Is my kh right??

[JGon]

My kh is reading 6.8. Is that good or does it need to be higher???

 

[JGon]

I was told by a LFS that it should be above 8. And i was told by another LFS that it should be between 4 and 7.

 

[Reefing Madness]

7-12dKH is normal range

 

[JGon]

I've had my water tested four times. At first my kh was at 5. The LFS sold me some buffer to increase it to 8. Dosed the tank the next three days. Kh was at 6. Dosed it the following two days. Tested at 6.5 the next day. Left it alone for five days. Had it tested and it was at 6.8. Am I missing somethin??

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What is in the aquarium?

6.8 dKH matches the ocean, so it is fine for most situations, but some corals may grow faster at slightly higher levels.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've had my water tested four times. At first my kh was at 5. The LFS sold me some buffer to increase it to 8. Dosed the tank the next three days. Kh was at 6. Dosed it the following two days. Tested at 6.5 the next day. Left it alone for five days. Had it tested and it was at 6.8. Am I missing somethin??

Probably some combination if test errors and consumption. It never rises on its own.

 

[JGon]

I don't have much in it at the moment. It's a new tank. So far what I have in it is a neon dottyback and three snails. My aquarium is a 20g long.

 

[JGon]

Should I keep dosing and see if i can get it up there to 8 or just leave it as is??

 

[bpcass]

I'd just watch it for a little while. Take readings every few days or daily if you want and see if it drops back down. If you don't have corals in there yet the KH should stay pretty stable. If you do have corals or are planning on getting them I wouldn't mess with alkalinity without also tracking calcium. If you just dose one the balance will be thrown off and you'll have problems with KH, calcium, and pH. It sounds like you are having your water tested at the LFS. If so get a test kit and start doing it yourself and pick up a calcium test too. You will be more consistent than having different people do it at the store every time.

 

[JGon]

I do plan on adding corals and a few more fish. I was told I could already start adding coral. But this whole kh situation has me a bit concerned. I don't want to start adding coral until I have my parameters where they should be. Unless it really isn't a big deal where it's at at the moment.

 

[JGon]

But I am willing to be patient as long as I have to. It's my first saltwater/reef aquarium and I wanna do this right.

 

[bpcass]

Where you are at is reasonable for now as long as you also have a reasonable pH 7.8-8.5. How new is the tank? What kind of corals do you plan to add? If you are going with soft corals you are fine. If you are going with hard corals you will be fine for a while until they start growing and pulling calcium and alkalinity out of the water. At that point you would need to start dosing a balanced calcium and alkalinity supplement such as calcium hydroxide (kalkwasser), or one of the many two part additives like B ionic.

 

[JGon]

The tank is pretty new. It's two and a half weeks old. And the plan is to go with soft corals.

 

[tcoyle]

what salt mix are you using? might want to consider a good quality salt mix that has higher ALK and Calcium.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't think it matters whether you boost it to 8 dKH or leave it where it is, but don't let it go lower.

 

[JGon]

what salt mix are you using? might want to consider a good quality salt mix that has higher ALK and Calcium.

I got the water premixed at my LFS. So I don't know what salt they use.

 

[JGon]

I don't think it matters whether you boost it to 8 dKH or leave it where it is, but don't let it go lower.

Gotcha. I'll invest in a test kit and start testing my water myself more often to keep an eye on my parameters. Thanks everyone! [emoji2]

 

[beaslbob]

My kh is reading 6.8. Is that good or does it need to be higher???

depends on the units. If 6.8 DKH then probably a little low. I would read the improved diy two part system. Or even just add a tables poon or so of baking soda. But read the two part first.
my .02