My alkalinity in all my tanks have been at 5-6. My ph is at 8.2 and my calcium is at 450 so everything else is fine. All my corals have been growing great in this slightly lower alk but I want to know the reason why it is low. If i am right, dosing alkalinity will riase my ph and lower my calcium and I like where those two are. Can you guys tell me why it is low?
Why is my alkalinity low?
- Thread starter Jmas4
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I would mix up some baking soda @ 1 1/8 cups to a gallon of RO/DI water(this will take some effort to get into solution), use this calculator, fill in the blanks for your system and select Randy's recipe #2 from the drop down menu to get the dose. I wouldn't raise the alk more than 1.4 dKH per day.
Thanks for the response. The alkalinity will be raised but what about my other parameters. My alkalinity has been like this for months and nothing bad has happened so I would try not to change anything. I just want to know why it is low?
Assuming your alk test results are accurate, I'd raise it to between 7 and 8 dKH. The uptake of Ca and Alk, by “stony” type coral, coralline algae, etc. in a reef system is 20 ppm Ca to 50 ppm(2.8dKH) Alk(CaCO3), which is a ratio of 2 pts Ca to 5 pts Alk (2:5). So, its likely that you will see a decline in your Alk before other elements, since regular WC's will better keep up with both your Ca and Mg needs.
Depends on what you call alkalinity. The common consensus in this hobby when we say alkalinity we mean carbonate hardness. In that case lower alkalinity means lower content of carbonate which in turn means lower content of building block for corals to make their skeleton (calcium carbonate).
If you're doing water changes, even fairly infrequent, i wouldn't think you wouldn't get such a low number since any salt mix does not mix so low.
My number one question is how do you measure dkh? Have you tried more than one kits? I would strongly suspect that it's an erroneous reading rather than a true one. What's your salinity and other numbers?
If you're doing water changes, even fairly infrequent, i wouldn't think you wouldn't get such a low number since any salt mix does not mix so low.
My number one question is how do you measure dkh? Have you tried more than one kits? I would strongly suspect that it's an erroneous reading rather than a true one. What's your salinity and other numbers?
Im going to start a thread that ponders the idea that 95% of all test kit params submitted in adjustment threads are wrong, meaning its been nothing but guessing the whole time, and then we press for details in the thread that will validate readings. am about to list some pretty neat challenges to test kit accuracy, if we are using color based charts and test vial comparisons at all (titration tests)
that being said, how has this test been benchmark compared or averaged off any other tests (what if your alk is great, and things are ok)
hallmark of the unverified reading: having only one test kit per param for reference.
that being said, how has this test been benchmark compared or averaged off any other tests (what if your alk is great, and things are ok)
hallmark of the unverified reading: having only one test kit per param for reference.
