KH dropping

[markboy]

Im using kh doser lets say i top up today my kh will be 8 to 9. After 2 days test again it ll drop to 5.8. Why is this so?

[Terryz_]

It is either that you are using low grade kh buffer or you have corals that are taking in a lot of kh...

Another reason might be that your ph is low and burning your kh... Buffer your PH up and see if the Kh will drop so fast... Normally they will drop gradually one...

Correct me if i am wrong...

[RockyBoy]

Yup, pH need to be in the right value as well. How's the salinity?

[mansiz]

You buffer your PH to 8.2 or 8.3, then you buffer your KH and monitor well, monitor daily to see how much is consumed. Replenish the correct amount. Once your KH is stable, PH will be stable. Make sure to replenish your KH, it will keep dropping. Monitor your Calcium level as well. It will affect your PH also.

[angelfish]

do a test for Mg level

[hammy]

You buffer your PH to 8.2 or 8.3, then you buffer your KH and monitor well, monitor daily to see how much is consumed. Replenish the correct amount. Once your KH is stable, PH will be stable. Make sure to replenish your KH, it will keep dropping. Monitor your Calcium level as well. It will affect your PH also.

can i know how does calcium affect pH ??

[accurist]

If Mg is kept high its easier to maintain KH levels.

[markboy]

Dear Bros,

1st of all sorry for late reply . O.K my water parameter are as follows;

Cal : 460

PO4 : 0.3

Meg : 1 320

PH : 8.3

Nit : 0

Ammonia : 0

KH : 7.7.

Water Temp. 26.4

All readings were taken yesterday night. I have a sump tank. Skimmer using octopus needlw wheel .

[angelfish]

Mg seems ok

BTW iron based PO4 remover will also deplete KH

[chewlaoheng]

pls recommend a good KH buffer

I'm using seachem now

[Terryz_]

Seachem is one of the better if not best kh buffer liao... With all the detail instructions...

[markboy]

Curently i.using Aquz KH BUFFER. Yesterday i went to JIREH to buy their AB&C

kh , meg , the other i forgot. Will try this of theirs see how the outcome and will post the results here ya. They (JIREH) also put the add in their promotions.

Will keep you bros update on the above status on my readings.

Thanks for all u r replys.

Cheers

[markboy]

Hi Fellow Reefers ,

Reefmax Part A, B & C are Alkaline Buffer , Bio-Magnesium and Calcium+ , a set of complete Bio-Balanced 3 part supplement to Restore depleted aquarium sea water to natural sea water (NSW).

It is easy to use, and will help corals and marine fishes thrive and grow by maintaining alkalinity , PH , magnesium , calcium and trace element levels.

Many customers like you have used it and reported good Results as follows :

" After Using part a , b ,c - my liverock all turn purplish red - very nice " - Colin

" Very Good - PH and Hardness Rise proportionally and very stable Ph , why dont you promote this good product " - John

" my LPS opened very well after I started dosing Reefmax part A, b , c "- Rodley

It is formulated by coral farmers in USA and is used specially to propogate Greenhouse corals for Sales

I have been using it on my display and coral tanks for over a year - All corals open very well and Grow , some noticeable effects are noticed as follows :

Reddish Purplish Coraline Algae all over Live rocks and Glass.

The Acropora grew about 1 inch in a year

The Red Pipe Organ - calcified 3 layers in 1 year.

Purple Queen and Dispar Anthials - very good appetite and grew very Fat .

It is available now at Jireh marine aquarium .

Offer Prices Per Bottle as follows :

Part A - $8.90

Part B - $7.90

Part C - $7.90

Attached Image

--------------------

Jireh Marine Aquarium

[markboy]

Above is the where i cut and copy here fron their add. Does any bros here used these?? This is what i bought yesterday and will start today.

