How to adjust water change water

[axciom333]

Hello,

New guy trying to get my mind straight before I kill any critters. I am about to start a reef and I am planning on using kalk for my makeup water. My question is about the water I will use for water changes.

I am assuming that should just be RO/DI water mixed to the proper salinity/temp. How does one adjust the pH to match the tank? Not sure if it will need to go up or down or be perfect as I haven't gotten there yet. Just like to plan ahead.

Thanks,

James

[Bebo77]

new salt water should be perfect on all levels... make sure you test the first batch of water from evey bag you open to insure this...

what salt are you using?

if your tank's ph is way off you can buffer the nsw to help fix the problem...

[WaterKeeper]

Hi James,

Well let's see, for starters there is no calcium demand in a newly set-up tank. There will be latter on but I wouldn't arbitrarily dose KW as that can mess up the tanks pH.

Freshly made salt mixes are self adjusting and the pH should be in the range of 8.0-8.3 a few hours after mixing. The important part is getting the salinity correct so purchasing a refractometer to measure S.G. is a good initial investment.

After you get things up and running we can help you out more. The New Tank Thread (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848) will guide you through the process.