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

[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

[Ruth]

You should reveiw Bev's chemistry links that are a sticky in this forum to fully get the whole picture. I like to try to keep my levels at close to NSW (Natural Sea Water) so here is what I try to shoot for - a little more or less is not that big of a deal:
Alk - 2.9 meg/L or KH of 8 dKH
Calcium - 400 - 425 ppm
Magnesium - 1300-1500ppm

I have always used Salifert test kits to test the majority of my levels in my aquariums. They are easy to use and from what I have read fairly accurate. The only one that I am convinced is not very accurate is the Phosphate test kit.

As with everything in this hobby good things happen slowly and bad things happen quickly.

If I was you I would be tempted to either take a sample of your water into a LFS to have it tested or to a friend that has all 3 of the above test kits to double check for accuracy. See where you are at with all 3 and then go from there - slowly adjusting, testing and re-testing. Over the course of a week or two you should be able to adjust.

I can't remember what size of a system you are running but if it is not that big the easiest thing to do may be to just do a few large (50%) water changes.
HTH

[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

[mr_alberta]

Holy cow! People still do math!?

http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/gh_kh_conv_cal.cfm

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by mr_alberta

Holy cow! People still do math!?

Math is good Math is your friend Just keep one of those old fangled calculators on hand. Mine runs when the light is on

[mr_alberta]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Just keep one of those old fangled calculators on hand. Mine runs when the light is on

One of these?

[Beverly]

Hey, I'm old, but not that freaking old More like this and it was cheap, too

[Myanth]

Thanks huys. I will endeavor to find an Mg test kit. Ca is up to 300 this morning, seeing great white borders to my coraline and my green star has at least 6 new heads this morning. It hasn't grown at all since transplanting to the new tank.

I have been using the top up solution that I made and will keep using it until my readings are in the 425-475 range. Had some precip in the bottom of the top up container. I thought that was pretty normal. Have been monitoring Alk and it has not moved.

Yippee.

Mike.

P.S. in the 21st century they have computers... under the accessories there is a calculator function. It is much smaller than the abacus or the solar powered... if you ignore the tower/monitor/printer/scanner/computer desk/etc. involved with it. On second thought... does anyone have a spare abacus lying around.