tank emergency !!!!!

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by phreezee

Try Baking Soda to increase your alkalinity and Kalk to bring up the pH.

Baking soda will increase alk, but at the same time decreases pH. Use both baking soda and kalk at the same time, but from different containers. Putting them in the same container causes precipitation.

My recipe is:

- 1 teaspoon baking soda mixed well in two cups of tankwater
- 2 1/2 cups kalk

Increase in alk with that recipe in my 67g is 1.5 dKH, with a minimum change in pH.

Yesterday, I adjusted alk in our three tanks, pouring in small amounts of both baking soda mixture and kalk in at the same time. Have a pH monitor which measured increase/decrease of pH. pH remained relatively stable. Don't know if others use this method, but have used it several times in the past with no ill effects on fish, corals, inverts.

BTW, kalk recipe is 3/4 teapsoon kalk powder in 4 litres RO/DI water mixed well in a clean milk jug. Let this mixture sit 12-24 hours before using. Discard any water where kalk powder has precipitated at the bottom of the jug.