Do you buffer your top off water?

[birdsnest]

I have never buffered my top off and always went on the assumption that it will mix to the current perams. Is this wrong that I am dumping a pH neutral liquid and thinking that its not going to **** off some of the inhabitants and drop the pH?

 

[mfinn]

I add kalkwasser to my topoff water.

 

[birdsnest]

Yeah, I guess that would buffer it. I have been using 2 part for awhile and may have to incorporate some kalkwasser.

 

[AZDesertRat]

No reason to. Top off is in such small amounts it should not affect the display parameters at all.

 

[mfinn]

No reason to. Top off is in such small amounts it should not affect the display parameters at all.

I agree, but it also depends on your topoff device/methods.

 

[birdsnest]

At most I dump about 5g into 300g. So I guess that would be a minute amount.

 

[AZDesertRat]

RO/DI water is for all intents and purposes considered neutral. It very quickly takes on the parameters of whatever it is being added to or is added to it. Top off is usually such small amounts if done correctly it will not alter anything. Some will say it is acidic but that really is not the case, there are too few ions to measure correctly.

 

[Bad Company]

I would not buffer top off water. Evaporing water takes nothing with it but Oxygen and Hydrogen. Add bufer to your tank when you see a small pH shift, otherwise you may overdose the buffer.

 

[TJ's Reef]

I add about a Tablespoon of SeaChem buffer to each 5 gallons of top-off water and have for 4-5 years. Before that, about the same in Calcium Hydroxide and figure why not as may help a bit. Also IMHO even though my system is a fairly low-evap one it still needs 1.25 gallons plus daily and know many of you have twice that daily in evap, so can add up. With my ultra high bio-load of Coral I don't know if I could overdose Alk buffers without a shovel...lol

Cheers, Todd