alkalinity

So my RO/DI water is very weird. The TDS comes out at 2-3 ppm (due to terrible water), but also comes out with high carbonate hardness, which is 8-9 DkH. Right now my water is 3 ppm and 8 DkH. This test has been done by many test kits, including the LFS testing it. However, according to @Randy...

So my alk. is about 17 dkh, which is really high. Even though it's a macroalgae tank, I do plan to put some bounce and jawbreaker mushrooms in there that I have in QT. I heard muriatic acid (or hydrochloric acid) is a way to bring down alk., but I don't know the dosage. I want to bring it down...

okay, so Sunday I realized my tank was in trouble. I should have found out sooner, since one of my corals started looking unhappy by last Thursday. I tested my calcium and got 330 PPM. I'm trying to keep it at 450 PPM, but by Monday it dropped down to 300 PPM. Turns out my Apex was programmed...

Ok everyone, i need some advice/help with my frag tank. I am not seeing very good growth. Most corals seem ok but not flourishing like I would have hoped. I am wondering if PH is the problem??? First a little info. Tank is a 45 gal peninsula ( approx 12 inches deep) draining into a 20 gal...

So the other day I got some erroneous readings on my Salifert alkalinity test. First one was 9.6 dKh then two days later it was 12. I also tested a fresh batch of Reef Crystals and it came out 12 dKh. I panicked but everything looked healthy in my tank. Maybe I just screwed up the tests. I asked...

Hey everyone, I was curious what your favorite 2 part is? I currently use Seachems Reef Fusion 1 and 2 . What do you use and why do you like it?

My Red Sea Coral Pro salt is mixing super low. I've been using the same bucket for years and never have checked until now because I am trying LPS. I have been dosing with b-ionic to maintain my alk, but weekly water changes with such a low alk refreshment make that hard. I use distilled water...

Randy and Co, Can you please recommend the best way to create a 8 dKH alkalinity reference solution that could be used to verify the accuracy of alkalinity tests such as Salifert and the KH Guardian? I have a small jewelers scale and I can get some graduated cylinders if that's what you...

Most hard coral (SPS & LPS) coral keepers im sure are dosing elements back into their aquarium, but how many of us ACTUALLY know what those elements really are? My newest YouTube video tries to explain more ..

Hey everyone. I wanted to know if there is anyone who has the brand “real reef rock” in their tank that have alk issues? I had to quickly break down my 40 gallon acrylic tank due to a seam failure and move all my sps corals into my Nuvo 20 without having the tank fully setup and cycled. My LFS...

I’m in LOVE with my Neptune Apex Controller, and it’s really turned me into a control freak! Which is great because my other love,besides my kids and wife, is SPS, and we all know that SPS love stability! So with the Apex, it allows me to log my parameters and see them in a very detailed way...

Hi all, I'm new to the forum but not new to reefing (almost 10 years in the hobby). So I have a 25g IM Lagoon in my living room. This is also the room where we hang out in most of the day. My issue is that I can't seem to get my pH any higher than 8 sometimes 7.9 on most days. Given the small...

I just wanted topost this quick video I pre-ordered the GHL Maxi during the all the Black Friday sales. I Had my eye on a DOS for a very long time, but couldn't get over the shape of the DOS. I may be unique in that regard, but i had purchased 2 DOS units and two DDR's and sent them back. I...

hi everyone, I just recently upgrade my old tank to a 91 gallon tank. The new tank is currently running 3 days with only live rocks. However, my alk has drop from 9.9 to 8.5 in three days with only live rocks. I’m wondering is it something normal? Currently I’m running BRS GFO and carbon (using...

To save space in my tank stand, I am considering placing the reactor about 75 feet away from the 120 gallon display tank. It would be in the lower level of my house where I have my water mixing room. Since I plan a mixed reef that will not have a heavy SPS load, the reactor's effluent volume...

I just tested my Alk and it came up 12.2 dKH, I normally run it at 8.0 and it stayed there up until the middle of November. I did a water change with red sea salt and I turned my doser to 2ml every other day and that was about two weeks ago but now like I said before 12.2, before the water...

hi R2R familiy: im starting with a new nano tank (40G), and I can't decide which salt to use... I was thinking about using Coral PRO, but I saw that its alkalinity levels are 12. 2, it's a bit high, is not it? I know alkalinity should be around 7.8-8.3. Which option could I use to start my tank?

Question: After seeing some suspiciously low alkalinity readings on a new Red Sea pro test kit, I started thinking about some of the RHF articles I'd previously read on the topic. Specifically: That explanation of how standard alkalinity test kits work seems to be mirrored many places across...

I've been playing with the charts on Apex and found a good way to start two part dosing and and a chart to show it. So I bought some stony corals. Mainly a few LPS. I started checking Alk and Ca at night I then dosed it according to BRS calculator. I went off of what the Alk recomedation for...

Hi folks: long story short but after Hurricane Irma I have been dosing calcium but not alkalinity. I checked my 2-part dosing with Apex immediately after the storm, and all seemed fine on the Fusion console. Unfortunately, I forgot to prime the DOS after that major loss of power, so the pump...

Hey guys, Starting to add some different corals to my tank. Currently have a hammer colony, zoa, birds nest, a candy cane, and 3 types on montipora. I got my first Hanna checker the other day. Tested the Calcium and it was at 261. I'm using Red Sea Coral Pro salt. Got me wondering what the...

When you start to think that you are doing the things right in this hobby, there's always a new thing that tells you that you're wrong. That's my case with KH and CA dosing. I have been dosing BRS two-part to my reef tank for about 5-6 months. Was a little hard to find the point and maintain my...

Hello everyone! I'm just about ready to order a small CUC for my 10 gal tank (thanks to you guys I know what to buy) but I have one last concern before I purchase. My alkalinity is about 80ppm and I don't think that's good enough. My pH is also ~7.8 and I'd like to get it to 8.1-8.4. I've heard...

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Hey guys! I just received the Red Sea tests for Alk, Ca and Mg yesterday. I just got finished with these tests and my readings are somewhat high. I did compare the results with API tests I already owned (Ca & Mg) and they were spot on with each other. I currently DO NOT dose my tank for any of...