Kalkwasser not cutting it...

TD13 · Dec 22, 2015

I am dosing 300 ml a day into my 28 gallon nano. My kH doesn't get above 9 and my pH doesn't get above 8.1x. Anyone have any experience with Soda Ash?! My mag is 1350 and my Calc 450. If I add as little as 5 ml of the Red Sea Foundation B (Buffer) the pH shoots up like a rocket. I would REALLY like to try to get my pH to about 8.35 and maintain it there.... Any help is appreciated.

sawdonkey · Dec 23, 2015

What do you have for coral? A bunch of SPS? Also, what's wrong with keeping your kh at 9? How are you mixing your kalk? Last question, why are you chasing a PH? In my experience, if your other parameters are in check, Ph is typically in check too.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 23, 2015

How high do you want the alkalinity? 9 dKH sounds fine to me, and no other additive will raise pH more than the limewater (kalkwasser).

300 mL per day in a 28 gallon is a very low amount of limewater (kalkwasser).

Is that all you evaporate each day? That's only adding a little bit over 0.3 dKH per day.

Limewater boosts pH about twice as much as an additive made from soda ash, per unit of alkalinity added.

How are you making that limewater?

I presume you are adding it slowly, so the pH effect from it is very spread out relative to the instant addition of the Red Sea Foundation.