Soda ash dosing schedule for maximum PH rise stability?

[Miami Reef]

How many times a day should I set my doser for maximum alk rise yet not making large up and down swings?

I can dose by the hour, but will the PH rise as high as if I dosed every 2 hours, for example?

Im assuming more Soda Ash per dose = more PH rise.

 

[todrick]

look up brs calc the max i think is 1.4 dkh a day

 

[Miami Reef]

I was referring to dosing frequency per day.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

It depends on ur need. Lol
D

 

[todrick]

better to dose every hour so there is not a big swing

 

[todrick]

when i dosed 2 part i dosed alk at top of every hour and cal 20 min later now im just dosing kalk and use the versa it doses continuous at like 1.4ml min all day

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This is complicated because dosing for most pH stability (late night to early AM) is not the same timing as dosing for most stable alkalinity (day time dosing).

At the moment, more people are convinced alk stability is more important than pH stability, but I've never really seen comparative data.

 

[Miami Reef]

This is complicated because dosing for most pH stability (late night to early AM) is not the same timing as dosing for most stable alkalinity (day time dosing).

At the moment, more people are convinced alk stability is more important than pH stability, but I've never really seen comparative data.

So either dose at night for PH stability or dose in day for Alk stability?

That’s about 12 hours for either cycle. Would a 12 hour dose schedule be any different than a 24 hour schedule?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So either dose at night for PH stability or dose in day for Alk stability?

That’s about 12 hours for either cycle. Would a 12 hour dose schedule be any different than a 24 hour schedule?

Yes, it certainly is different for stability of either of those. nearly all alk is consumed during the day, and the pH low is at night.

What effect the dosing has on either one depends on the actual demand/dose. If you are dosing 0.2 dKH per day, it make no important difference. if you are dosing 3 dKH per day, it makes a huge difference.

 

[Miami Reef]

Do calcium reactors dose continuously?

I care most about coral growth. I’m thinking of dosing in daytime to maximize ph during the time corals are consuming alk.

 

[Miami Reef]

My coral alk consumption is less than .5dkh a day.

 

[Goaway]

How many times a day should I set my doser for maximum alk rise yet not making large up and down swings?

I can dose by the hour, but will the PH rise as high as if I dosed every 2 hours, for example?

Im assuming more Soda Ash per dose = more PH rise.

I used to drip dose. Made a gallon mix and let drip over the day. So, 12 doses per day would probably be fine. You can try hourly. See if results in coral growth changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do calcium reactors dose continuously?

I care most about coral growth. I’m thinking of dosing in daytime to maximize ph during the time corals are consuming alk.

You mean a CaCO3/CO2 reactor? Depending on how they are controlled, they may dose somewhat more at night (bubble rate control) or be even 24/7 (pH controlled). One could put the CO2 on a timer if one wanted.

 

[Miami Reef]

Thank you.

I just set my doser to dose 12 times from 10am to 10pm. Basically daylight cycle. People who manually dose only do it in daylight hours with great success. I’m think I will have great success with this setup.

 

[blasterman]

With .5 daily drop its not hyper critical when you dose for alk. Still, corals calcify mostly when your light is on, so I prefer to only dose alk during that time starting an hour before lights on. Then again my alk drops 2 dKH per day.

Also depends on your doser. If you have a wifi one its a lot easier to tweak this with an app vs manual buttons.

I'm not in 100% agreement about night time pH being bad. Obviously its ideal having your tank at 8.4 24 hours a day, but for many of us its not possible.