Baking Soda as Alkalinity and PH Buffer

Anyone using baking soda as a Alk and PH buffer? If so, what's your opinion? Also, is there an expiration date when it should be used by? Thanks!

 

check out bulkreefsupply.com cheapest safest way to dose your tank imo

 

There are lots of threads here at 3reef about this topic. Based on posts from reefers whom have been in the hobby for a long time, this is what I use.

Bake your Arm & Hammer baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in a glass pyrex bowl at around 350F for about 1 hour. This will convert it to sodium carbonate. It's now water soluble, and will now increase carbonate hardness without raising PH.

Mix 4 parts of sodium carbonate with 1 part of 20 Mule Team borax washing powder. You can keep this in a glass container to be dosed whenever you need it.

Now slowly (teaspoon at a time) add your dry mixture into ro/di water. Stir it well with a plastic spoon until everything is dissolved.

You will notice some of the borax will not dissolve. I dose with a turkey baster and I make sure I suck up some the borax off the bottom, which then gets squirted into the return pump of the sump.

I just started this a few weeks ago and now my dkh is 9-10.

 

thanks for the info Whiskey, what would happen if you dont cook it first ?

 

it would remain sodium bicarbonate.

when heated, sodium bicaronate degrades to sodium carbonate.

 

Ive done 6 to 1 ratio before.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/water-chemistry/made-my-own-ph-dkh-buffer-83630.html

 

I used to use Baking Soda. Right now, in my 55 gal. I was dosing Reef Builder at 1 1/2 Teaspoons 3 times a week but have since cut down to 2 and Alk stays at 11-12 DKH and PH at 8.2, however I am using Sea-Lab #14 to keep PH at 8.2-8.3.

 

Clear and concise breakdown. Sounds like a great amount of effort?

 

its not to hard.. but by all means if your not comfortable with it.. just spend $10-15 bucks and goto the LFS and buy some ph/dkh buffer..

 

I use a liquid 8.4 PH buffer.