Question about Buffering Capacity in pond!

[Webwarlock]

OK, so I got a pond kit to test my bond.
I read it as the ph level was too high and the total buffering
capacity was too low. According to the instructions I have to add
Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to bring it up.

My question is, is the standard baking soda in the grocery store ok to
use as long as I just get pure baking soda? If so how much should I
add?
My pond is about 2000 gallons.

Thanks for the info.

[Jim Humphries]

Add one or two of the smaller packages of supermarket baking soda and
re-check the pH. In a lab the pH would be above 7.5 for a solution of
baking soda. It is also usual to add some calcium carbonate for hardness
too. That also provides some buffering.
--
Jim and Sara Humphries, Victoria, BC
<Webwarlock> wrote in message
...
>
> OK, so I got a pond kit to test my bond.
> I read it as the ph level was too high and the total buffering
> capacity was too low. According to the instructions I have to add
> Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to bring it up.
>
> My question is, is the standard baking soda in the grocery store ok to
> use as long as I just get pure baking soda? If so how much should I
> add?
> My pond is about 2000 gallons.
>
> Thanks for the info.

[RichToyBox]

Plain old grocery store baking soda is the stuff. You say your pH is too
high, and buffering (KH) is low. The baking soda will bring the pH toward
8.4 from higher or lower. If the pH is at or near 8.4 then you can add a
pound at a time and see when the KH gets to about 7 dgrees or 100 ppm, which
is a good level. Up to 300 ppm is acceptable. If the pH is drastically
different than the 8.4, add just a small amount per day, raising or lowering
the pH no more than 0.2 per day.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
<Webwarlock> wrote in message
...
>
> OK, so I got a pond kit to test my bond.
> I read it as the ph level was too high and the total buffering
> capacity was too low. According to the instructions I have to add
> Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to bring it up.
>
> My question is, is the standard baking soda in the grocery store ok to
> use as long as I just get pure baking soda? If so how much should I
> add?
> My pond is about 2000 gallons.
>
> Thanks for the info.

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

Grocery store baking soda is what we all use. Start with 2 cups worth and
recheck after 24. hours, depending on circulation YMMV. I'd liked to know
what your pH is? Baking soda has a set point of 8.4, some say it will bring
down a pH higher than this.

If anyone out there has experience with bringing down a pH with baking
soda, I'd like to know just how much does one needs to add? I've used up to
2 pounds in 1,000 gallons and didn't see the 9+ pH budge. Testor goes to
9.5 so I had the range to know just how high it was. ~ jan

> OK, so I got a pond kit to test my bond.
> I read it as the ph level was too high and the total buffering
> capacity was too low. According to the instructions I have to add
> Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to bring it up.
>
> My question is, is the standard baking soda in the grocery store ok to
> use as long as I just get pure baking soda? If so how much should I
> add?
> My pond is about 2000 gallons.
>
> Thanks for the info.

(Do you know where your water quality is?)

[[email protected]]

you bring it down with HCl, not baking soda. Ingrid

~ jan JJsPond.us > wrote:
>If anyone out there has experience with bringing down a pH with baking
>soda, I'd like to know just how much does one needs to add? I've used up to
>2 pounds in 1,000 gallons and didn't see the 9+ pH budge. Testor goes to
>9.5 so I had the range to know just how high it was. ~ jan


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Janet]

Jan, register here (http://www.click2roark.com/ ) and check out the
carbonate calculator. It will calculate how much you need to add based on
current ph and pond size as well as the target ph...
Janet in windy Niagara Falls

--

"~ jan JJsPond.us" > wrote in message
s.com...
> Grocery store baking soda is what we all use. Start with 2 cups worth and
> recheck after 24. hours, depending on circulation YMMV. I'd liked to know
> what your pH is? Baking soda has a set point of 8.4, some say it will
bring
> down a pH higher than this.
>
> If anyone out there has experience with bringing down a pH with baking
> soda, I'd like to know just how much does one needs to add? I've used up
to
> 2 pounds in 1,000 gallons and didn't see the 9+ pH budge. Testor goes to
> 9.5 so I had the range to know just how high it was. ~ jan
>
> > OK, so I got a pond kit to test my bond.
> > I read it as the ph level was too high and the total buffering
> > capacity was too low. According to the instructions I have to add
> > Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to bring it up.
> >
> > My question is, is the standard baking soda in the grocery store ok to
> > use as long as I just get pure baking soda? If so how much should I
> > add?
> > My pond is about 2000 gallons.
> >
> > Thanks for the info.
>
> (Do you know where your water quality is?)

[Hal]

On Thu, 20 May 2004 14:20:49 GMT, ~ jan JJsPond.us
> wrote:

>If anyone out there has experience with bringing down a pH with baking
>soda, I'd like to know just how much does one needs to add? I've used up to
>2 pounds in 1,000 gallons and didn't see the 9+ pH budge. Testor goes to
>9.5 so I had the range to know just how high it was. ~ jan

Something I picked up here:
- if KH is below 150 ppm or so, adding baking soda will raise KH and
shift pH down towards 8.4. Suggested dose 1/3 pound per 1000 gallons.
That will raise KH by 20 ppm. or about 1 degree. ½ pound per 1500
gallons.
- if KH is above 150 ppm or so, adding muriatic acid will lower KH and
shift pH down. Suggested dose 2 ounces per 1000 gallons.(per day)
Add acid to water, never water to acid!

