PH spike

[cjtabares]

I dosed calcium carbonate on Wednesday night. When I got home Thursday from work everything was coated in white powder. I did like I do every time I dose, I turn off the return pump for an hour, and add a filter sock. I did not have too much time to look into yesterday until later in the night and I saw my ph spiked, according to my Apex, to 8.7(I have no idea what caused the spike.). Would this have caused precipitation? Everything in the tank seems ok.

I am not sure it is related, but I have also seen a lot of, what might be pineapple sponges everywhere in my sump. I don’t think they were there before.

My parameters as of this week’s testing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Calcium carbonate powder dosing will leave lots of powder around, but it cannot raise pH.

 

[cjtabares]

Calcium carbonate powder dosing will leave lots of powder around, but it cannot raise pH.

I didn’t think it would. I have used it before, and I have never had this much cloudiness the next day. The filter sock was completely clogged. I have no idea what happened.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I didn’t think it would. I have used it before, and I have never had this much cloudiness the next day. The filter sock was completely clogged. I have no idea what happened.

Are you sure you mean calcium carbonate and not calcium chloride?

Was it the exact same material/bottle you previously used?

 

[Garf]

Are you sure you mean calcium carbonate and not calcium chloride?

Was it the exact same material/bottle you previously used?

Sodium carbonate?

 

[cjtabares]

Are you sure you mean calcium carbonate and not calcium chloride?

Was it the exact same material/bottle you previously used?

Sodium carbonate?

Coral snow, I mixed it with water a month or so ago and shake when I use it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Coral snow, I mixed it with water a month or so ago and shake when I use it.

That should be cloudy any time it is used, since the powder does not dissolve in the tank. In any case, the pH observation is unrelated.

 

[maroun.c]

Got the same last couple days with a new batch of Calcium carbonate where pH spiked about by about 0.15 at time of dosing.
Any way to verify this is calcium carbonate or do I discard and get a new batch?

 

[rishma]

That should be cloudy any time it is used, since the powder does not dissolve in the tank. In any case, the pH observation is unrelated.

I periodically use a DIY coral snow from food grade calcium carbonate. I see a pH spike l every time, but I have not paid much attention to it. Is probably 0.1 or so. pH readings the remainder of the day while the water is cloudy are elevated, they don’t follow my normal day/night trends. The next day after the water is clear the pH seems pretty normal.
Perhaps the pH meter is affected by the flocculant? I’ve never given it much thought.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m not really sure why pH would rise unless there is something in it that is not pure calcium carbonate, such as some calcium hydroxide. Perhaps some forms during the heating in the grinding process.

 

[maroun.c]

I’m not really sure why pH would rise unless there is something in it that is not pure calcium carbonate, such as some calcium hydroxide. Perhaps some forms during the heating in the grinding process.

That is my concern

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That is my concern

It’s hard to measure alk with particles in the water that can dissolve in the rest and give a false high reading, but do you have any sense of an alk boost from it?

 

[rishma]

It’s hard to measure alk with particles in the water that can dissolve in the rest and give a false high reading, but do you have any sense of an alk boost from it?

I am pretty sure I have not seen an alk boost because I was testing alk daily dialing in my dosing the last time I used my diy snow. I think would have noticed if alkalinity seemed off trend the next day.

Next time I do it, I’ll measure alk before and after and post results with pH data. I’ll be home in a month…

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am pretty sure I have not seen an alk boost because I was testing alk daily dialing in my dosing the last time I used my diy snow. I think would have noticed if alkalinity seemed off trend the next day.

Next time I do it, I’ll measure alk before and after and post results with pH data. I’ll be home in a month…

If that’s true, it makes an impurity boosting pH less likely, or at least less of a concern.

 

[maroun.c]

It’s hard to measure alk with particles in the water that can dissolve in the rest and give a false high reading, but do you have any sense of an alk boost from it?

I went and got Calcium carbonate from another source and didn't get any ph spike. It mixed easier and caused a longer cloudiness in the tanks... so I wonder if it was an impurity or if I was given something else the girst time. For an impurity to instantly boost ph of a 1500 G setup by adding 50 ml only would be a great media to replace kalk but wonder how to tell what it is and if it has any long term effect ....
When mixing the first batch I added water to the calcium carbonate in a bottle so it was slow could that have precipitated the calcium carbonate or caused a different solving process that could fave caused this?
Guess I'm lucky I noticed the spike to change media or else could have caused some damage I feel!