Lowering KH

46gReef · Jun 9, 2015

Just wondering the best way to go about lowering my kh? It seems to have got away from me (Due to overdosing) and I'm wondering how to decrease it. Thanks in advance.

cloak · Jun 9, 2015

Letting it fall on it's own naturally is your best bet IMO.

Stop dosing too btw. At least until your parameters are all sorted out. GL.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 9, 2015

How high is it?

46gReef · Jun 9, 2015

20dkh according to API kH, to be honest I've been slacking when it comes to my reef lately. Busy at work/family, blah,blah,blah. Added some snails/emeralds today after a few H2O changes and noticed when I dropped them in(after 60min drip acclimation) little to no movement...and the emeralds did a weird kind of freeze up. Not dead but just sort of froze, the same with some of the snails. After checking my kH I saw it was crazy high, I'm thinking that may have something to do with it?

GainesvilleReef · Jun 9, 2015

46gReef said:
20dkh according to API kH, to be honest I've been slacking when it comes to my reef lately. Busy at work/family, blah,blah,blah. Added some snails/emeralds today after a few H2O changes and noticed when I dropped them in(after 60min drip acclimation) little to no movement...and the emeralds did a weird kind of freeze up. Not dead but just sort of froze, the same with some of the snails. After checking my kH I saw it was crazy high, I'm thinking that may have something to do with it?

I would check your salinity as well before making any decisions.

Downbeach · Jun 9, 2015

It might be prudent to get a second opinon on your tests.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 9, 2015

The three options are to do nothing and let it decline on its own, water changes (but it takes big changes), or add an alk reducer such as muriatic acid or an acid buffer, but both of those lower pH a TON for the short term (a day or so).

Do you have substantial hard corals or coralline which will bring it down reasonably fast? If so, I'd probably elect that route.

46gReef · Jun 9, 2015

GainesvilleReef said:
I would check your salinity as well before making any decisions.

I did, 1.024 via refractometer

46gReef · Jun 9, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The three options are to do nothing and let it decline on its own, water changes (but it takes big changes), or add an alk reducer such as muriatic acid or an acid buffer, but both of those lower pH a TON for the short term (a day or so).

Do you have substantial hard corals or coralline which will bring it down reasonably fast? If so, I'd probably elect that route.

No hard corals, decent amount of coraline, I think I'll do a few 15g H2O changes over the next couple of days, my system is approx 50 gallons total. Thanks everyone for the input.