pH dosing

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I've been using balance 20-25ml daily since the beginning of the year. Dosing brs 2 part 5ml alkalinity once a day and 38ml of calcium once a day. I did that little test you do to see if you have excessive co2 in the house and it's a very minuet change so I don't know what else it can be. Explain kalkwasser to me because i really don't want to do the drip thing or throw it in my top off water. If anything id like to dose it.

There is nothing else that impacts pH directly except CO2 and alkalinity.

Did you aerate with outside air? If so, and if the alk was OK (6.5+ dKH) and the pH did not rise to 7.9 or higher, either the pH or the alk measurement is in error (or you did not aerate effectively).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

But why would dosing balance be bad? It's working fine for almost a year.

The problem is that it is unbalanced alk addition. Limewater does exactly the same pH and alk effect, but also adds the balanced amount of calcium to keep alk from rising relative to calcium.

Ad long as you account for that, it is fine, but I see no scenario where it is better than limewater unless calcium is already too high and you are prepared to dose the balance very slowly with a dosing pump or in an ATO..