Please help.....

[Tazdvl100]

Alright here goes. I have a 125 gallon tank that has been setup since december. I have gone thru the cycle and have added some fish and a few frag corals. I use rodi water to mix with instant ocean but have recently switched to reef crystals. More on that shortly.

So, i have been getting my water tested at my local LFS. was told 3 weeks ago that my alkalinity is very low (6.1). I started manually dosing reef builder by seachem. 3 weeks have passed and i decided to get everything checked again yesterday.

Went to my first LFS, who uses red sea test kits and got an alkalinity reading of 6.5.

Second LFS who uses salifert test kits tested at 7.7.

Third LFS who also uses salifert test kits tested at 9.3 twice by 2 different people with the same kit.

This morning i met with a buddy of mine that has a hanna checker. He tested my alkalinty at 6.5.

My question is.....which test do i believe with the huge variances in test results.

Salinity 1.025
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 5 ppm
Alk. ???
Calcium 500+ (out of range of test kits)
Ph 8.3
Phos .01ppm
Mag 1480
Temp 79.5

PLEASE HELP

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Hi there, thanks for all the information. the hanna checker in my opinion and easier to read and provides accurate results.

Another important component is understanding the elements daily consumption rate for not just alkalinity but Magnesium and Calcium too. More life = higher consumption rate. Educate yourself on the water chemistry of your tank and avoid blindly adding supplements. This is a recipe for disaster. I’ve ran the 3-part AquaForest Balling Method for a solid year now and LOVE IT. It's simple to dose and has the added benefits of minor and major trace elements that many stand-alone supplements don’t offer. The Balling Method essentially doses each element (CA, MG, ALK, plus Trace Elements) in equal parts daily.

To understand the daily consumption rate of your aquarium is pretty simple, all you do is cease on all water changes and supplements additives for a several days. Test all three elements at the same time each day and compare your results afterwards. For example, my ALK for day one was 9.0dkh, day two it was 8.6dkh, and day three it was 8.2dkh which identifies the daily consumption rate of 0.4dkh.

 

[Fish4udog]

Have used salifert test kits until I got my hanna. I would get 1 of the 2 for you to test with every couple days see if your tank is actually using that much . Do you dose kh & ca ?

 

[Tazdvl100]

The corals that i have in there a very small frags. None of my levels have changed drastically in the 3 weeks since we have been dealing with this. Alk started at 6.1 and is up to 6.5.

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Stick with one test and stop water changes and supplement additives and test the same time for 5 days and compare the results. You need to understand the daily consumption rate of your aquarium first thing.

 

[Tazdvl100]

Have used salifert test kits until I got my hanna. I would get 1 of the 2 for you to test with every couple days see if your tank is actually using that much . Do you dose kh & ca ?

I have been dosing reef builder by seachem every 3 days.

 

[Fish4udog]

Quit dosing get alkalinity and calcium test kits once you get your numbers for each dose what is required to get your tank to the kh & ca value you want to maintain then test both daily try to do it around the same time every day and you will be able to determine your daily usage once you know your amount I would go to a 2 part do it manually if you don't have a pump