View Full Version : Which Raises PH ?
Baking Soda or Baking powder ?
slipknottin
12-08-2002, 2:41 PM
--baking soda
n.
A white crystalline compound, NaHCO3, with a slightly alkaline taste, used in making effervescent salts and beverages, artificial mineral water, pharmaceuticals, and fire extinguishers. Also called bicarbonate of soda, sodium bicarbonate
--bak·ing powder (bkng)
n.
A mixture of baking soda, starch, and at least one slightly acidic compound such as cream of tartar that works as a leavening agent in baking by releasing carbon dioxide when mixed with a liquid, such as milk or water.
?? ... so which one raises ph baking soda or powder ?lol
Monglor
12-08-2002, 3:19 PM
baking soda.
slipknottin
12-08-2002, 3:23 PM
they both do.
baking powder has other additives that you dont want in your tank.
JamisonBWolsh
12-08-2002, 3:28 PM
Instead of using chemicals to raise your ph...Try the Natural route.. It does work. Try adding LACE rock or switch your gravel to coral substrate.
To lower Ph: use Peat in the filter!
Thanks , when i put the baking soda in does it work instantly or does it take a while for it to raise ?
goldfish freak
12-08-2002, 3:38 PM
Lace rock raises pH?
slipknottin
12-08-2002, 3:39 PM
instantly.
how fast your entire water changes will depend on your water circulation.
just be careful with it, it can change your Ph very fast.
christopher1260
12-08-2002, 3:41 PM
it should work instantly, or at least within 5 mins. i would mix the stuff up with the water you're using to do a water change. it shouldn't take long for the ph to raise.
How much should i add to a 20 gal .. the ph right now is about 6.0
JamisonBWolsh
12-08-2002, 6:32 PM
do you know that your going to ALWAYS have to add that whenever you do a water change? My tap comes out at 7.0 and the tank that has lace rock and coral substrate stays at 7.8. the 60 gallon tank without those additions hovers around 6.0-6.5
Like I said..chemicals are not a good Idea. If you can use natural ways to increase the ph..FINE..do it. I NEVER have to adjusts the ph of my 20 gallon..even after water changes..
Well do you think its so low becasue i moved my tank ? i was told not to keep the water and just put new water in .. before i moved it it was perfect stable at 7.0 now its like 6.0 will it ever rise back up ?
morleyz
12-08-2002, 7:33 PM
Before you go dumping baking soda into your tank, is your pH stable at 6, or is it "crashing" and is currently as 6? What types of fish are you keeping in your tank? A pH of 6 isn't too terrible for a lot of fish...and if your tap water is coming out at 6...you're probably best off using something like a different substrate, or maybe some crushed coral in your filter. Using baking soda on a regular basis is likely just going to cause wild pH swings which will do more damage to your fish than a pH of 6.
not only will you have to add baking soda at every water change, but chances are you will have to add it every few days.
jamison is right, use crushed coral, it works more pemanently, unlike baking soda.
good luck!
Right now i only have 2 small fancy guppies in there the ph was allways at 6.8 and 7.0 stable before i moved it to another spot iam afraid its goign to drop below 6.4 for some reason ..
ArkyLady
12-08-2002, 8:09 PM
While we're on this subject ...
My PH has remained steady around 6.4 and that is what it is out of my tap. My problem is my KH is a big fat zero and it was recommended that I add a bit of crushed coral to my filter to raise my KH. Will the crushed coral raise both my KH and PH? and if I put enough in to give me a decent KH buffer will it also drastically raise my PH at the same time? What KH reading should I be shooting for anyway? I'm going to start small with a tablespoon or two of crushed coral in my 55gal and add to it weekly until I get the results I want.
Most of my fish prefer the less than neutral PH, so I don't really want to raise my PH much, just worried about my KH being so low. Once I get the crushed coral to the amount I like, how often should it be changed? I assume over a period of months it would lose it's effectiveness. Thanks!
wetmanNY
12-08-2002, 8:17 PM
ArkyLady, do you mean that when you test for your KH, the test turns color with the first drop/.
A KH about 4 is often quoted as a minimum for pH stability. Put a couple of tablespoons of aragonites (plain crushed coral as used for marine tank substrate) in your filter. Your pH will rise and stabilize. When it's where you want it, you can reduce the amount of aragonite in the filter (that's why you didn't put it in your gravel).
Keep testing from time to time...
ArkyLady
12-08-2002, 8:33 PM
When I use the test kit, the color changes in the first drop slightly then the second drop it's fully there (sposed to turn one color first then a second color, but mine is instantly the second color). When I use my KH strip it shows up as zero, the stick never changes color at all.
Does the crushed coral last forever? or do you occassionally have to add more to keep your PH/KH at the proper levels?
Arkylady & Davey, crushed coral raises the KH. The KH will raise the PH.
An example of how it works: in my 20 gallon high, I use a total of 3 tablespoons. My KH went from1 to 4, then my PH from 6.2 to 7.0. It was total coincidence that my PH ended up being 7.0, I wasn't aiming for that, in fact, all I was aiming for was a KH of 4.
Start with 2 tablespoons and add another every 3-ish days until the KH is around 4, the PH will raise with it. If you PH ends up somewhere in the 7's that ok, it doesn't have to be exactly 7.0, as long as the KH is stable, the PH will be as well.
My first time trying crushed coral, it took me a couple of weeks to get mine right, I started with 2 tablespoons, added another 2, then had to remove some, then add some, remove add.. etc etc.... I didn't give my tank enough time to adapt, and I used too much each time I added. Start with 2, then go form there.
IME, Crushed coral is the only way to go with raising and STABILIZING the PH, via the KH route. chemicals, and baking soda just didn't do it for me. Well, ok, techically they DID raise the PH, but it was always only a temporary solution, and I always had to add more - sometimes daily!
I have been using the same 3 tablespoons of crushed coral in my 20 gallon for 3 months. In my larger tank, the crushed coral has been in the tank for close to a year. I would imagine that eventually the crushed coral would need to be replaced, but I honestly don't have a clue when this happens. Does coral just disolve entirely at some point? Anyone?
Good luck! :)
ArkyLady
12-08-2002, 8:53 PM
hehe thanks for the clarifications Decz. I believe it was you who recommended that I try the crushed coral to begin with.
I'm going to go add my first two tbsps tonite and see how that works out and go from there. Thanks again!
JamisonBWolsh
12-08-2002, 9:34 PM
only 2 tablespoons of coral substrate?!?!?!?!?!??!?!
I have 10 lbs in my 20 gallon high. Ph at 7.8 from 7.0
Lace rocks help also...(which I have)
Actually....It was I who first mentioned it.
Anton Wernher
12-08-2002, 9:46 PM
I recommend reading http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/hardwater.shtml before you start messing with the water. RTR's article is a great little chem lesson.
ArkyLady
12-09-2002, 12:03 AM
Jamison, first of all there is no way I'm dumping 20lbs of anything into any of my aquariums :D Secondly, I don't want my PH to go up really, if it does go up slightly that's fine, but I'm mainly looking to boost my KH.
I was looking at my test strips earlier and I noticed the readings for the KH starts at 0 and the next reading is 40ppm, so that sort of confused me. Is 40ppm what I'm shooting for? or should I stick to my test kit? :)
wetmanNY
12-09-2002, 12:37 AM
I guess if the first reading after zero is 40 parts per million, the test strips for KH are as useless for aquarium testing as everyone says.