Low KH

M

MartinMan

Premium Member
Making some new salt water, using Reef Crystals.  Testing I see the KH is real low.  Yellow on the strip, like zero.  The water I've been getting at my LSF KH usually test at 120.  What can I add to raise KH without throwing everything else out of whack.  Everything else looks pretty good, PH may be a little low, looks around 7.9.  If I add a teaspoon of PH Buffer to a jug will this raise KH as well as PH.  This is a 60 gallon sumpless FOWLER with some Softies and a few LPSs.  Sorry for the noob question but I've been out of the hobby awhile.
 
I would recommend using good test kits to assure your parameters are correct.Per Seachem Reef Buffer, and may be different than the one you are using.[Reef Buffer will raise the pH to desired levels. With this easy-to-use formula, there is no fear of accidentally over-correcting the pH to a dangerous level. Reef Buffer, a blended product, also raises carbonate alkalinity.]
 
Posted by: MartinMan Making some new salt water said:
This website has a calculator with a drop down list of products. You can see what the effect on Ph and Kh would be based on what you decide to use. http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html 
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If your pH is that high, I doubt alkalinity is as low as you've described.  I'd recommend getting a dKH kit, not a KH kit.  Elos, Salifert, Hanna....
 
Mark, I was just listening to your live stream on Youtube where you mentioned someone getting a bad batch of salt.  I'm using Reef Crystals and just testing with a dip strip my fresh batch of saltwater is showing KH at 1.  But the water in my tank is in the green at about 120.  PH reads at 8.0 on both.  I know these test strips are not very accurate, I'll pick up a better kit soon, but I'm a bit confused about this reading.  Should the KH be that low on a freshly made jug of saltwater.  I'm thinking I may have a bad batch of salt as well. Thanks 
 
Posted by: MartinMan Mark said:
It would be best to have someone else test your saltwater with their test kit, even if it is at the LFS.  We measure dKH, not regular KH in the saltwater hobby.
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[Report][Delete][ PM ]Thanks, Mark for the quick reply.  Checking Amazon I can't find any test kit that says dkh, only KH.  I attached a couple of links below.  Which of these do I need?  I have a Sumpless 60 gallon tank I'm running like a Nano.  I just rely on weekly water changes rather than using a two part doser.  Trying to keep it simple. I'm just adding a capfull of PurpleUp every night for calcium.  The reason I'm concerned is I have a huge Toadstool the one with green tentacles and a lot of GSP that have just recently stop extending fully.  I recently added a couple of LPSs in the tank, open brains that are pretty big and probably using up a lot of calcium.  Also recently had a temp spike that may be the culprit.  Temp is back to 79 and things are slowly coming back.  I'll post about the temp spike on another thread.
 
KH is fine, dKH is degrees (unit) KH.  You could also report it in PPM or a couple other things, all easy to convert.While I tend to prefer Red Sea for many things I like the API kit for KH.  Cheap enough, fast, very easy color, and for your purposes ±1° is close enough.Toadstool and GSP not fully extending is generally water too clean (is your nitrate zero by chance?)Unless your temp spiked well above 85°F I wouldn't worry about it.  I recently saw a tank that spiked to 94° for three days (bad heater), the star polyps were unhappy for a week or so, but they made it through.  The toadstool did not, but it was on death's door for months beforehand.Note that any time you add calcium you'll also need to (not at the same time) add alk or you'll end up with high calcium and low alk.P.S. Test strips really are junk.  The liquid tests aren't great, but they're a world apart from the strips.
 
Thanks, man.  Wow.  Water too clean.  First time I've heard that.  But it makes sense.  I think these softies like nutrient rich water.  Yes, nitrates are pretty low after the last water change.  I'll let my fish dirty it up a tad.  Actually I've been using quite a bit of  ReefRoids.  I would think that would bring nitrate levels up, but so far it has not.
 
MartinMan, go to any LFS and they will sell you an alkalinity test kit. Salifert, Elos, both good kits that are easy to read. I believe Tropic Marin makes one you can find at Petco too.  Hanna Checkers makes one for Alkalinity.  Dallas North Aquarium could test your water, and you could compare their number to the tests you've performed yourself that same day.  That's a great way to double check your readings.
 
Rickyb:  Didn't see your reply until now.  Thanks for the invite.  Test kits came today, I'll give it a shot.  We're in the same neighborhood, maybe we'll get together sometime.
 
Just an update, GSP came back, fully extended and looking great, as well as the other LPSs, but the toadstool is still closed up and a lot smaller.  Got a feeling she's a goner. Doing a big water change Monday, and have some better lights coming as well.  Upgrading from 30 watts LEDs to 165 watt Black Box.  Not sure this will save the toad, but should help everything else.
 
Leathers are pretty hardy, mine has closed up for a long time before and came back. It happens from time to time.
 
Yep, they're usually pretty tough.  Part of the problem is I have a Midas Blenny that love to wallow in it.  Considers it his big leather couch.
 
Posted by: MartinMan Just an update said:
My toadstool requires a higher nutrient level than my other softies to really stay open.  Did you ever test your nitrate levels and find a non-zero result?
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