KH too high

JordanB8810 · 03/18/2011, 12:21 PM

I noticed this morning my duncan coral was not quite as open as it normally is. It doesn't look bad just yet, but I definitely notice a difference. I did a 10 gallon water change last night so I thought maybe I had made a mistake on salinity, but it was the usual 1.025. I check all my parameters this morning and this is how it looks.

NH3: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 0
pH: 8.0
PO4: 0
KH: 13
Ca2: 400
Salinity: 1.025

I know the KH is way too high. I am assuming this is what is making the duncan look unhappy. I am unsure how it got that high to be honest. The only thing I can think of that I have done differently is I've started dosing Kent's purple up about 3 times per week instead of once a week. What can I do to slowly lower the KH back into the acceptable 8-9 range? Thanks

stingythingy45 · 03/18/2011, 12:33 PM

Why is your KH so high?
Do you dose anything?

JordanB8810 · 03/18/2011, 12:54 PM

I'm not sure why the KH is so high. Starting this week, the only thing I've done differently is I've started to dose Kent's Purple Up three times per week instead of just once a week. My coraline isn't growing as much as I'd like it to. The only other thing I dose is phytoplankton, which I doubt would effect the KH.

Michael · 03/18/2011, 01:09 PM

Hi-Jordan,

I'm not familliar with kents purple up, whether it would raise akalinity to get your KH to that level I'm unsure, I would suggest you stop using it immediately my friend and get some scrappings off a friends live rock to kick start your corraline, as for your actual problem, I would suggest visiting the chemistry forum, there are some incredibly friendly and knowledgeable reefers in there who will point you in the right direction, the very best of luck.

Kind Regards

Mike

stingythingy45 · 03/18/2011, 01:23 PM

Hi Michael.

Jordan,

It very well could be the Purple up that is raising your alk if you are not dosing anything else.Alk will come down naturally over time.You could also do water changes to bring it down.
But,everything must be done slowly over the span of a few days.
DKH 7-11 is good.But natural sea water is close to 7.
I killed a birds nest coral raising alk too fast and then dropping it.
Some corals will not recover from an alk spike.
But those are mostly SPS.

Michael · 03/18/2011, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stingythingy45

Hi Michael.

Jordan,

It very well could be the Purple up that is raising your alk if you are not dosing anything else.Alk will come down naturally over time.You could also do water changes to bring it down.
But,everything must be done slowly over the span of a few days.
DKH 7-11 is good.But natural sea water is close to 7.
I killed a birds nest coral raising alk too fast and then dropping it.
Some corals will not recover from an alk spike.
But those are mostly SPS.

Hi-Bob

JordanB8810 · 03/18/2011, 02:40 PM

Thanks Bob and Michael for your responses. I will do some 5g water changes over the next few days and discontinue dosing. I'll see if this works, and if not, I'll take the question over to the Chemistry forum. I do actually have coraline already present in the tank, it just wasn't spreading as fast and I thought it should be. Does anyone have a coraline accelerator besides Kent that they've had good success with?

Percula9 · 03/19/2011, 12:17 AM

Purple up is a waste of money and has no value what so ever. What salt mix are you using?
What is the alk of newly mixed water? Purple up is mostly fine aragonite sand and can't dissolve at seawater pH. It settles to the bottom or pulled out by your skimmer.

RonMidtownStomp · 03/19/2011, 12:40 AM

I've accidentally gone way over 13 dKh before with no problems. As long as it happens slowly, it won't hurt anything. Just let it come down normally, but water changes can never hurt. If you're really worried, you can easily do 10-15 gallons instead of 5.

Purple Up is worthless.

What Alk test kit are you using? Most test kits lie. The best test would be to test fresh mixed water and see what result you get. Compare.

JordanB8810 · 03/31/2011, 08:48 PM

After doing about 20 gallons worth of water changes, my KH is still sitting in the 12-13 range. When I mix up a fresh batch of saltwater, it tests in between 8-9. I am using the API KH test, and I know they aren't exactly renowned for their accuracy. I guess I will just continue the regular water changes and hope for the best. The only thing that is showing signs of stress is a blasto, however, it is a relatively new coral. It is possible the issue with the blasto isn't related to the KH.

RonMidtownStomp · 03/31/2011, 09:18 PM

12-13 is fine.

