Home Made Calcium Buffer
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: DIY
Forum Description: Do it Yourself
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2168
Printed Date: December 05 2025 at 4:39am
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Topic: Home Made Calcium Buffer
Posted By: bhaight
Subject: Home Made Calcium Buffer
Date Posted: March 24 2004 at 8:20pm
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I've heard of people making their own calcium buffer for much cheaper than the stores will sell it pre-mixed. Have any of you done this and could you tell me the results of your efforts? Also I have a tank that with sump has about 300 gallons of water so how much would I need to put in it to keep it at the level to get corals to thrive? ------------- Bill Haight You'll need a bigger boat. |
Replies:
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: March 24 2004 at 10:23pm
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Not sure what you mean by calcium buffer? Calcium and buffer are two different things. I'll assume you want "reef buffer", or "reef builder" or "marine buffer" they're all more or less the same. They are essentially a mix of baking soda and washing soda. Baking soda = Arm and Hammer Baking Soda = Sodium Bicarbonate = NaHCO3 I personally have been using straight washing soda without any bad pH effects. But most people prefer to mix the two in a 5:1 ratio of baking:washing. This ratio will not have an imediate effect on pH. If you use straight baking soda your pH will drop when initially added. If you use straight washing soda your pH will rise when initially added. In the end, after a few hours to days, the pH will stabalize at the same pH regardless of which one is used. Some people will add a little bit of borax (20 mule team brand) to the mix too. I don't. As for addition rate... 0.05 tsp baking soda per gallon of aquarium per meq/l so for your 300 gallon system: 15 tsp baking soda (or 10 tsp of washing soda) will add 1 meq/l of alkalinity to your tank. If this doesn't make sense let me know... ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: jbruse
Date Posted: March 24 2004 at 11:12pm
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Hey jfinch how often do you add that to your tank?
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Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 7:14am
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I add washing soda after a water change to boost my alkalalinty back up to between 3.5 - 4 meq/l. On a routine basis I prefer to use a balanced additive such as kalkwasser and B-ionic. About once or twice per month I have to add a little washing soda to help boost the alk. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: bhaight
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 7:45pm
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Yeah, as you can probably tell from my first post I'm fairly new to the reef aquarium world. I just knew that you had a buffer thing and a calcium thing that you were supposed to add to the water. Talking to Flaz today I understand that I can use the washing soda and baking soda to buffer the water then I just need to get a calcium supplement to add in addition to this. ------------- Bill Haight You'll need a bigger boat. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 11:00pm
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What information do you have that causes you to want to add this stuff.
Some tanks need additional help, others do not. Before you start adding something the tank may not need and which can sometimes cause more problems than it solves, let's look at why/whether it is needed. We need to discuss things like current water parameters, such as Alkalinity, pH, Calcium, Nitrogen compounds, etc. Do you know at what levels these factors are currently? Are you keeping any coral? Is the coral doing poorly? Are you keeping other inverts? Fish? What is your filtration set up? And how is the tank set up? Many things work together in a marine aquarium to ensure a healthy environment. You have been registered on the WMAS message board for a year and maybe you have seen the forum help others. I commend you for seeking advice here and hope that your answers to my questions will bring responses from us that benefit you immediately and in the long run. I invite you to visit with us in person at a meeting too. The next meeting is next Friday. Everyone is invited and welcome anytime. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: bhaight
Date Posted: May 10 2004 at 1:36pm
Wow, I just got reading through some of my older postings and found these questions from you Mark (I can read through older posting when I take a sick day  ).
To answer some of your questions. I'm looking at adding this because I've talked to others and read on the net the need to add a buffering agent and calcium for corals. I'm basing it on what others have said and not on personal experience..... yet. The only things that I've tested so far are the basics of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate which are all at safe levels (don't see any readings on any of these since the tank has cycled past the clown tang incident). I currently have several different corals including Xenia, mushrooms, Green Star Polyps, and a couple of others. They all appear to be doing rather well especially the Xenia. I have a bunch of crabs and snails in this tank. A sifting star (that I hardly ever see). Eight Chromis, a yellow tang, a cleaner wrasse, a gold spotted gobie, and a cleaner shrimp. My filtration is 250 lbs of live rock, a 75 gallon refugium (currently holding only substrate and live rock but am planning to add calurpa (spelling) shortyly), and some basic mechanical filtration to keep the water clear. In another six months or so I'll probably add a skimmer but for now am not worrying about it so that it will build up a healthy eco system. As I've said in another string the tank is 215 gallons for the main tank, 75 gallons for the refugium, and a 30 gallon tub for my pumps and the skimmer when I put it in. Other than my ammonia problem of 2 weeks ago everything has gone well with the tank. At this point I'm trying to be patient (this is not easy for me) and let the tank build up to where I want it to be. Adam suggested that I let my tank be seen on the reef tour this year so I've kind of set my goal to have it as presentable as possible at that time. Sorry it takes me so long sometimes to respond. I usually skim through everything once a day and miss stuff at times. ------------- Bill Haight You'll need a bigger boat. |
Posted By: Sarnack
Date Posted: May 10 2004 at 10:55pm
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http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/chem.htm - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/chem.htm Just ran into this article looking for another... |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: May 11 2004 at 6:59am
------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Sarnack wrote:Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 11 2004 at 11:09am
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Before even thinking about using buffer, get to know the Alkalinity, pH and Calcium levels in the tank!
What is the type and amount of LS in the tank and refugium? ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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