Reducing TA

[DanF]

This may be a dumb question but...

The approach given here for lowering TA is to lower pH with MA, then aerate to bring pH back up again, then repeat the process.
If the higher TA is causing pH to drift upward already, is the aeration necessary?

Thanks!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Dan,

If you added enough MA to reduce your TA all at once, your pH will go very low.. The idea of aeration is to keep your pH in the low 7's while the TA is being driven down...

For me the process takes about two days, with me adding MA "about" every two or three hours... the TA drop is small at first, but then gets larger a larger over time.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[DanF]

Thanks Jim. Are you aerating between the MA additions? I have three suppers and a fountain in our beach step. Would that provide sufficient aeration?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Dan,

I have three 12" scuppers, what they call here "rock ports"... I turn them on when I start to lower my TA and don't turn them off until I am done. It is the only time I use them, now... The waterfall just was not much fun after the newness wore off...

I add MA from in the morning until it is time to go to bed, I leave the waterfall on, and then start adding MA again the next morning.. By that afternoon my TA is usually down to about 50, where I stop. It will come back up to 60 pretty quickly, but then it will take a while to get back up above 120 or so.

I usually do this once a year..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[DanF]

Sounds like me. I dont use my water features much either. TA reduction will allow me to see if they still work