Master Reef Test Kit Results

[Reefing Reefer]

My wife got me a very cool Father's Day gift, a Hanna Master Multiparameter Photometer, and I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to use and test. I've previously used individual Hanna testers, but the all-in-one kit was ideal for neat storing, step-by-step instructions were very nice, data retention is awesome, and overall was a good experience so far.

However, my results were not what I was expecting. My alkalinity was significantly low and calcium high! I was running my nano as FOWLR since November, and I recently added some corals and BTA, which all seem to be doing okay. The tank is a Waterbox 20 AIO and below were the parameters. Any insight as to how to raise/lower levels is greatly appreciated.

pH: 7.8
dKH: 5.8
CA: 528
Nitrate: 0.2 ppm
Phosphate: 0.60 ppm
Sea Water Specific Gravity: 1.025

 

[KrisReef]

I am not familiar with the Hanna kit, I have individual checkers for Alk Cal Phosphorus and they are great tools for measuring parameters. Happy Father’s Day, your wife is awesome!
The route to rebalance is found in Randy Holmes Farleys post on chemistry that are available with a Google search. I’m too lazy to dig them up-sorry.
In a nutshell, you need to decrease calcium addition and increase Alk dosage to get those in balance. Mag impacts both so you need to research RHF chemistry posts and apply the chemistry to your own situation. I’m not sure how you manage Alk, calk & Mg in your system but figure out how to move Alk slowly up and enjoy the new Hanna Kit!