increasing ALK with sodium chloride

my calcium stays above 460 but my ph stays 7.9 and kh 5-6. can anyone tell me howmuch sodium carbonate to dose? my tank is 15 gal nano. should i add it topup water which i do only at night? how much to add? the water that evaporates is approx 1 liter or just below 1 liter. please tell me howmuch to add per liter.

 

Here is a handy calculator. For 15 gallon tank currently at 6dKH and a target of 9dKH, you would add 3.2 grams of sodium carbonate. I would add one gram slowly every other day to reach your goal.


http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

 

Also check your Magnesium. If its low you will not get stable parameters.

 

my Mag. is perfect 1200-1300, calcium is high than normal as i dont have any hard corals. well i just checked the calculator on bulkreef.com shows that sodium carbonate for me will be 2.5gms daily, so today i have aded it in my topup water drip system (in the night). hoping to check my parameters tomorow afternoon.

 

anyone?

 

If that was the amount to take you from 6 to 9 you want to space that dose out. Dont
jump it that fast. Enter tank vol. and put 6 to 7 and use that amount. Once you get it to where you want it test daily and see what you need to dose per day. Then you can start a drip with that amount.

 

You're dosing a 15g tank for soft corals? Why? "Reef tank parameters" that involve the components of saltwater are for stony corals that use the elements to build their skeleton, and in a tank that size, routine water changes with a good reef-grade salt mix would still keep them in check.

FWIW, you're dosing things for which I don't even test in my 29g, and by doing so, you're wasting time and money, making the hobby much more complicated than it needs to be, and stressing your pets even more so than yourself. Just do your 5% weekly water changes, then relax and enjoy your tank.