Help With KH

[Madreefer]

I'm using a Salifert test kit and my KH is at 15. It came with a 7.5 check test and it tests at 8.0. I assumed that the kit was crap but after doing the test on the check bottle that came with it now I'm a little concerned. My KH has always been at this level. Everything else that I have tested for is good. Cal 420/MG1440/PH8.3/ sal 1.025 My parameters have been like this for 2 years. How is this possible without a meltdown? I'm running a calcium reactor with a bubble every 2 seconds and the effluent is a steady drip at 6.51. But according to the test kit it is at 7.3 Also a Kalk reactor that runs with my ATO. What do I do to bring it down? I also think my colors should be alot brighter, I think they are a little on the brownish side.

[whatcaneyedo]

I dont think 15 dkh is high enough to cause a tank crash. I accidentally pushed my alkalinity up to 22 dkh once for several days and all I lost was one acropora.

I havent used salifert in the last two years. I didnt know they could test pH and came with a referance sample. I thought only Seachem did that?

To bring your alkalinity down just shut off your calcium reactor and kalkwasser reactor for a few days and it should come down quickly on its own. Test daily to make sure it doesnt drop too low. To speed up the process do a water change. When you start them up again you may want to lessen the flow through the reactor some more.

Another way you can check the accuracy of a test kit is to test some newly mixed saltwater. Your results should be similar to these http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1714505

[Madreefer]

I will shut them both down for a bit. I had the same readings before I used both reactors which has me baffled. So keep the bubble count the same and turn down the effluent coming out? Growth is good and no nuisance algae and also, corraline growth is'nt like it used to be. Would this high alk have anything to do with my coral colors? A pink poccilopra I got from you is a wine color in my tank

[whatcaneyedo]

Regardless of what the flow through is you want the internal pH at about 6.5 so turn down both appropriately. Coral color is mostly a product of lighting with overall water chemisty and feeding coming second in my opinion. Everyone has different opinions on what works it seems and I've seen beutiful colors with all methods so I dont know. Get your alkalinity down to the normal range and take it from there I guess.

[Zoaelite]

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

I dont think 15 dkh is high enough to cause a tank crash. I accidentally pushed my alkalinity up to 22 dkh once for several days and all I lost was one acropora.

I havent used salifert in the last two years. I didnt know they could test pH and came with a referance sample. I thought only Seachem did that?

To bring your alkalinity down just shut off your calcium reactor and kalkwasser reactor for a few days and it should come down quickly on its own. Test daily to make sure it doesnt drop too low. To speed up the process do a water change. When you start them up again you may want to lessen the flow through the reactor some more.

Another way you can check the accuracy of a test kit is to test some newly mixed saltwater. Your results should be similar to these http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1714505

Although SPS might not be hit hard by a single ALK swing with a ALK swing from 6-7 to 12-13 you will start loosing any zoa colonies you have in the tank. They are a great indicator to ALK changes for some reason.

[Madreefer]

So it turned off the kalk reactor and shut off my ph monitor for the calcium reactor. The effluent is still going. Well nothing has changed in the alk. Should I shut off the effluent? I also checked my test kit with some freshly mixed IO and it tested at what it is supposed to be at so the test kit is not the problem. What next? Should I be concerned with a kh of 15? It has been like this for 2 years. The old saying "if it aeint broke don't fix it" So is it broke?

[untamed]

Yes, 15dkh is too high and you should fix it...slowly You're overdosing on Ca/Alk. Shut off your Ca reactor and Kalk and monitor the alk daily. It will come down.

Shutting off the Ca reactor means stopping the flow through it completely. If you just reduce the flow, you might actually INCREASE the output of the reactor. Restart it once the tank Alk is down to 9 or so. Then check the alk the next day to see that it is staying at that level.

If the alk starts to rise again, you'll have to dial back that Ca reactor. Run it at higher pH.

[Madreefer]

Thanks guys. I turned it right off now. The calcium actually went up to 440.

[Madreefer]

Ok so got my kh down to 10 and have been maintaining that for about a 2 weeks with my calcium reactor back on line. Now my cal is at 360 and i'm running my mag a liitle high right now at 1500. I have yet to put my kalk reactor back on line. If I do will it bring up my calcium and make my alk to high again? My calcium reactor is set at 20 bubbles per minute and the effluent is at 40ml per minute. Any suggestions on tweeking the calcium reactor?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

Thanks Myka! Can you look at my last post as things have changed for the better and now just looking to tweek the calcium reactor and if I should put the kalk reactor back on line. Sorry, forgot to mention. Since my first post I have switched new test kits. Elos now for KH

You're welcome. How much difference did you find between the Elos and Salifert?

Originally Posted by Madreefer

Ok so got my kh down to 10 and have been maintaining that for about a 2 weeks with my calcium reactor back on line. Now my cal is at 360 and i'm running my mag a liitle high right now at 1500. I have yet to put my kalk reactor back on line. If I do will it bring up my calcium and make my alk to high again? My calcium reactor is set at 20 bubbles per minute and the effluent is at 40ml per minute. Any suggestions on tweeking the calcium reactor?

Is that 10 dKH with the Elos? You should aim to be in the 7's for dKH with an Elos kit. Turn off the reactor for a day or a few (depending how many corals you have) to lower the alkalinity further.

Calcium and alkalinity won't magically balance themselves just by turning the reactors off or on. Both calcium and kalk reactors add calcium and alkalinity in fairly balanced amounts, so turning these reactors on or off will raise or drop both elements at a fairly even rate. You can't get either of these reactors to just dose one element, the reactors dose both simultaneously.

You need to dose calcium manually to bring it up around 400-420 ppm to be in balance with the alkalinity in the 7's. Kent Turbo Calcium or Fauna Marin Calcium chloride are two of my favourite calcium products. For alkalinity Seachem Reef buffer 8.3 and Fauna Marin Sodium bicarbonate are my two favourite alkalinity products. You should have a calcium and alkalinity product on hand at all times as calcium and alkalinity will get out of balance on occasion and need to be manually dosed to avoid situations like you have now. There will be times when you will need to dose alkalinity to bump it up a tad to keep it in balance, and there will be times (like now) that you need to dose calcium to bring it into balance.

You understand what I mean by balanced calcium and alkalinity?

If you go test calcium and alklinity right now, then dose calcium to bring it up by 25 ppm or so, then test alkalinity again you will find that the alkalinity will have dropped a bit. By dosing the calcium that is needed you will help to bring the alkalinity down as well.