Here is some excellent reading for better understanding reef chemistry:

Aquarium System Volume Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/volcalc.html

The Reef Chemistry Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

What is Alkalinity?

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/f.../chemistry.htm

Calcium:

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2002/chem.htm

Magnesium in Reef Aquaria:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

The Relationship Between Alkalinity and pH:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/chem.htm

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

High pH: Causes and Cures:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/rhf/index.htm

Low pH: Causes and Cures:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

ok who told bev about this thread...


:multi: :multi:

Ah, shucks, I just thought enquiring minds would want to know :biggrin:

Definitely lots of reading and well worth it too. I've read those pages over and over and freaking over again until I was able to get even the slightest grasp on the complexities of what's going on chemically in a reef. I'm still pretty dumb when it comes to reef chemistry compared to many :razz:

well after 3 days of using the buffer, the ph is back up.
how often should i be checked the ph?
i'll check the other components once i get the test kits in from ocean aquatics.

That makes two of us. :lol:
In High School I dropped out of Chemistry 11 after two days.
Wasn't high on the priority list at the time.
Now I'm older and my brain isn't as spongy. (Sounds like a Rickyism).
That's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it. :rolleyes:

Cheers,

For me, the time of day that I take PH readings make a big difference. My PH is 7.7 or 7.8 in the morning before lights on and 8.4-8.6 in the late afternoon during full lighting.

I use a pH probe and monitor that is always in one tank or another. Great investment, imo.

check daily
 

check daily and you will know how much alk your system uses in a 24 hour period. then just keep dosing the same amount every 24 hours to maintain the desired level.

example
day 1 at 1200 pm = 8 dkh
day 2 at 1200 pm = 7.5 dkh
day 3 at 1200 pm = 7 dkh
your system is losing .5 dkh/24 hours.
calculate how much you need to dose to raise your dkh by .5 and add that amount each day.

and don't forget to add the same amount of calcium too

finally got in a kh/alk test kit.
assuming i followed the instructions correctly here's the results:
kh 9.0dkh
alk 3.2

do these readings seem correct? too high? too low?

Those are fine, IMHO.

Cheers,