sodium carbonate

[Aaronreef]

Hello everyone.
Can anybody help me with dosing sodium carbonate?
I've made some up in warm RO and dosed 10ml into the sump. It seems to have stopped my skimmer foam by a lot is this normal?

 

[lapin]

I am interested also.
I do know that sodium carbonate will use Co2 when added to your tank. It turns itself into sodium bicarbonate. It does this by consuming Co2. It will raise your ph a bit. Why it effects your skimmer, I do not know.

 

[Aaronreef]

I can't find the page I got the recipe from.
looking for it now as I didn't save it stupidly, but I added 200grams of sodium carbonate into 2L RO have only dosed 10ml as I've never done it before and just wanted to test it out. And since adding it my skimmer bubbles are not as high up the neck as they were. Also my PH hasn't moved from 7.84

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sodium carbonate additions typically cause some magnesium hydroxide precipitate where added. It will redissolve, but if sucked into a skimmer before it dissolves, it may briefly break the foam, as particulates are known to do.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Here’s a good calculator for many reef additives;

Reef Chemistry Calculator

 

[Aaronreef]

Here’s a good calculator for many reef additives;

Reef Chemistry Calculator

Could you tell me if I'm right in my thinking please.

When it comes to dosing alkalinity should I be dosing the same amount of calcium?

So if I dose 85ml of alk I should also dose 85ml of cal about an hour apart?

Also should I divide the amount over 24 hours or can I just dose at night?

 

[lapin]

You do not have to dose both.
If you have low alk and calcium over 400 then there is no reason to dose a calcium part.
If that is your question.

 

[Aaronreef]

You do not have to dose both.
If you have low alk and calcium over 400 then there is no reason to dose a calcium part.
If that is your question.

Yes that's the point I'm getting too. I currently have calcium at 460 and am dosing alkalinity to keep my alk at 8.7. I'm testing alk daily at the moment and its stable at 8.7. I'm going to start testing calcium daily to find my consumption and keep at around 430