Ph Dropping During Cycle

[waterdrop]

Hi Josh,

So what I hear you saying is that in the UK, the manufacturers are putting the title "Baking Soda" on boxes of bicarb that also contains other stuff when you read the ingredients list. Is that right? If so, that box would always, in my experience, be labeled "Baking Powder" in the US. In the US, we rarely see "Bicarbonate of Soda" as a title on the box.

WD

 

[drobbyb]

Well, I must admit the price quote was from a chemical supply company. I kinda went to the extreme when I was thinking "pure" bicarbonate of soda, and I figured that coming from a chemical supply company it has to be pure.

 

[JoshuaA]

Hi Josh,

So what I hear you saying is that in the UK, the manufacturers are putting the title "Baking Soda" on boxes of bicarb that also contains other stuff when you read the ingredients list. Is that right? If so, that box would always, in my experience, be labeled "Baking Powder" in the US. In the US, we rarely see "Bicarbonate of Soda" as a title on the box.

WD

I have a tub of baking soda in the cupboard now and it has caking agents. Granted that this is somewhat a few years old perhaps. Though I did see one the other day in the store which had "other stuff" in the ingredients list under baking soda.

we have a lot of products directly called "Bicarbonate of Soda" in our stores (well a few varieties) and obviously a single ingredient. I imagine it really depends on what brand, however there was about 3 brands of Bicarbonate of Soda, of course I went for the cheapest seeing as its the same thing. I believe I have the Dr Oekter brand...

A chemical company charging through the nose for Bicarb

 

[OldMan47]

The bicarb from a chemical supply shop will not be any more pure than from anywhere else. What it will do is have a complete analysis of the impurities contained in the product. The complete analysis is needed by those who would use it in a bit more restricted ways than we do. For cooking or stabilizing pH, the grocery store stuff is just fine. Food grade bicarb is plenty pure enough for our purposes.

 

[sean0151]

Hi Folks.
Wow that started a discusion.

Anyhow as an update i had my wife get the bi-carb and add 6 tblspoons.
PH is now up to 7.8 to 8 and the cycle seems to be up and running again.
She left the wood in.
So thanks again everyone.another problem solved.

Regards
Sean

 

[PDSimon]

remember that you need to do a 100% waterchange before you add fish as bicarb is unhealthy and possibly fatal for fish. If you do wish to control the pH and hardness in a fishin sitution come back to ask

 

[OldMan47]

I must correct that Simon. The bicarb will not harm the fish unless used in enormous quantities. We avoid using it with fish in a tank because it causes a too rapid response of the water chemistry, not because it is harmful in itself. Anything at all that causes rapid water chemistry changes should be avoided. The fish have to live in that water.

 

[PDSimon]

I will take not of that thanks