Naturally high dKH

[MaineReef]

Hello fellow reefers,
I got myself a Auto dosing pump and some BRS 2 part solution. When I started testing my KH I found that it what at 10 dKH. I ran a second test just to be sure and it was the exact same. Ive read some reefers keep there dKH at 10, BRS recommends 9...I just did a 25% water change yesterday, so the question is should I do another small water change to drop the dKH more or keep it at a steady 10?
Thanks Again!
MaineReef

 

[Elementalj]

Hello fellow reefers,
I got myself a Auto dosing pump and some BRS 2 part solution. When I started testing my KH I found that it what at 10 dKH. I ran a second test just to be sure and it was the exact same. Ive read some reefers keep there dKH at 10, BRS recommends 9...I just did a 25% water change yesterday, so the question is should I do another small water change to drop the dKH more or keep it at a steady 10?
Thanks Again!
MaineReef

Stop dosing until it falls. What's Mg and Ca?

 

[MaineReef]

Ca is 400ppm going to get it up to 420ppm, Haven't tested my Mag. Assumed my good water change routine would be good enough for the Mag.

 

[Elementalj]

Ca is 400ppm going to get it up to 420ppm, Haven't tested my Mag. Assumed my good water change routine would be good enough for the Mag.

I believe Mr. Farley posted a while back that you should get magnesium under control first. Then the other two will be much easier to regulate. Did you say what type of salt mix you're using? My alkalinity hasn't been that high in quite some time. I had a bad batch of reef crystals.

Pardon, I had to edit.

 

[MaineReef]

I believe Mr. Farley posted a while back that you should get magnesium under control first. Then the other two will be much easier to regulate. Did you say what type of salt mix you're using? My alkalinity hasn't been that high in quite some time. I had a bad batch of reef crystals.

Pardon, I had to edit.

Im using Instant Ocean Regular salt mix not reef crystals. I haven't started dosing anything yet. I don't know if its coming from my tap water because I'm not using an R/O unit but I thought tap water usually has low dKH to begin with.

 

[tomtom2245]

Mix up a batch of saltwater and test that. Let's see what that level is.

 

[Elementalj]

Im using Instant Ocean Regular salt mix not reef crystals. I haven't started dosing anything yet. I don't know if its coming from my tap water because I'm not using an R/O unit but I thought tap water usually has low dKH to begin with.

Depends on the source of the tap. Around here it'd be an algae nightmare to use the tap. Our municipal water supply is loaded with silicate and its relatively hard to boot.

 

[Elementalj]

Mix up a batch of saltwater and test that. Let's see what that level is.

Smart [emoji851]

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello fellow reefers,
I got myself a Auto dosing pump and some BRS 2 part solution. When I started testing my KH I found that it what at 10 dKH. I ran a second test just to be sure and it was the exact same. Ive read some reefers keep there dKH at 10, BRS recommends 9...I just did a 25% water change yesterday, so the question is should I do another small water change to drop the dKH more or keep it at a steady 10?
Thanks Again!
MaineReef

You salt mix may be at higher than 10 dKH (normal IO is significantly higher than 10 dKH), so stop doing water changes if lower alk is the goal. 7-11 dKH is fine. Forget the exact value from BRS.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Im using Instant Ocean Regular salt mix not reef crystals. I haven't started dosing anything yet. I don't know if its coming from my tap water because I'm not using an R/O unit but I thought tap water usually has low dKH to begin with.

ANY alk in tap water will add to the alk in the seawater and push it higher.

That said, I'd avoid tap water for other reasons, not the alkalinity. Copper, etc., is the main concern, IMO.

 

[MaineReef]

Hey everyone,
Sorry it took so long to get back, I asked the guy at the LFS and he said high dKH common in the area and suggest an r/o system which I am going to purchase after Christmas is over with. I've put a halt to the dosing of the tank until then. I'm fighting a pretty major ich outbreak that killed 3 of my fish today alone and 3 more within the last month. So I'm taking full priority on fixing that problem at this moment. Thanks for all the input I think I have a pretty good grasp on what the problem is and how to treat it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

OK, thanks for the update.