Increase alkalinity

[Kleko]

My alkalinity is sitting at 118 ppm (6.7 dKH), with Ca at 470. How can I go about increasing the alkalinity? I read something about using baking soda, but that affects the pH as well. Just wanted your opinions of how I can increase the alkalinity.
Thanks

 

[Neopimp]

Increase Kh

Bake the baking soda in an oven at like 375 for an hour.  That will turn your baking soda into soda ash.  Brs has a calculator for how much should be added . Slowly

 

[Salty Cracker]

royal aquarium has bulk soda ash, clinical grade...

 

[Krazykarl]

Water changes. Or use an additive slowly until you reach your desired dkh. I believe this will adversely affect ca however.

 

[AdamS]

I think it is important before you do anything to check your Magnesium levels. If magnesium levels are low, your high calcium level will be contributing to your low alkanility problem, and you may never be able to correct it.

Fix magnesium first, then fix the alkalinity.

 

[Darryl_V]

Water changes. Or use an additive slowly until you reach your desired dkh. I believe this will adversely affect ca however.

only if you waaaaaaaay over shoot the alkalinity.  If you increase alkalinity with in a the appropriate range it wont affect the calcium.

 

[Kleko]

Thanks for your input everyone. I think I will likely manually dose with ash. I have no problems making it in the oven. Ill use some handy dandy chemistry equations to find out the amount of pure sodium ash (NaO) produced. First of all I should likely buy myself a set of Mg, KH, and Ca test kits. The parameters I have were given by tests through IA.
Any further suggestions would be great

 

[Salty Cracker]

Thanks for your input everyone. I think I will likely manually dose with ash. I have no problems making it in the oven. Ill use some handy dandy chemistry equations to find out the amount of pure sodium ash (NaO) produced. First of all I should likely buy myself a set of Mg, KH, and Ca test kits. The parameters I have were given by tests through IA.
Any further suggestions would be great

It's -fifteen- dollars for a half gallon of soda ash.  Why on earth would you try to freebase stuff at home?  I think a half gallon of baking soda would be $15 wouldn't it??  http://royalaquariums.ca/p/910/ra-soda-ash

Also, definitely get your own test kits.  I can someday tell you how I would spend $250 every spring on chemicals because I would bring my water in to be tested at neighbourhood pool and spa.  The guy that installed my pool here gave me the 'secrets' to cheap clear water, and step #1 was "get your own test kits, and not the cheap ones on the shelf".  I now spend maybe $30 every spring...there's a reason they do the 'free' water tests.