Just got water tested today

[Darryn Lyon]

I'm getting more heavily involved in my water chemistry now that my tank is developed, and the guys who were testing my water weekly before were using an API kit that doesn't give very accurate readings, so found a new local guy who gave me these numbers, said that my alkalinity and ph were low and need to get increased, and i could use some more salt, but overall it doesn't look too bad. I'd need to get some additives to bump them. I got Seachem Reef Buffer. Here are my numbers. The life in my tank is doing well, but would be happier with higher alk and ph, he said.

Calcium : 450
Nitrates : Around 7-8
Salinity : 23.5
pH : 8
Alkalinity : 7

Alkalinity should be be upwards of 10 or 11, correct?

 

[Ocelaris]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

Calcium and alkalinity look spot on. If you don't have many corals or heavy corraline algae you may be fine with just water changes.

You don't test your own water I take it? The kits accuracy isn't that big a deal if you aren't checking it very often.

I would read the ingredients on reef buffer, make sure it hasn't got any phosphates, but being that it's seachem probably not.

You'd probably get a better response in the chemistry forum.

 

[Ocelaris]

Is that salinity number ppt? I think it's supposed to be near 35, not sure what that number is. Check my link

 

[Darryn Lyon]

Thank you. I'll repost in the chemistry forum.