Which Randy's Alk recipe with pH 8.2?

[Coxey81]

@Randy Holmes-Farley , HI.

I'm getting prepared to started dosing alk and am wanting to try one of your recipes. I don't have corals in my DT yet. But they are in my QT. I know I probably won't need to dose in my DT for a decent while, but was wondering which I should use. My pH is 8.2 and alk is usually 8.7. I'm guessing recipe 1, but wanted to check.

Also, could you provide me an official link? The one I'm looking at is on someone's else page referencing your recipes.

Another question,, if I want make it stronger later on I can just use more baking soda per water right? Just double it per say? It seems like yours takes twice as much as red sea B liquid and I was thinking I might need stronger at some point so I didn't have to refill containers too often.

One last question, it doesn't expire correct? So I can make enough for a year or whatever?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What time of day was the pH 8.2? It will be lower at night and higher during the day.

Most people use recipe 1, from sodium carbonate or baked baking soda.

here's the recipe:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

An even better version is to use the DIY alk and calcium, and use Baling Part C (BRS sells it) for the third part.

 

[Coxey81]

What time of day was the pH 8.2? It will be lower at night and higher during the day.

Most people use recipe 1, from sodium carbonate or baked baking soda.

here's the recipe:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

An even better version is to use the DIY alk and calcium, and use Baling Part C (BRS sells it) for the third part.

It was in the evening. But my lights run 12 to 9.

 

[Coxey81]

What time of day was the pH 8.2? It will be lower at night and higher during the day.

Most people use recipe 1, from sodium carbonate or baked baking soda.

here's the recipe:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

An even better version is to use the DIY alk and calcium, and use Baling Part C (BRS sells it) for the third part.

I may make the calcium too, and I'll check out the part C. Thanks

The reason I wasn't doing calcium is I was going to use red see cause it had some extra trace elements in it.

 

[Coxey81]

Dp

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd use the sodium carbonate/baked baking soda recipe in this situation.

 

[Coxey81]

I'd use the sodium carbonate/baked baking soda recipe in this situation.

Thankyou!

 

[Coxey81]

I'd use the sodium carbonate/baked baking soda recipe in this situation.

Any reason I couldn't make it stronger using more baking soda to water?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any reason I couldn't make it stronger using more baking soda to water?

I designed it close to the saturation limit to facilitate dissolution. You might get it a little more concentrated, but not 2x.

 

[Coxey81]

Ok

I designed it close to the saturation limit to facilitate dissolution. You might get it a little more concentrated, but not 2x.

Ok thanks! Not a big deal, was just curious. It will work better as is with my doser now anyway. (Doesn't do small amounts) . I just may have to refill a little more often later.

 

[Coxey81]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Another question randy, and thank you again for the help.

If I used your calcium recipe as well, is there anything you would recommend to dose the other trace elements such as strontium and barium? Red Sea has them in there calcium red sea a, and I was wonder how you would recommend compensating?

Thanks again for all your help.


Nevermind, found this from you.

FWIW, I would never recommend bothering to dose some of the things on this list, such as barium. It has no known biological benefit. I'd also not dose lithium, rubidium, and I'd personally not dose strontium either

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would not ever dose barium, as I said before. lol

I also think strontium is useless for most organisms.

But if you use Balling part C for the third part it will be adding many other ions.

 

[Coxey81]

I would not ever dose barium, as I said before. lol

I also think strontium is useless for most organisms.

But if you use Balling part C for the third part it will be adding many other ions.

Ok thanks! Sorry, you know how it is. They tell you that you need everything under the sun, lol

 

[djf91]

I don’t mean to hijack but Randy can you post the link again for the higher pH Alk solution and maybe an Amazon link for what to get?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any food grade sodium hydroxide should be suitable. Amazon sells it.

Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

In a previous thread, I posted a true two part DIY recipe: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-diy-two-part-recipes-with-higher-ph-boost.344500/ But some folks may want to just swap the new ingredient into my 2/3 part recipe (as used by BRS, for example). Here's the original recipe link...

www.reef2reef.com

New DIY Two Part Recipes with Higher pH Boost

Here's a first crack at what may end up being multiple possible recipes for a DIY two part that either has a higher pH or can be made more concentrated than traditional two part recipes. This one has about twice the pH raising effect compared to a carbonate based two part, per unit of...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[djf91]

@Randy Holmes-Farley thanks Randy!

So all I need to do is add 283 grams of sodium hydroxide to 1 gallon of RODI water, mix really well and I’m done? Is there in precipitate in the bottom to avoid? Can I drip this with a BRS doser into my return pump section of my sump?

thanks again!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley thanks Randy!

So all I need to do is add 283 grams of sodium hydroxide to 1 gallon of RODI water, mix really well and I’m done? Is there in precipitate in the bottom to avoid? Can I drip this with a BRS doser into my return pump section of my sump?

thanks again!

Yes. that's what's needed for the swap.

Shouldn't be much precipitate, and if there is, let it settle out and ignore it.

Some plastics do not do super well at that high pH. Read through t threads for recommendations. Avoid polycarbonate.

It will get warm when it dissolves so do not do it in a small liquid volume.

 

[djf91]

Yes. that's what's needed for the swap.

Shouldn't be much precipitate, and if there is, let it settle out and ignore it.

Some plastics do not do super well at that high pH. Read through t threads for recommendations. Avoid polycarbonate.

It will get warm when it dissolves so do not do it in a small liquid volume.

I will do that.

And one last question:

I currently am not dosing a calcium component due to the fact that only my Alk. is being noticeably depleted (I assume the majority of it is being bound by lanthunum chloride dosing) and Calcium requirements seem to be taken care of with weekly water changes. Am I missing anything by not dosing a calcium component?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How much alk in dKH per day are you dosing?

 

[djf91]

Don’t laugh…. but I’m using 7 ml of the Red Sea Alk. 2 part solution per day ~ maybe 0.05 dkh / day on the system. System is about 400 gallons total water volume (500 gallon display + 70 gallon sump). 6 months old, Green hair algae problem right now (cyano is starting to disappear over the past week), starting to see green corraline pop up on the back glass.