What alkalinity level do you keep in your REEF?

lastlight · #1 05-02-2010, 01:55 AM

My tank was just started up but my new water change water tested the same as the tank (Elos 10 dKH with Reef Crystals).

You can't bring it down can you? I doubt it will be an issue once there is a demand for it but right now is there a problem with that?

wayner · #2 05-02-2010, 04:36 AM

Elos test kit - Alk - 16 drops 8 dkh - where I try to keep it

Chipie · #3 05-02-2010, 04:09 PM

I lost quite a few sps colonies and frags because of a bad Salifert Alk test kit( read higher than the alk actually was) so i switched to API. From what i have read everywhere, not one test kit is always accurate. Some people have had bad Salifert, Elos or API test kits. So i tought i might as well save a few bucks with API. Oh and after that i got a bad Salifert test kit too

This is sooo frustrating.
I keep my alk at around 8 because i'm dosing VSV.

Myka · #4 05-02-2010, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

My tank was just started up but my new water change water tested the same as the tank (Elos 10 dKH with Reef Crystals).

You can't bring it down can you? I doubt it will be an issue once there is a demand for it but right now is there a problem with that?

No, you can't bring it down. It will probably be better once you have a demand for it. This is one of the reasons I switched away from IO which is 11 dKH out of the bucket. When I'm trying to keep 7-8 dKH a water change with 11 dKH can make quite a shift. I switched to H2Ocean and am happier that the alk is about 8.75 dKH (Elos) out of the bucket (first bucket I have tested...haven't double checked my numbers yet). I'm stoked I don't have to dose calcium, alkalinity, or magnesium with the H2Ocean, but the potassium is just as low as IO at ~250 ppm.

Son Of Skyline · #5 05-03-2010, 10:33 PM

I have 2 relatively new Elos KH test kits (correct instructions) that give me different readings. Both are supposed to be identical kits but one will read 8.5 while the other will read 7-7.5. It appears that the reagent is the same in both kits but the droppers are clearly different and one produces visibly larger drops, thus needing fewer drops to change colour and giving me a lower reading.

I don't know which one is accurate since I don't feel like going out and buying a third kh test kit so i've just been testing twice and splitting the difference.

Anybody else ever have Elos inconsistencies?

View Poll Results: What test kit do you use? What alkalinity do you keep?
Salifert <7 dKH	0	0%
Salifert 7-8 dKH	4	4.55%
Salifert 8-9 dKH	16	18.18%
Salifert 9-10 dKH	8	9.09%
Salifert >10 dKH	4	4.55%
Elos <7 dKH	0	0%
Elos 7-8 dKH	6	6.82%
Elos 8-9 dKH	10	11.36%
Elos 9-10 dKH	10	11.36%
Elos <10 dKH	1	1.14%
High end kit (LaMotte, Hanna, etc) <7 dKH	0	0%
High end 7-8 dKH	2	2.27%
High end 8-9 dKH	5	5.68%
High end 9-10 dKH	1	1.14%
High end >10 dKH	0	0%
Lower end (API, Hagen, Instant Ocean, etc) <7 dKH	2	2.27%
Lower end 7-8 dKH	8	9.09%
Lower end 8-9 dKH	5	5.68%
Lower end 9-10 dKH	7	7.95%
Lower end >10 dKH	4	4.55%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 88. You may not vote on this poll