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low alk?

A

albie611

i did a water test and found that my alk is about 6dkh and the calcium is 560ppm

my question is how much can you adjust the alk with out affecting the ph too much ?
 
A

albie611

i'm guessing the change was due to a slight overdose of kalk.
i have been using it for all topoff for the last month or so and i have just noticed the drop in alk and rise in calcium over the last few weeks.
i have done a few small water changes but i still have not seen a big correction so i was thinking i would try 2 part next.( part 1 until alk is back to normal and then let calcium come down on its own)
PH is still 8.1 so i just want to get the numbers back to normal(ish) without affecting the ph.
 
A

albie611

i dont have a mag test so i have not tested it yet.
i figured if i did a few 30% water changes close together it would bring the levels back to within normal range but im not seeing it yet.

and i know better then to rush things in this hobby(obsession)
 
panmanmatt

panmanmatt

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
See if you can get a mag test or have your LFS test it for you. The 3 are closely related, if one is off it can throw the others out of whack too.
 
D

Demo

I had similar issues. Once was due to a faulty test kit, the second time the cause was unknown, but the fix was simple. I mixed 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with a cup or 2 of RO/DI and added to a high flow part of the tank each day for a week. Problem solved.

Good luck
 
D

Demo

Not sure if the question was directed to me, but I'm using Crystal Seas. Replacement water tests about 10.4dKH. Ironically, testing of my display tank last night revealed Calcium at 420ppm and alkalinity at 5.8dKH. I dripp Kalk every night so I'm not sure why I'm seeing this drop periodically, but I've added a little baking soda and hope to see it back up in a day or so.
 
A

albie611

yup i use reef crystals and top off with kalk for evap.
i guessing it had to do with the kalk....everything was balanced the last time it was checked but slowly it gets off balanced.
the tank probably uses more alk the calcium and thats why im getting out of wack over time.
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Wow. I never even saw hide nor hair of this issue. That has to be what was causing my calcium and alk issues last fall. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the issue resolved. Bought a new bucket of salt and the issue began to resolve with water changes. I never put two and two together on that one because the salt was low, I finished it off and just bought more and continued my water changes. The resolution was gradual enough that I didn't notice. Scary...

Guess it just shows we need to test the mix out of a new bucket every time.
 
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