Simple method of dosing alk?

[midgetwaiter]

Originally Posted by ponokareefer

I totally get that. For part of 2008, I was getting my magnesium level up, and until it was up, I couldn't get my alk & calcium high enough. After my magnesium level was at 1400, my calcium and alk levels were good. After I bought my largest clam, my magnesium levels stayed the same, calcium levels went in the high 400's, and alk dropped below acceptable levels. By adding alk, my alk comes back into an acceptable level, my calcium dropps into the low 400's, and my magnesium stays the same. Should I be adding calcium as well, even though what I am doing is keeping all levels in the acceptable levels?

You use tap water rather than RO right? I imagine Ponoka has fairly hard water like the rest of the province so every time you do a top up with your tap water you are adding a fair amount of calcium but not very much alkalinity. If you use something like Kalkwasser in your top up it won't fix the problem as you are adding more or less balanced amounts of calcium and alkalinity to water that already has a lot of calcium. Boosting only alk in the top up by adding something like sodium carbonate (your baked baking soda) makes you top up into a balanced calcium / alk additive as well.

The easy way to go forward is to get yourself an auto top off of some kind and supplement the ATO water with Alk.