[andylee]

how do u guys top up kH everyday?

i only top up every week. and just mix a teaspoon of seachem kh buffer in a cup of water and let is dissolve then pour into main tank.

is this way ok? or harmful? cos my fishes will think food is coming when i pour in the buffered water

[markboy]

Bro Andy,

By rite it should be weekly topping up of KH buffer. But mine when testing found low count so that s why i put up add for advice.

Cheers

[chewlaoheng]

I top up using seachem everyday 5ml! PH ok but dKH just can't stay put longer.

is there something better than seachem?

[hammy]

from what i have been using , seachem reef builder seem to be the best kH addition to the tank , however i have switch to grotech , u might wanna tried that .

it is economical for german branded product.

[chtan23]

How about baking soda aka sodium bicarbonate to up dKH? anyone using it? I had tried it, so far so good, not sure if there is any side effect.

[hammy]

How about baking soda aka sodium bicarbonate to up dKH? anyone using it? I had tried it, so far so good, not sure if there is any side effect.

ya ... many reefers do that . adding bicarbonate is the only way to increase the kH without affecting the pH

[chtan23]

furthermore baking soda is cheap, 1kg for less than $5!

[chewlaoheng]

furthermore baking soda is cheap, 1kg for less than $5!

pls advise where can I get it

and how to use it?

[planetg]

also watch the MG values as low MG will make it very difficult to maintain KH and CA.

[johntanjm]

Alot of water chemistry here, everything sounds confusing. I split water chemistry into 2 groups, basic and advanced.

Basic chemistry invovles:

1. pH

2. dKh

Advanced chemistry invovles:

1. Mg

2. Ca

3. PO4

4. etc etc.

For basic chemistry:

pH is very impt to life in the sea. drop your pH and you will begin to observe corals refusing to open, fishes not eating etc. natural sea water has 8.0pH and may go up to 8.3. in a close environment in the aquarium, in the prescence of lifestock, because of their waste, respiration (exhaling CO2 which is acidic) etc. pH will fall naturally and gradually.

Before pH can fall, dKH will fall first. therefore dKH is called a buffer. with increasing acidic compounds in the aquarium, dKh might fall from 12 all the way to 7 before pH will start falling. all this while when dKH is falling, pH stays the same hence we call dKH a buffer. a high dKH value keeps the pH stable. it delays the time taken for the acidic compounds to cause the pH to fall.

dkH and pH go hand in hand. Reefmax part A is a strong buffer. it keeps dKH high and thus helps maintain pH. regular dosing of buffers is part and parcel of this hobby. Alot of products out there claim to be good buffers but are actually rubbish. price can be a indication of the quality, but again not everything expensive is effective. Also alot of these additives are manufactured in other countries. their tap water is different from ours. if you go to the states, if you don't use filters in your tap, you can find calcium deposits on your teapots. very obviously the saltwater they put into their tanks will also be different. so what works for them might not work for us. its important to observe and evaluate very objectively the effects of buffers.

however, there can be other reasons such as a crappy salt mix. never ever use lousy salts especially when starting an aquarium. there can be a situation where there is no way chemically to raise pH/dKh and the tank will just fail straight out.

For advanced chemsitry:

PO4 causes your buffers to precipitate out of the water. the buffer that is dissolved in the water crystalizes and comes out of the water making them useless. that means it is another source that reduces your dKH.

Mg levels prevent buffers from precipitating out of the water. so this will help prevent the uncessary drop of dKH.

pH and dKH may be a simple thing. but the chemistry behind them is actually quite complex and far reaching.

use a good salt for water changes, choose a effective buffer. (i've onced dosed an entire bottle of a paritcular buffer and nothing changed. i wonder if its just tap water in the bottle i bought)

[chtan23]

pls advise where can I get it

and how to use it?

Get from this baking shop call phoon huat, refer to the url for their outlets, make sure u get baking soda and not baking powder

http://www.phoonhuat.com/sto_loc.htm

ps. i'm not related to this shop.

refer to this calculator for adding baking soda

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

the best is u add it in the water slowly and measure the kh