Sodium Bisulfate

[corrosionjerry]

IF your 20ml = 20g thing works out you can always use a teaspoon or tablespoon too. 1 teaspoon = 5ml, 1 tablesppon = 15ml

But since I never took chemistry, I have no idea how to do conversions and if 1ml=1g. I'll let someone else help you with that one. Just thought i'd let you know there is an easier way of measuring 20ml then estimating with a 50ml test tube.

Thanks ////

Not a chemistry major here. But unfortunately that is not how it works.

You can only substitute 1ml for 1 gram for water at sea level at 20 degrees C.

It depends on the amount of grams you can put into solution....for instance 1 cubic cm (1ml) of water may hold in solution more or less than 1 gram of sugar depending on elevation and temperature and the ability of water to hold sugar.

So it is best to add x grams to water and try it out. Be as accurate as you can (use the same amount of water each time)

FYI I have mixed Edmonton water at 20 % with RO 80 % and achieved a PH of 6.8

J

I just new it wasnt as easy as that... Thanks for the info

For the record... what kind of a KH reading were you getting with 20-80 mix....?

I have been mixing mine more like 40-60 .... I have just started taking KH readings after I noticed a swing I didnt like and noticed my KH is somewhere between 3-4

[geleen]

I just new it wasnt as easy as that... Thanks for the info

For the record... what kind of a KH reading were you getting with 20-80 mix....?

I have been mixing mine more like 40-60 .... I have just started taking KH readings after I noticed a swing I didnt like and noticed my KH is somewhere between 3-4

Good observation;guilty as charged. I did not measure KH! :shock:

I used this mix for about 4 month's, breeding cherry barbs. Worked well. I did not worry because of the (assumed) buffering capacity of Edmonton water. Lesson learned (again and again ) Never assume. Next time I will measure KH.

J

[firestorm]

Ah, the word titration was mentioned somewhere up above. Why not do just that? Take a small volume, say 1-4 L, and add a broad indicator, such as bromothymol blue. Add your acid until the solution turns the desired colour, and record the amount of NaHSO4 that you need. Once you get the approximate amount, you can fine tune it with a short range test kit, and scale up. Or, even better, if you have a pH probe, use that. Before adding anything to your tank, make sure the pH of the mixture stays stable. Now, the water in your tank is of a different composition than just RO/tap water, with organic acids and other goodies, so things may change on you in the "real world" setting. All that being said, is adding an acid your only option here? You may find it to be a somewhat unpredictable and frustrating experience.

Couldn't have said it better :thumbs: titration is really not all that difficult. We had the equipment though to do our titrations with, which made things easier. You mostly will need a very accurate measuring device, and an eye dropper. And yes you will have to record how many drops of the acid you put in, as well figure out what measurement the drops altogether will be. Good old chemistry, loved it, but too stressed to really stay focused on it. Wish I could go back and take it when I am really focused We always used the rule that 1mL was always equal to 1gram. I don't think sea level has much to do with it, however depending on how close to sea level you are, will determine boiling and melting points, as well as affect recipes and stuff when cooking. I never would think that would affect plain measurements.

Link to figure out quantities of things!! http://www.malawimayhem.com/convert.php

Did you guys check the ratio of RO-tap in a bucket before adding to the tank? Did you use a heater and airstone in the water over night and measure the pH over a longer period of time? I will be starting to use it soon, but I don't want to take any chances, I have already know first hand what a pH swing can do.

Edited July 29, 2008 by firestorm

[geleen]

"We always used the rule that 1mL was always equal to 1gram."

With water yes,but I can't agree otherwise. try 1ml of mercury and weigh it :shifty: Likely Sodium bisulfate is a crystal powder that needs to be put into solution before titration; so you may as well add it to water directly at IMO.

J

[firestorm]

Oh yeah, that is very true. I forgot that was only for measuring water only lol. I say you might have to measure in mL's and Litres unless you have other types of measuring devices.

Edited July 29, 2008 by firestorm

[nyb440]

Just to clarify, the amount of substance in a certain volume is given by the density. So, the 1 g = 1 mL assumption is really only valid for pure water (the mass of 1 mL of H20 is the definition of a gram). However, for the purposes here, it probably doesn't matter much.

I think that the easiest way to carry out the previously pondered titration, with materials typically available at home, would be to first prepare a fairly concentrated stock solution of NaHSO4. Use easily measured volumes to do this, say 500 mL and a few tablespoons of the salt. (those are somewhat random numbers, you'd have to play with the exact ratios to find what works, depending on the final volume that you need, more concentrated would probably be better). Then add the stock solution to the RO/tap water mix and determine how many mL you need to add to reach the pH you want. This would avoid trying to consistently measure out odd volumes of the salt itself, such as 1/32 of a tsp. Just keep in mind that tap water can contain more than one acid/base pair (although "carbonates" are normally the most significant), which can change from season to season, making your life as a chemist more challenging (your recipes may not always work). Another option is that there are some commercial buffers (Seachem?) that can be added to RO water to get a buffer with the right pH and buffer capacity. This might take remove a whole lot of guesswork.

Edited July 30, 2008 by nyb440

[corrosionjerry]

Just to clarify, the amount of substance in a certain volume is given by the density. So, the 1 g = 1 mL assumption is really only valid for pure water (the mass of 1 mL of H20 is the definition of a gram). However, for the purposes here, it probably doesn't matter much.

I think that the easiest way to carry out the previously pondered titration, with materials typically available at home, would be to first prepare a fairly concentrated stock solution of NaHSO4. Use easily measured volumes to do this, say 500 mL and a few tablespoons of the salt. (those are somewhat random numbers, you'd have to play with the exact ratios to find what works, depending on the final volume that you need, more concentrated would probably be better). Then add the stock solution to the RO/tap water mix and determine how many mL you need to add to reach the pH you want. This would avoid trying to consistently measure out odd volumes of the salt itself, such as 1/32 of a tsp. Just keep in mind that tap water can contain more than one acid/base pair (although "carbonates" are normally the most significant), which can change from season to season, making your life as a chemist more challenging (your recipes may not always work). Another option is that there are some commercial buffers (Seachem?) that can be added to RO water to get a buffer with the right pH and buffer capacity. This might take remove a whole lot of guesswork.

I totally agree with your ramble.... I believe the buffer capacity changes from season to season... as I have been consistent with the amount and type of acid and quantity of water and age of the water etc. etc. however lately things have changed all of a sudden... constant vigilance is deffinetly needed to achieve consistancy.... it may be worth it to go to the seachem products and straight ro water............... no quess work involved then just dollars............................. then again what hobby doesnt cost.....