# baking soda?



## bimbobaggins19 (Nov 28, 2005)

Is baking soda good to use as a way of raising the PH, and for buffering the water?


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

Yes. Do it slowly however because rapid changes in ph will stress your fish.


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## piranhaluva (Nov 6, 2005)

jimma said:


> Is baking soda good to use as a way of raising the PH, and for buffering the water?


how would one go about doing this...
...Amount per gallon...
...how much & wen...

thank you!


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

elTwitcho said:


> Yes. Do it slowly however because rapid changes in ph will stress your fish.


This is half correct. Will not add buffering capacity. Only raise pH. You will still need to add a buffer. Baking soda is good if you are in for a quick fix.


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

jerry_plakyda said:


> Yes. Do it slowly however because rapid changes in ph will stress your fish.


This is half correct. Will not add buffering capacity. Only raise pH. You will still need to add a buffer. Baking soda is good if you are in for a quick fix.
[/quote]

I think you might be mistaken Jerry, baking soda is well known for it's buffering capabilities.



> Because of its chemical makeup, Baking Soda has unique capabilities as a Ph balancer or buffer. Buffering is the maintenance of a stable pH balance, or acid-alkali balance. As a buffer, Baking Soda tends to cause acid solutions to become more alkali and to cause alkali solutions to become more acid, bringing both solutions to a stable pH around 8.1 (slightly basic) on the pH scale. A buffer also resists pH change in a solution, in this case maintaining a pH of 8.1. In this way Baking Soda can be used as an antacid in the human digestive system, neutralizing acids from acid indigestion and heartburn and relieving the associated discomfort. When used as a paste on skin or in the bath Baking Soda soothes the irritation of poison ivy, insect bites, sunburn, and prickly heat.
> 
> http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/mecklenburg/depts/fce/soda.htm


Dozens of other links here
http://www.google.ca/search?client=firefox...G=Google+Search

Sodium Bi*carbonate* will add to your carbonate hardness, and works quite well as a buffer. It's fairly common in planted aquariums to be used as such.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

brain fart has occurred on my part







Sorry Rich, let me just add this. When doing water changes you will remove the buffer so you will need to keep on adding. Instead of having to constantly re-test for pH, just use baking soda as a quick fix and add a buffer such as crushed coral to your aquarium so that you won't have to constantly monitor and futz with the baking soda.


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

jerry_plakyda said:


> When doing water changes you will remove the buffer so you will need to keep on adding.


It's all good dude









Yep, I did forget to mention that. I remember also hearing that slowly the amount of baking soda in your water will decrease as it gets converted to gasses (CO2 it may have been). The upside of course, is that you can directly control the kh and ph of your water by adding water of the correct levels directly to your tank, rather than soft water and waiting for your crushed coral to raise the ph on its own. Different methods, both work well though.

For what it's worth, most people use crushed coral since it's easier and requires less constant fiddling. Just toss a bag in your filter and it should be good. Just be wary of doing large water changes and upsetting the ph balance in your tank.


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