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do i need to supplement for KH


beanhead

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I have a 26 gallon bow front mixed reef with hob skimmer/refugium, after accounting for substrate and liverock its probably 20 gallons total volume. I perform 5 gallon weekly water changes (25%) with rodi and reef crystals and have done a couple of double water changes here recently (50%) and can't get my KH to sustain above about 7. I dont have a magnesium tester yet but my Cal is pretty constant at 420-440 and the premix water for changes tests at about 11 kh but will not increase the overall tank levels. Everything in the tank seems to be doing fairly well but i worry about staying so close to the bottom end of the preferred range. Is starting a 2 part supplement something worth doing or should i maybe switch salts?

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measure parameters just before water changes and see if the WC's can sustain it above 7. If not then yes you will need to dose. What type of corals do you have in the tank?

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its a mixed reef, i have mushrooms, zoas, toadstools, leathers, duncans, acans, hammers, gorgonian, branching montipora, mini maxi, gsp, xenia pretty much a crap shoot of what i can find at the LFS. It has been sustaining in the 6 - 7 KH range with the water changes but im confused because of the lack of fluctuation in the CAL. I know it is in greater quantity than the alk but its seems like to much of a separation between the two. I've also read that the cal could be a false high or something like that because of how the relationship between cal, alk and mag works but the literature was a little bit above my understanding :blink: The tank seems healthy, the corals are growing, but i want to make sure i'm providing a good environment the flip side of that being i don't want to mess up a good thing. I do have a pretty good amount of coraline algae it is covering the rear and one of the side glass possible sucking up the alk?

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its a mixed reef, i have mushrooms, zoas, toadstools, leathers, duncans, acans, hammers, gorgonian, branching montipora, mini maxi, gsp, xenia pretty much a crap shoot of what i can find at the LFS. It has been sustaining in the 6 - 7 KH range with the water changes but im confused because of the lack of fluctuation in the CAL. I know it is in greater quantity than the alk but its seems like to much of a separation between the two. I've also read that the cal could be a false high or something like that because of how the relationship between cal, alk and mag works but the literature was a little bit above my understanding :blink: The tank seems healthy, the corals are growing, but i want to make sure i'm providing a good environment the flip side of that being i don't want to mess up a good thing. I do have a pretty good amount of coraline algae it is covering the rear and one of the side glass possible sucking up the alk?

 

I've always had to dose more alk than recommended, more so than ca.

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In young tanks, or those with a lot of healthy corals dKH is the main source of carbon and is gobbled up by a lot of organisms other than just stony corals. Softies will suck it out of the water column as well vas they grow and metabolize nutrients. Also needed by bacteria as they grow and consume ammonia and nitrogen. In healthy, growing tanks you'll have a helluva time keeping it above 8 between water changes. Stony corals or a lot of coraline growth also depletes mag and calcium.

 

Soda ash or plain old baking soda added nightly is a good idea here. I would use the variety of online calculators, and try to adjust to a range that keeps you above 7 for sure.

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