Alkalinity Test Results

[NewbieNanoReefer]

Can someone explain in lamens terms the affects of high and low alkalinity in a nano reef setup. Currently im using the redsea test kit which isnt the best but the only one i could find in my LFS. It is testing in the Med and approaching the high range but still ok. I was curious what the affect of alk on ph are.

[Physh1]

Here is a little excerp from my tech page here http://www.californiareefs.com/tanktechchemistry.htm

Alkalinity (meq/L) - General Hardness (dkH): With working at a fish store since I was 14 there is one question I've encountered more than most. Why does my pH drop and what can I do to fix it? Most get confused when I tell them you generally don't fix pH directly but instead test and correct your alkalinity. To put it relatively simple terms the alkalinity of a solution, in a reef tank it would be saltwater, refers to its' ability to counteract drops in pH. Drops in pH, for example, can be associated to general day to day biological breakdown of nutrients. The higher your alkalinity the more likely you will be to have a stable pH value. Fairly simple there but then you have to look at the 2 most common scales used to check you alkalinity level. One measurement is read in milliequivalents per liter. The other is measured as degrees of carbonate hardness. Conversion from one to another is pretty simple. If you have a meq/L (say 2.5) and would like it in dkH you would multiply the meq/L by 2.8 to get a dkH value of 7.0. The same applies the other way. A dkH value of 7 would need to be divided by 2.8 to get a meq/L value of 2.5. Natural seawater has a meq/L value of 2.1 to 2.5 (dkH of 6-7) but most captive systems should be a a value of roughly 2.8-3.2 (dkH of 8-9). I keep my level at around 12 dkH. My clams and stony corals seem to do much better that way. Please refer to the next section for dosing recommendations.

Hopefully that helps ya out. Alkalinity, in simple terms, is the water ability to counteract pH drops from normal tank activity....especially the waste prduction. The lower the alk the more you pH fluctuates....proper levels keep pH stable and relatively unaffected by these day to day activities.

 

Cameron