Sisterlimonpot · 03/31/2011, 09:19 PM

I use api kh as well. I never had a problem with it. Purple up is snake oil, really not recommended for tanks that have stony coral. The best way to get coralline algae is to keep your big 3 (alk mag and calcium) in line. I bet if you brought your calcium up a bit to 450-500 you'll get it to grow. I wouldn't do anymore water changes. just let the alk drop on it's own.

Although, I never understood why anyone goes out of their way to promote the growth of coralline algae in their tank. True, it's a sign that you're doing something right but when you have to scrape that stuff off your glass on a weekly basis you grow to really despise it.

Anthony_MC67 · 12/25/2016, 12:12 PM

If I were you I would purchase a more accurate KH tester. I was using API and my test results would not go beyond 8 nomatter how much I supplemented it. Got my self Sera test kit And noticed my KH was over 12.

RobZilla04 · 12/25/2016, 12:22 PM

I gotta imagine that in 5 1/2 years he's got this worked out, lol.

greengeco82 · 12/27/2016, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobZilla04

I gotta imagine that in 5 1/2 years he's got this worked out, lol.

Right!

homer1475 · 12/27/2016, 06:18 AM

Necro thread revival?

03/18/2011, 12:21 PM	#1
JordanB8810 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 46	KH too high I noticed this morning my duncan coral was not quite as open as it normally is. It doesn't look bad just yet, but I definitely notice a difference. I did a 10 gallon water change last night so I thought maybe I had made a mistake on salinity, but it was the usual 1.025. I check all my parameters this morning and this is how it looks. NH3: 0 NO2: 0 NO3: 0 pH: 8.0 PO4: 0 KH: 13 Ca2: 400 Salinity: 1.025 I know the KH is way too high. I am assuming this is what is making the duncan look unhappy. I am unsure how it got that high to be honest. The only thing I can think of that I have done differently is I've started dosing Kent's purple up about 3 times per week instead of once a week. What can I do to slowly lower the KH back into the acceptable 8-9 range? Thanks __________________ 55g Reef. 30g sump w/ fuge. 75 lbs live rock DSB. 20g nano. 20 lbs live rock. Current Tank Info: 55g Reef

03/18/2011, 12:33 PM	#2
stingythingy45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MA Posts: 3,296	Why is your KH so high? Do you dose anything? __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 90 gallon,mixed Reef,2-250 watt Optix 3 pendants(Phoenix 14K)2-54 watt T5 Super actnics ,ASM G-2 Gate/recirc mods,70 gal. basement sump,20L ref

03/18/2011, 12:54 PM	#3
JordanB8810 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 46	I'm not sure why the KH is so high. Starting this week, the only thing I've done differently is I've started to dose Kent's Purple Up three times per week instead of just once a week. My coraline isn't growing as much as I'd like it to. The only other thing I dose is phytoplankton, which I doubt would effect the KH. __________________ 55g Reef. 30g sump w/ fuge. 75 lbs live rock DSB. 20g nano. 20 lbs live rock. Current Tank Info: 55g Reef

03/18/2011, 01:09 PM	#4
Michael NTTH Rookie Help Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gloucester, England,UK Posts: 7,808 Blog Entries: 6	Hi-Jordan, I'm not familliar with kents purple up, whether it would raise akalinity to get your KH to that level I'm unsure, I would suggest you stop using it immediately my friend and get some scrappings off a friends live rock to kick start your corraline, as for your actual problem, I would suggest visiting the chemistry forum, there are some incredibly friendly and knowledgeable reefers in there who will point you in the right direction, the very best of luck. Kind Regards Mike __________________ Don't be afraid to ask questions, we in the new to the hobby are here to help you [For My Tank Spec,Photo Album,Articles and website, click on my name] MY Very Kindest and Warmest Regards , MIKE Current Tank Info: I have a 92 gal Corner Tank, and way too many pieces of equipment to list really, (proud member of the reef central corner club)

