Raising Alk with Baking Soda

[TheKipf]

Hey Guys - Just seeing if anyone had any luck with this before.

Here's the facts:

Tank water volume - 100 gallons

Calcium: 440ppm

Mag: 1280ppm

Alk: 5.6dKH

PH: Unknown thus far (I'm at work - Test kit is expired - but last tested ~7.8)

I just started monitoring these parameters with the hope of getting into dosing and providing a more stable reef tank and to promote better growth for my few SPS.

Tank is approx. 16 months old, with a light load of livestock.

My initial reaction - is that my Alk is severely low.

Here's my targets that I've drawn from limited reading:

Calcium: 420-450 (Good)

Mag: 1350 (Slight Low)

Alk: 9.5dKH (Very Low)

Being that my Calc / Mag are close in range (or in range), and my Alk is just way low - Should I try to raise just my tank's alk?

I haven't fully grasped the Alk/Clac/Mag relationship - but I think I wouldn't do any harm by slowly raising up the Alk being my other values are in a healthy range. Am I wrong in this? Would it indirectly impact my Calc/Mag/PH ranges for good or for bad?

I eventually want to get a 2-part dosing solution in place, but until I make that purchase I was considering on using Baking Soda to raise the Alk.

Has anyone done this in the past? Is there a good calculator available to use to help me dose with Baking Soda?

Any thoughts, considerations, or comments are appreciated!

-TheKipf

[jestep]

This is a great article on alk / ca if you haven't seen it: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

I would bake your baking soda which turns it into sodium carbonate instead of bicarbonate. It helps maintain higher ph and you don't have to dose as much. Basically bake it in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour.

I would raise it up to the desired level over the course of a week and then figure out a method of maintaining it there. Also, once your Alk is high, you will likely see your Ca consumed more rapidly.

[TheKipf]

Thanks for the link, that looks very helpful.

How much do you bake at a given time?