Alkalinity

[kaddy522]

I was wanting to know if anyone knows how to get alkalinity down without messing with ph or calcium. My alkalinity is at 5.71 and my dKH is 16.0 it is a test kit in one. My calcium is at 450 right now and ph 8.2. The saltwater store that tested my alkalinity said it was fine but the book I have says that the alkalinity is too high. Anyone of know if it needs to go down and if so how to lower it.

[rick #1]

just do a water change that will help

[Henry Bowman]

Kaddy

The best thing to do at this point is to let the dKH come down on its own. Keep the Calcium where it is with a calcium only supplement (Kent Turbo Calcium is what I have used with great success). Once upon a time, there were many reef hobbyists keeping their dKH in the 15-16 range.

Do you have any corals in your tank? Moving the dKH too fast will have a negative impact on them.

Doing water change will help move the dKH down. Again, I wouldnt move it too quick.

HTH

[drparker]

As suggest do nothing and just let it drop since your in zone 1. Here's an article on Solving Calcium and Alkalinity problems. (http://web.archive.org/web/20021127040526/http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm)

There are lot of other great Chemistry Articles (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605) located here.

[kaddy522]

I do have some zoos which are doing really well. Actually in the four years I have had it setup those are the only things that seem to be growing besides my anemone. They saltwater shop told me to start using a product called C-Balance since my calcuim is at the right spot. Will my alkalinity and dKH lower since using that product or if any one knows.

[Henry Bowman]

I suspect C Balance has an alk component to it. I would purchase a product that you KNOW is only the Ca part of the alk / ca supplementation equation.

[drparker]

You got the two part c-balance right? Use this Chemistry calculator (http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html) to figure out how much of each part to use. Remember water volume = tank + sump - rock -equipment. My 75 with a 30g sump equals about 85g only, because the rock displaces a lot of water.

[IslandCrow]

If you only have zoanthids, there's probably no reason to supplement calcium. Regular water changes should be sufficient. I don't supplement anything in my soft coral tank. I do use a salt that's high in calcium, but that's just because I'm using the same water for my SPS tank. About all it does for my soft coral tank is encourage coraline growth (which is as much a curse as a blessing). Also, I agree with everyone to just let the alkalinity drop on its own. Water changes certainly won't hurt, but probably aren't necessary.