Alkalinity problm

crocodile receptionist · Jun 1, 2020

Hi all, I am new to the hobby and I have had my 60-gallon tank set up now for about 3 weeks. I did a tank transfer so I have some easy to care for corals and 3 small fish. I have been trying to get all of my water chemistry down and I have been successful with all of it besides the Alkalinity/KH. I am not doing any water changes right now becasue it is a new tank and I was advised to let it cycle. Almost every day my Alkalinity levels drop one or 2 dkh levels. I add the exact direct amount of the red sea Kh foundation and I see a change for the first couple hours, but then it drops to what it was before I added the foundation. Is it common to occur, and what should I do about it? Thanks!!!

nano_ryan · Jun 1, 2020

Im not familiar with red sea products but I would say to get a good buffer that you can dose to your tank until your kh is where you would like it to be. I recommend using Kent Marine's Purple Tech to buffer calcium, magnesium, minerals, and alkalinity(kh). It also will aid the growth of coralline algae which I love. Another option is Searchem Reef Buffer which is works great also. Heres both links:

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 2, 2020

crocodile receptionist said:
Hi all, I am new to the hobby and I have had my 60-gallon tank set up now for about 3 weeks. I did a tank transfer so I have some easy to care for corals and 3 small fish. I have been trying to get all of my water chemistry down and I have been successful with all of it besides the Alkalinity/KH. I am not doing any water changes right now becasue it is a new tank and I was advised to let it cycle. Almost every day my Alkalinity levels drop one or 2 dkh levels. I add the exact direct amount of the red sea Kh foundation and I see a change for the first couple hours, but then it drops to what it was before I added the foundation. Is it common to occur, and what should I do about it? Thanks!!!

Some numbers would be helpful. Do you really mean 2 dKH per day?

The production of nitrate from ammonia during cycling will deplete alkalinity.