Alk Swings - this normal?

[specialk]

Hey All -

So I have been dosing to get my #'s back to where they should be, then testing everyday to get a reading of how much my tank is using so I can begin a proper dosing regimen.

My Alk was at 7.3 this morning, I dosed BRS soda ash (proper dosage using their calculator, and dosed in the morning, then once again in the afternoon) in an effort to get the Alk up to 8.3. ...

I just tested the Alk again (this was about 2.5 hours after the last dosing) and the reading came out to about 5.7!!! ???

The test kit I am using is Salifert. Brand New. Always been solid and good readings for me.

Question is .. is this normal to have a swing like this and a significant drop after dosing? My 1st time I tested was this morning, about an hour after the lights came on.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think you have some testing errors. The alk didn't drop from 8.3 dKH to 5.7 dKH in 2.5 hours.

Most likely, the 5.7 dKH is in error. Don't know about the others.

 

[rock_lobster]

No alk swings are very very bad in the reef. check your test kit against a standard solution. Anytime I get a crazy reading the first thing to do is repeat the test before drawing any conclusions.

 

[specialk]

Dont get it. This test kit is brand new and has been spot on the entire time I have used it