high alkalinity

[kidrobot]

hi guys is there any way to lower alk in my tank im using pre mixed water from my LFS

 

ph 8.2

ammonia 0

nitrite 0

nitrate 0

alk 13.8dkh

 

all i have right now is CUC because of ich from the clowns i bought then died after 2 weeks did everything i could to save them..and also i returned my firefish to my LFS...its been 2weeks without any fish right now..i feel sad looking at the tank with no fish

[filefish949]

do not freak out, you are just fine, it will come down on it's own in the 90's we shot for 13 dkh

 

what test kit are you using.

how about your calcium and magnesium... if your mg is low you may percipitate, no biggie but try to avoid it as yoou clog pumps

[kidrobot]

im using salifert for alk..im going to buy a calcium test kit and mag. the calcium test kit i got from red sea is cr#$$#py...i just retested my alk im trying to get used to this and it came out acctually 14.4dkh im a total noob i didnt know what i was doing at first it took me 4 times for me to understand the instructions...lol smack on the head...

[filefish949]

the rs will sufice for the time being, get a mg before you upgrade your ca, or get them both shipped form MD for the same price you would pay at your LFS FOR 1

[GrandeGixxer]

Are you dosing anything like Purple Up or a 2 part like B-Ionic or anything like this? If you are, stop. The alk will come down with time and you will probably need to dose some calcium to get the 2 balanced. Get these 2 balanced and stable and then worry about the Mg. You need good test kits before taking this all on though. I am using the Seachem test kits. They come with a reference and are pretty easy to use. The Mg takes a while, but you don't need to test it as often. Using a good 2 part or kalkwasser is really the only way to get and keep your ca and alk at the levels you want them at. Here is a link to an awesome calculator that will tell you how much to dose and such depending on what supplements you are using. http://reef.diesyst.com/ Good luck.

[kidrobot]

what brand would you guys recommend for calcium and mag test kits..are they hard to use it cause im a total noob... i didnt understand the salifert alk kit it took me 4 times to try and understand it..but i think im not doing it right...first time using salifert kit..

[kidrobot]

bump!

[filefish949]

salifert is good, I like to stay with just 1 brand, no reason, just me. when you first are learning to test, clear some space. clear your head, have no distractions. read the instructions carefuly. the low res options offered by salefert always screwed me up because they are mixed in with the regular instructions. eventuly you wil barely need the instructions at all. I like salefert because they are reasonably priced, reasonably precice and reasonably accurate

 

here is a shot of my test kit before I compleated it

 

[kidrobot]

thanks im goin to get salifert cal and mag test kit.. one more thing im not sure if im doing it right for testing the alk kit... i hope you can understand what i drew in the picture..

 

do i stop at the end of the black rubber o-ring or do i stop when i hit the black on 1.0

 

and also where do i check after the color change into pink.the first line of the black o-ring or the white tip of the syrnge..

 

Sorry for being a noob stil trying to learn this test kit i feel like im idiot...

[filefish949]

that is a prety standard question, the anser is that it does not matter, you are mesuring the travel of the piston. all that matters is that you use the same part of the plunger for your reading that you used to draw to 1ml

[kidrobot]

thanks..