03/18/2011, 01:23 PM	#5
stingythingy45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MA Posts: 3,296	Hi Michael. Jordan, It very well could be the Purple up that is raising your alk if you are not dosing anything else.Alk will come down naturally over time.You could also do water changes to bring it down. But,everything must be done slowly over the span of a few days. DKH 7-11 is good.But natural sea water is close to 7. I killed a birds nest coral raising alk too fast and then dropping it. Some corals will not recover from an alk spike. But those are mostly SPS. __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 90 gallon,mixed Reef,2-250 watt Optix 3 pendants(Phoenix 14K)2-54 watt T5 Super actnics ,ASM G-2 Gate/recirc mods,70 gal. basement sump,20L ref

03/18/2011, 02:40 PM	#7
JordanB8810 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 46	Thanks Bob and Michael for your responses. I will do some 5g water changes over the next few days and discontinue dosing. I'll see if this works, and if not, I'll take the question over to the Chemistry forum. I do actually have coraline already present in the tank, it just wasn't spreading as fast and I thought it should be. Does anyone have a coraline accelerator besides Kent that they've had good success with? __________________ 55g Reef. 30g sump w/ fuge. 75 lbs live rock DSB. 20g nano. 20 lbs live rock. Current Tank Info: 55g Reef

03/19/2011, 12:17 AM	#8
Percula9 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 3,819	Purple up is a waste of money and has no value what so ever. What salt mix are you using? What is the alk of newly mixed water? Purple up is mostly fine aragonite sand and can't dissolve at seawater pH. It settles to the bottom or pulled out by your skimmer.

03/19/2011, 12:40 AM	#9
RonMidtownStomp You can edit this? Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Orangevale (Sacramento Area) Posts: 3,993	I've accidentally gone way over 13 dKh before with no problems. As long as it happens slowly, it won't hurt anything. Just let it come down normally, but water changes can never hurt. If you're really worried, you can easily do 10-15 gallons instead of 5. Purple Up is worthless. What Alk test kit are you using? Most test kits lie. The best test would be to test fresh mixed water and see what result you get. Compare. __________________ Back in a hobby with an island 4-side viewable 4' cube with center overflow. Old school SPS dominant with a nice zoa collection and a few chalices. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t

03/31/2011, 08:48 PM	#10
JordanB8810 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 46	After doing about 20 gallons worth of water changes, my KH is still sitting in the 12-13 range. When I mix up a fresh batch of saltwater, it tests in between 8-9. I am using the API KH test, and I know they aren't exactly renowned for their accuracy. I guess I will just continue the regular water changes and hope for the best. The only thing that is showing signs of stress is a blasto, however, it is a relatively new coral. It is possible the issue with the blasto isn't related to the KH. __________________ 55g Reef. 30g sump w/ fuge. 75 lbs live rock DSB. 20g nano. 20 lbs live rock. Current Tank Info: 55g Reef

03/31/2011, 09:18 PM	#11
RonMidtownStomp You can edit this? Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Orangevale (Sacramento Area) Posts: 3,993	12-13 is fine. __________________ Back in a hobby with an island 4-side viewable 4' cube with center overflow. Old school SPS dominant with a nice zoa collection and a few chalices. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t

03/31/2011, 09:19 PM	#12
Sisterlimonpot R.C. Fraternity President Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Litchfeild Park AZ Posts: 11,490 Blog Entries: 2	I use api kh as well. I never had a problem with it. Purple up is snake oil, really not recommended for tanks that have stony coral. The best way to get coralline algae is to keep your big 3 (alk mag and calcium) in line. I bet if you brought your calcium up a bit to 450-500 you'll get it to grow. I wouldn't do anymore water changes. just let the alk drop on it's own. Although, I never understood why anyone goes out of their way to promote the growth of coralline algae in their tank. True, it's a sign that you're doing something right but when you have to scrape that stuff off your glass on a weekly basis you grow to really despise it. __________________ Jimmy MASVC President Dishes are done man! Current Tank Info: 300 in progress

12/25/2016, 12:12 PM	#13
Anthony_MC67 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 12	Don't trust API oh test If I were you I would purchase a more accurate KH tester. I was using API and my test results would not go beyond 8 nomatter how much I supplemented it. Got my self Sera test kit And noticed my KH was over 12.

12/25/2016, 12:22 PM	#14
RobZilla04 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 1,857	I gotta imagine that in 5 1/2 years he's got this worked out, lol. __________________ 90g Mixed Reef

12/27/2016, 06:18 AM	#16
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	Necro thread revival? __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

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