Experimental testing of Brightwell Boost pH +

[Miami Reef]

edit

 

[Miami Reef]

Alright. I couldn’t do the graph. I tried, but I never had formal training on graph making.

I’m sure someone else can take a look at the new results and see if it makes sense this time.

 

[Miami Reef]

@Randy Holmes-Farley @taricha

I redid the sodium hydroxide experiment with a new salifert test kit. I’m still waiting on the Red Sea alk and Brightwell boost pH+


I’m going to try to graph it on my own, but I never did a graph like that in a while, so pardon me in case I couldn’t figure it out before you get to the results.


pH Start: 7.95
Starting alk: 7.3dKH

1L beaker test tank with magnetic stirrer and pH probe.

Dosed 0.2mL of 1M NaOH

pH: 8.21
Alk: 8.15dKH

added another 0.2mL of 1M NaOH

pH: 8.41
Alk: 8.75dKH

The pH dropped to 8.39

I added another 0.2mL of 1M NaOH

pH 8.55
Alk 9.6dKH

 

[taricha]

ok, looks fine.

You can see that the points (yellow) are tightly following a trendline, so the kit is consistent. The NaOH additions also are raising the measured dKH by close to the theoretical expected (black line). This is fine for hobby kit usage.
Note the last point 24 hours later still sits perfectly on the same line. pH moves over a day or so as the water carbonate/bicarbonate/CO2 find their slow way toward equilibrium, but alk from normal sources like NaOH doesn't change just due to time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for both the experiment and the analysis. Looking good, IMO.

 

[Dan_P]

Here is the “what happens to alkalinity and pH when sodium hydroxide is added to aquarium water or Instant Ocean.” I am still waiting for the product. Alkalinity detected by the Hanna alkalinity Checker tracks the expected increase in alkalinity from the sodium hydroxide addition.

 

[taricha]

good call, @Dan_P . I would not have expected that the hanna Alk kit was up to the challenge.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks, Dan!

 

[Miami Reef]

edit

 

[Miami Reef]

Ah. Never mind. I found this

 

[Dan_P]

Ah. Never mind. I found this:

I am going to titrate Boost pH+ tomorrow to determine its concentration. It sounds like you won’t need it but we’ll have it for future reference.

 

[Miami Reef]

I am going to titrate Boost pH+ tomorrow to determine its concentration. It sounds like you won’t need it but we’ll have it for future reference.

Sounds good. I’ll let you handle the experiment.

 

[Doctorgori]

you folks seem like a bunch of skeptics …. I’m sure it works and was subject to years of field trial on thousands of reef tanks….
Anyway, for a “pH” boost, use Nugenix Total T, and BTW “she will like it too” (pH = p height)
seriously…good work fellas/gals …appreciate the product test
…

 

[Dan_P]

Titrated Boost pH+ this morning and it is 0.23 N

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Nice. I didn’t think to do that.

 

[taricha]

Titrated Boost pH+ this morning and it is 0.23 N

thanks, so in this exercise shared earlier......

From Jack:

We did a little test this morning to see what would happen in a test such as this.

1) We took 1 gallon of tank water from an established aquarium, the pH of the sample was tested with a freshly calibrated probe and was 8.03. The alkalinity was tested via API test kit and was 9.0

2) We added 1ml of Boost pH+ from a lot numbered bottle of shelf stock, stirred and retested 5 minutes after adding. The results were pH at 8.19 and alkalinity was 9.0

3) We added another 1ml of Boost pH+ from the same bottle, stirred and retested 5 minutes after adding. The results were pH at 8.31 and alkalinity was still 9.0

4) The pH settled out at 8.38 after another 10 minutes and the alkalinity was still 9.0. Total addition of Boost pH+ had been 2 ml.

2mL in 1 gallon = 2mL/3.8L = 0.53ml/L
at 0.23 N that means the addition = 0.23 N * 0.53ml/L = 0.122 meq/L or 0.34 dKH (I think)

so expected 0.34 dKH for a boost of ~0.3pH units in their test.

When I added NaOH of 0.20meq/L = 0.56 dKH, I got a pH boost of 0.34 pH units.

Nothing definitive, different water (with different CO2 values) and different test kits. Those could be within test uncertainty of the same behavior (or not).

Of course side by side NaOH and Boost pH+ will be needed to say anything with clarity.

 

[Dan_P]

Drum roll…

The first plot below compares the titration curves of equivalent amounts of sodium hydroxide and Boost pH+. The little inflections in each curve just above pH 8 could be carbonate contamination in both reagents. Boost pH+ does not appear to be composed of only hydroxide salts. A compound or compounds with closely spaced pKa’s might be present, for example, the vendor’s ”proprietary” base mixture.

The next two plots show how pH and alkalinity increases (!) with the addition of Boost pH+ to aquarium water or Instant Ocean. So did the vendors make a mistake in their claim about this product? I will let Randy write the conclusion to this story.

 

[rtparty]

 

[Dan_P]

Me too, but for a different reason.

My what the heck moment happened while titrating. Are we at the point of needing to prove first principles all over again to squelch vendor claims?

 

[rtparty]

Me too, but for a different reason.

My what the heck moment happened while titrating. Are we at the point of needing to prove first principles all over again to squelch vendor claims?

If I’ve learned anything over the last few years it’s that “trust the science” really means “follow the money”

So long as someone can make money, science comes second to that.