two supplements?

As I mentioned, it's purely a pH effect.

Alk supplements can be formulated from a small pH drop (bicarbonate only) to a pH boost (carbonate) to a big pH boost (hydroxide) and everything in between.

It is the pH boost that causes the cloudiness, but the concentration will also impact the degree of cloudiness.

FWIW, I think 8.4 is rarely an optimal product. Most people need as much pH boost as they can get, and those that do not for other reasons, can use bicarbonate alone.