Low Dkh

[Mellow]

Hi ,

1. wondering anyone out there having the same experience? I'm gonna buy a different test kit to verify the existing AZOO dKH test kit... I'm having a dKH of 8 dropping to even 6 at times for my 3 feet tank despite adding 2.5 teaspoons of reef builder every day...

2. And I'm thinking of adding vinegar to kalkwasser. how do I do it? just add vinegar until i see all the sediments dissolve? (i've read the 'how to' post abt this somewhere in SRC, just wanna confirm that i'll be doing the right thing.)

this will still keep the balanced ratio of calcium and dKH levels right?

[SpiderOne]

8 is pretty much fine

i think u better re read the instructions on the bottle man.. u not supposed to add in so much reef builder everyday . u may be overdosing calcium .

[Mellow]

my calcium levels ok...at 420...so dun think so...did water changes just in case ionically imbalanced..but also never work. yah, understand that i'm adding reef builder way beyond the recommended level...but still low leh..can go to 6 which is too low...was thinking of bringing up to 12 but looks like mataining at 8 also a problem now...

[SpiderOne]

my calcium levels ok...at 420

There is your answer. 420 calc will get around 7-8 dKH

someone here posted the calcium dkh calculator here b4 i forgot who maybe u can go find out ?

[LinkinPark]

I got the same challenges as Mellow.

My CA is 500 ppm (Salifert), but my ALK (salifert) decreases everyday, even though I add 1 tea spoon of reef builder everyday. My water change is 50% fortnightly.

[SpiderOne]

i dont think reef builder is one of those instantly working products .. did u remember to dissolve it in a bowl of water b4 adding to tank? got to give it some time. ur calcium is so high?? try dosing less calcium. and dont expect results overnight

[wedgee]

Spidey is right abt the speed factor - I had to experiment and do trial and error before I managed to keep my KH above 9 most of the time...now its crawling up to 10+

The whole process of slowly dosing took about 2 to 3 mths, and I have settled into this order of dosage (might not work for yr tank though!)

--first day drip reef builder

--2nd day drip CA additive ( if u using Kalk then gotta watch yr PH and adjust the

schedule accordingly)

--3rd day drip reef builder again

--4th day rest...

repeat the cycle...

Using this i can achieve 10dKH and appx 360 for my CA (gotta work on the CA tho...) It is still far from balanced, if u were to use the KH/CA calculator that spidey quoted (cant recall the link too!), but at least I can keep the KH slightly higher. I tink i will do gradual water changes with salt mix to balance things up more for the CA, as i have been using NSW for my water changes...

And if yr tank is still new (3mths-5mths), dont worry too much first, just carry on dripping in moderate amounts and not let the KH drop below 8 or 7, cause it seems the chemical properties of the water are not stabilised at this point of time

Just my personal experience, hope it helps!

[onghm]

I'm having a dKH of 8 dropping to even 6 at times for my 3 feet tank despite adding 2.5  teaspoons of reef builder every day

Assuming yours is a 50 US gallon tank.

Using the calculator below

http://www.kademani.com/reefchem.htm

Adding 2.5 ts of reef builder will raise the dkh by 2.8

Lets assume that your takeup rate is also 2.8 dkh daily.

Then by dosing 2.5 ts, you are just maintaining the dkh at whatever value it was.

If your tank takeup rate is more than 2.8 dkh daily, then you will find your dkh decreasing even though you are dosing 2.5 ts

yah, understand that i'm adding reef builder way beyond the recommended level

The recommended level on the bottle is just to maintain.

To increase, you need more than that.

2.5 ts sounds ok to me as I've been dosing 2 ts daily for my 30 gallon.

Cannot tahan the $$$ ...so switching to kalk

was thinking of bringing up to 12

To get your kalk from 8 to 12, you will need 3.5 ts of reefbuilder.

And that does not include your takeup rate yet.

Assuming your takeup rate is 2.8dkh, that will be another 2.5ts

So in total, 6 ts

Not forgetting that you also have to raise your cal to about 450 ppm as balanced calcium at 12 dkh is 446 ppm

just add vinegar until i see all the sediments dissolve?

There are some formula on the amount of vinegar to add while maintaining the 1:1 ratio.