So what is your KH?

Regards,

Hal

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

That's what I've been doing. :o) Many people claim that baking soda will
bring it down, and I was wondering if anyone here had experienced that
phenomenon. Perhaps it is another wishful thinking myth? ~ jan

>On Thu, 20 May 2004 15:30:39 GMT, wrote:

>you bring it down with HCl, not baking soda. Ingrid
>
>~ jan JJsPond.us > wrote:
>>If anyone out there has experience with bringing down a pH with baking
>>soda, I'd like to know just how much does one needs to add? I've used up to
>>2 pounds in 1,000 gallons and didn't see the 9+ pH budge. Testor goes to
>>9.5 so I had the range to know just how high it was. ~ jan
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
>http://puregold.aquaria.net/
>www.drsolo.com
>Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
>compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
>endorsements or recommendations I make.

(Do you know where your water quality is?)

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

I added 1 lb of baking soda to 1,000 gallons giving me a KH of 179-200 ppm,
the pH, if anything, went higher into the 9s. Will check out the carbonate
cal. at Roark site. ~ jan

>On Thu, 20 May 2004 13:09:15 -0400, Hal > wrote:

>Something I picked up here:
>- if KH is below 150 ppm or so, adding baking soda will raise KH and
>shift pH down towards 8.4. Suggested dose 1/3 pound per 1000 gallons.
>That will raise KH by 20 ppm. or about 1 degree. ½ pound per 1500
>gallons.
>- if KH is above 150 ppm or so, adding muriatic acid will lower KH and
>shift pH down. Suggested dose 2 ounces per 1000 gallons.(per day)
>Add acid to water, never water to acid!
>
>So what is your KH?
>
>Regards,
>
>Hal

(Do you know where your water quality is?)

[Hal]

OK, your KH is above 150ppm so the stability of your pH readings is
assured. To bring down pH and KH, use Muriatic acid that you can buy
at building supply houses and some good hardware stores. It is used
to clean cement.

If the KH reading comes from baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) it will
max at 8.4. If the KH reading comes from other sources such as quick
lime, or the lime in cement, it can go much higher, but HCL or the
commercial grade muriatic acid will directly consume the KH. Add
daily doses and check the KH to make sure you don't go below KH 150
ppm.

Regards,

Hal

On Fri, 21 May 2004 05:02:34 GMT, ~ jan JJsPond.us
> wrote:

>I added 1 lb of baking soda to 1,000 gallons giving me a KH of 179-200 ppm,
>the pH, if anything, went higher into the 9s. Will check out the carbonate
>cal. at Roark site. ~ jan
>
>>On Thu, 20 May 2004 13:09:15 -0400, Hal > wrote:
>
>>Something I picked up here:
>>- if KH is below 150 ppm or so, adding baking soda will raise KH and
>>shift pH down towards 8.4. Suggested dose 1/3 pound per 1000 gallons.
>>That will raise KH by 20 ppm. or about 1 degree. ½ pound per 1500
>>gallons.
>>- if KH is above 150 ppm or so, adding muriatic acid will lower KH and
>>shift pH down. Suggested dose 2 ounces per 1000 gallons.(per day)
>>Add acid to water, never water to acid!
>>
>>So what is your KH?
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Hal
>
> (Do you know where your water quality is?)

[Jim and Phyllis Hurley]

Plaster of paris from lowes also works well. Fill the bottom of a laundry
basket, let it harden and dry, put it in the filter or out of the way.

Jim

--
____________________________________________
See our pond at: home.bellsouth.net\p\pwp-jameshurley
Ask me about Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $120+ per child) at: jogathon.net

<Webwarlock> wrote in message
...
>
> OK, so I got a pond kit to test my bond.
> I read it as the ph level was too high and the total buffering
> capacity was too low. According to the instructions I have to add
> Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to bring it up.
>
> My question is, is the standard baking soda in the grocery store ok to
> use as long as I just get pure baking soda? If so how much should I
> add?
> My pond is about 2000 gallons.
>
> Thanks for the info.

[[email protected]]

plaster of paris is not a good idea. Rod Farley explained why. but the result is pH
levels that swing up and down and dead fish. use organic dolomitic limestone instead
for hardness. but they have high pH so they need an acid like HCl or muriatic acid
to bring the pH down. Ingrid


>Plaster of paris from lowes also works well. Fill the bottom of a laundry
>basket, let it harden and dry, put it in the filter or out of the way.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

This weekend I'm happy to report pH is holding at 7.8, KH 107ppm. String
Algae has given up as the other plants come on strong. :o) ~ jan


(Do you know where your water quality is?)