DKH 12.9 and PH 8.0

[takoarm8]

My alkalinity is really high but my PH is good is this a problem for fish? My tank is 1 month old fish all seem happy. Nitrates and phosphates are in check. Temp is 77.8 f. Ph is 8.0 and stable. I have been dosing Kalwasser to get my PH up. It was at 7.5 before I started dosing. I do feed heavy but I also do (4) 25% water changes a week every other day. My goal is to get the tank growing coralline algae.

 

[TokenReefer]

I think your kinda defeating the purpose of dosing replacing 100% of the water in a week (unless I misunderstood), no? Do you have corals? Personally I wouldn't be dosing kalk yet, but that's just me. I do get the idea of promoting corralline but I think water changes will get you there as well. Until you actually have corralline I feel like the kalk may be wasted. Kalk will perhaps boost growth but with less wc's. You can let your alk come down naturally at this point if you just pause. Just my thoughts. Will follow to learn

 

[takoarm8]

When I wasn’t dosing my ph was stuck around 7.5

 

[takoarm8]

And that was with the water changes

 

[takoarm8]

Can the alkalinity and calcium be too high and hurt the fish if pH is perfect?

 

[takoarm8]

It is a 40gallon AIO tank

Inhabitants
2 blood shrimp
2 skunk cleaner shrimp
2 tiny snowflake clowns
2 purple firefish
1 melanarus wrasse
1 six line wrasse

like I said I’ve been able to keep my nitrates completely in check.

nitrates 20
Phosphates .05
SG. 1.026
PH 8.0
DKH 12.9
Temp 77.8

 

[Garf]

My alkalinity is really high but my PH is good is this a problem for fish? My tank is 1 month old fish all seem happy. Nitrates and phosphates are in check. Temp is 77.8 f. Ph is 8.0 and stable. I have been dosing Kalwasser to get my PH up. It was at 7.5 before I started dosing. I do feed heavy but I also do (4) 25% water changes a week every other day. My goal is to get the tank growing coralline algae.

With fish only I’m guessing you have a lack of aeration, or, the tank is in a sealed up room with human animals breathing out CO2 constantly, or your pH measurement is wrong.

 

[TokenReefer]

Chemistry wise I'll let others far more knowledgeable than I speak on how high those can safely be.

Since there's only fish I wouldn't be chasing ph. It just doesn't matter as much until corals come into play. I just feel like until you see a spot of corralline there's no need to dose. When you do you can fig out how to "feed" it what it needs...

 

[takoarm8]

With fish only I’m guessing you have a lack of aeration, or, the tank is in a sealed up room with human animals breathing out CO2 constantly, or your pH measurement is wrong.

It’s in a hallway and I don’t have a protein skimmer so maybe that’s it. Have 2 French bulldogs constantly farting as well: lol

 

[takoarm8]

Also checked ph with two different devises and it was dead on. Neptune probe and Hanna checker

 

[Garf]

It’s in a hallway and I don’t have a protein skimmer so maybe that’s it. Have 2 French bulldogs constantly farting as well: lol

Being English I’m not fond of anything French at the minute

 

[takoarm8]

Being English I’m not fond of anything French at the minute

Hahahahahaha

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My alkalinity is really high but my PH is good is this a problem for fish? My tank is 1 month old fish all seem happy. Nitrates and phosphates are in check. Temp is 77.8 f. Ph is 8.0 and stable. I have been dosing Kalwasser to get my PH up. It was at 7.5 before I started dosing. I do feed heavy but I also do (4) 25% water changes a week every other day. My goal is to get the tank growing coralline algae.

I'd be wary of the alk going even higher, but it is OK now, IMO, as long as you do not have SPS corals and very low nitrate and phosphate.

 

[Rigoberto]

My suggestion would be to add some kind of CO2 scrubber process first. There may be a lot of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses in the hallway due to those bulldogs and the tank occupants. Having a low pH might hinder the coraline establishment.

Dosing KW will definitely boost the pH, but without your coraline going yet or other consumers, it sounds like you may be accumulating kH.

Like Randy said you are getting to the edge where some people would worry on kH. My tank has been that high (or even a little higher) at one point. I stopped kH dosing and it came back down into the 7-9 range in a few days (with a 25% water change and normal uptake) and no apparent ill effects. I did't have any detectable nitrates/phosphates.

It sounds like you are changing out a large percentage water column every week.

Are you using RO/DI to start?
What does the freshly mixed water parameters look like?

 

[takoarm8]

My suggestion would be to add some kind of CO2 scrubber process first. There may be a lot of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses in the hallway due to those bulldogs and the tank occupants. Having a low pH might hinder the coraline establishment.

Dosing KW will definitely boost the pH, but without your coraline going yet or other consumers, it sounds like you may be accumulating kH.

Like Randy said you are getting to the edge where some people would worry on kH. My tank has been that high (or even a little higher) at one point. I stopped kH dosing and it came back down into the 7-9 range in a few days (with a 25% water change and normal uptake) and no apparent ill effects. I did't have any detectable nitrates/phosphates.

It sounds like you are changing out a large percentage water column every week.

Are you using RO/DI to start?
What does the freshly mixed water parameters look like?

Yeah RO/DI and tropic Marin salt

 

[takoarm8]

numbers
PH 8.0
DKH 12.8
Phosphates .23
Nitrate 2.2
Temp 77.8F
SG 1.026
Calcium 506

 

[takoarm8]

I'd be wary of the alk going even higher, but it is OK now, IMO, as long as you do not have SPS corals and very low nitrate and phosphate.

Yeah no corals it’s a 1 month old tank and I was trying to get the chemistry ideal for coralline algae and I thought my ph was super low.