I hope the below is of some use...

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?...2169&hl=vinegar

[Mellow]

hey thanks for the info.the calculator's really helpful... i think maybe my carbonate intake very high or something... adding 2.5 is just maintaining the dKH and not increasing it...will try to pump it up...yup, dun worry though, i wun one time add alot... and yah, i mix with water, then drip into my tank... i think i'll go bankrupt man...i bought the reef builder just 2-3 weeks ago..now finishing already

[Mellow]

anyway linkin park, 500ppm of calcium is too high... heh...

[onghm]

i think i'll go bankrupt man...i bought the reef builder just 2-3 weeks ago..now finishing already

That's why I'm switching to kalk

But if you want to stick to reef builder and reef calcium, get the biggest bottle.

Its more economical

[Mellow]

sorry, back to the vinegar issue..i've read the post before but found it quite messy and confusing.... anyone able to tell me

1) how/how much vinegar to add to the kalkwasser solution?

2)until all the sediments dissolve?

3)what brand to use?

4)1-1 ratio still maintained?

[LinkinPark]

Hi Mellow

500ppm very high and I agree. I don't use CA additive and my salt mix is coralife. Ca test on the new mixture recently and got @ 520ppm. I start to wonder whether my CA test kit is ok. It's Salifert and bought @ a month ago

I only use builder as my ALK, like yours, keep decreasing. This I test everyday.

Onghm, thank you for the info. very helpful

[FuEl]

That's why I'm switching to kalk

But if you want to stick to reef builder and reef calcium, get the biggest bottle.

Its more economical

You mean you can use kalk alone?

I'm using kalk with reef builder on separate days....am I doing something wrong?

[onghm]

Yes, dosing kalk alone will add calcium and alkalinity in a balanced ratio.

That's provided the vol of kalk solution to replace the evaporated water is sufficient to keep up with your tank's calcification demand.

But you would still need individual cal and alk addictive to bring you cal and alk level to a balanced ratio first afterwhich kalk is use to maintain that desired balance ratio.

Hope this helps.

[onghm]

my salt mix is coralife. Ca test on the new mixture recently and got @ 520ppm. I start to wonder whether my CA test kit is ok. It's Salifert and bought @ a month ago

Wow, coralife saltmix giving 520 ppm.

Initially i was suspecting testkit.

But Salifert is a good brand.

Maybe you might want to review your measuring procedure and see if you overlook something ?

[LinkinPark]

Maybe you might want to review your measuring procedure and see if you overlook something ?

[Tanzy]

LinkinPark,

What's the volume of tank water sample you use for the Salifert Test?

[LinkinPark]

High resolution. THREE

[Tanzy]

Actually, one teaspoon of Reef Builder is not a lot. If I have to bump my alk up, I'll usually use 6-7 tablespoon of Reef Builder dripped overnight to raise at most 2 dKH, but don't try this unless you know what you are doing.

In such cases of ionic inbalance, I would stop relying on testkit and look at the tank inhabitants. If they are fine then I guess it's ok.

[Mellow]

6-7 tsp of reef builder? wow..that's alot man..what's your tank volume tanzy?

[Mellow]

and by the way, i just found out that some test kits measure german dKH while some measure english dKH and some american dKH... what's the standard that we always use when we talk abt dKH? the german, english or american kind? cause i'm adding to my suspect list that AZOO's dKH test may not be measuring the 'normal' dKH... just did some water change...dKH at 6 man...

[Tanzy]

75 gal.

There's only one dKH (degree of karbonate hardness). The testkits all measure total alkalinity and not just carbonate alkalinity. Don't worry too much.

[Mellow]

alright tanzy..thanks for the assurance! heh. shall go figure it out...

[Cookiemunster]

I had problems balancing my calc and dkh.

I was using Tropic Marine salt and after stocking my tank 1 month later, my dkh was 5 and calcium was 350.

My dkh was not ionically balanced so I used seachem reef builder to up the dkh to 7.

Now I installed a DIY calcium reactor and Alvy's kalk reactor, my dkh is now 9.8kdh and calcium is 440 using salifert.

I place 30 teaspoons of reefez kalk into the kalk reactor and leave it to top up the tank. Never touched it for a month already.