Mixing additives

Is there a recomended amount in mixing pickling lime or baking soda when using as a water conditioner?

Yes it has been a long time, the tank has been coasting and looks like crap. Its time to get it looking good again.

Welcome back.

As a Water Conditioner? Hold on a minute...
Your question makes me want to ask you to go back a few steps and tell us what the Alkalinity and Calcium levels are in this tank.

Pickling Lime is not recommended unless you understand it and how to dose it. I would first get the Alk and Ca levels to where they should be, then consider Pickling Lime for Kalkwasser.

On the other hand, Baking Soda is so simple and so useful. A lot can be added without harm to the tank, meaning that if the Alk is low, you can raise it very quickly without great harm. (1 dKH per day)

In the body of the thread linked below are instructions on how to mix and use it.
Just in case, FYI, not only Alk but Ca must be accounted for.


Edited by Mark Peterson - September 06 2010 at 2:39pm

Both are out of desired range.
Ca: 400-450
Alk: 8-12

Try to start dosing calcium chloride (turbo calcium by kent marine) slowly and raise your calcium level to desired one. Doing that your alk should drop. So eventually you might need only calcium to make your levels perfect. If alk still will be too high make a water change. If it will become too low - add some soda. As soon as Ca and Alk are at a good stable levels you can start dosing pickling lime.

Begging your pardon, the acceptable Alk range is 8-14 dKH so Alk is okay.

But the Ca is dangerously low. The acceptable range for Ca is 350-550 ppm.
Get that Calcium up as soon as possible. It can be raised by 50ppm/day with no ill effects.

Like Baking Soda for Alk, the common household product for raising Ca is Prestone Driveway Heat winter ice melt prills. See more on this in the thread linked below in my signature line.

Sodium Bicarbonate and Calcium Chloride are the reefkeepers best friends.
Testing Alk and Ca is one of the keys to success with a reef aquarium.

One of the other keys to success and the one that should be examined next in this tank is whether there are enough herbivores. If not, as you start showing it attention to improve conditions overall, nuisance algae could quickly get out of control. One snail per gallon is a good rule of thumb. A few Hermit Crabs and an Herbivorous fish are good animals to have.

if you have some time these are some great places to learn I have yet to finish them though

http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/brs-tv
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm