KH 170, Ca 260, Can't get it up.

[Myanth]

KH is carbonate hardness, or Alk is it not? And it seems like it is remarkably high. It should be in the 100-120 range and it is 170. I will be double dosing Mg this morning. It has a warning that it can reduce KH, but that's what I want. I will get an Mg test kit soon. I have not dosed Mg at all in this tank but used to have to suppliment weekly in my 10 gallon to keep KH down and Ca up. Hopefully the Ca will come up after that. Has anyone tried the liquid reactor Ca suppliment. The LFS had nothing but good to say about it.

[Myanth]

It's GH, or general hardness for fresh water, and KH for salt, being the total disolved carbonates, or Alkalinity of the water. It's ability to neutralize acids.

That's how I understood it. I could be wrong.

PH is 8.3,
temp 78-79,
SG 1.025
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <5

[Beverly]

I have used Aquarium Pharmaceuticals KH test kit for measuring alk in my reefs for years. It's not as refined a test kit as I assume Salifert's would be, but it is still a good test kit.

Myanth, what I don't understand is the number 170. Is that ppm, dKH, meq/L? It's got to be ppm, as dKH and meq/L don't add up to me at all. If you convert the 170 to dKH (should be on your test instructions), what number do you get?

[Ruth]

IMO you are taking a chance dosing magnesium without testing first to see where it is at and if that is your problem. I would get a mag. test, make sure your calcium and alk/KH tests are not expired and go from there.
If you can't get test kits right away an interim measure may be to do a couple of large water changes as "most" salt mixes are pretty close to being balanced - give or take a little.

[Myanth]

I am not sure what the 170 is but I'll check when I get home. It says that a normal aquarium should be 100-120 and if you are lower add buffer and higher consult an aquarium store. Using IO salt and have always had this problem. I am using and have always used nano-filtered well water. May have higher disolved solids. Using Nutrifin test kit where you add drops and multiply result by 10. took 17-18 drops to get the lime colour. I will check what the measure is when I get home.

Mike

[Ruth]

As a good reference point natural sea water has a KH of 8dKH or alkalinity of 2.9 meg/L.

[Myanth]

okay... so the 170 KH is listed as mg/L. So is the cacium. It is a nutrifin test kit and it says optimal level of Ca is 400-425, I know alot of people are 450-475, and the optimal KH is 105-120 mg/L.

I have added Seachem calcium, powdered, at a rate of 7.5g/40gal. It says that it will raise Ca 18mg/L with each 5g/40gal dose, so I should get a little more increase than that. The maximum daily dose is 10g/40gal. I have mixed up enough top off water to last ten to eleven days at a rate of 7.5g/40gal. I should, after that period be somewhere in the 400 range.

Is this too quick an increase? Should I dilute? And where should the KH really be?

I was going by this test kit and no other knowledge. Since my questioning of it I have seen numbers ranging from 100 - 350. Bev... Ruth? Shine some brilliance on me.

Thanks
Mike

[medican]

ok.....

The drops 17-18

I think you have multiplied that by 10......hence 170 that is mg/l or ppm these 2 are the same thing.

dKH is the German reading I think most saltys use this (could be wrong there...lol)

Lets start at the drops.......

17x10=170
17.85 is a factor
170/17.85=

9.52dKH

now thats not bad at all....IMO

The next one is your Mg I dont think you can move forward untill you know what readings you have.

good luck

P.S. GH is for fresh.......KH is for salt

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Myanth

.... Using Nutrifin test kit where you add drops and multiply result by 10. took 17-18 drops to get the lime colour. ....
Mike

Hagen kits work the same way. But there is one more step. The kit provides conversion formulas. Multiply that number by 0.056 for dKH. Multiply by 0.02 for meq/l.
170x0.056=9.52dKH.
170x0.02=3.4 meq/l.

I'd say your alk is fine, IMHO.

HTH and cheers,

[Myanth]

Found it! Thanks.

The conversion table is in the freshwater section. Didn't see it till this morning.

multiply my 170 reading by 0.056 = dH, 0.07 = Clark H, 0.1 = fH, 0.02 = mEq/L

so I guess I am at 3.4 mEq/L or 9.52 dH in degrees? looks like a degree sign next to it.

Cool. Is this too hard? I'll aim for 2.9 mEq, both the mag and calcium suppliments say that they can lower hardness slightly. I'll get the Ca up and retest.

Thanks all
Mike