alkalinity

  1. Why One Alkalinity Test Does Not Tell the Whole Story

    Beginner Topic Why One Alkalinity Test Does Not Tell the Whole Story

    Alkalinity is one of those numbers reef keepers obsess over, and honestly, I get it. I do it too. You run a test, you expect to see 8.3, and it comes back 7.8. Now your brain immediately starts doing reef math, panic math, dosing math, and “what did I screw up this time” math all at once. Then...
    • Joe Marino
    • Article
    • 6 min read
    • alkalinity alkalinity stability coral growth dkh dosing reef aquariumalkalinity reef chemistry reef tank parameters reef tank stability reef testing
    • Category: Reef Chemistry
  2. gabesreef

    Is my ALK swinging to much?

    Just wondering if this is considered unstable? This is how my alk has been fluctuating from 5/26-6/2. I use b ionic 2 part and I use much more alk than calcium. I have my trident and DOS working together to dose my tank. I’m just wondering if this is okay for SPS. My goal is 9 alk and 440 calcium
  3. eye_dr_reef

    Is there a chemical limit to daily alkalinity consumption, or is it basically infinite?

    Hi everyone. I’ve been increasing my Balling dose almost every week just to keep alkalinity stable around 7.0 dKH, and at this point I’m starting to wonder where this actually stops. My tank is a 350L / 92g peninsula, mostly Acropora, and I’m using TRITON Core7 Other Methods in the 2-part...
  4. D

    Dropping and then rising alkalinity

    Hi all! My tank is 1 year old, and I have a weird occurence. When I started out with only fish initially I tested alk just to see where it was at. Found it at around 5, although my water should have mixed at least 6,5. Tested the mixed salt, and saw that it was mixing low (6,2-ish). I usually...
  5. R

    I have bought the fresh water alkalinity test kit on mistake

    I accidentally used an alkalinity test kit for fresh water instead of salt water. Is there a conversion or method to make this kit work, since I already bought it?
  6. T33BLACK

    Do i need to raise alkalinity?

    I've been testing my numbers with a salifert kit for the past few months and have been dosing all for Reef everything seems to be doing fine although I still have zero nitrates and zero phosphates which puzzles me even though I've gotten rid of all my hair algae for the most part and feed all...
  7. T33BLACK

    All for reef and alkalinity

    I've been dosing afr for months now and am seeing good results in my parameters however I still cant get my alk above 6.7 and ph above 8.15. Should I just dose more afr or use something else for the alk,just didnt want to raise everything else to much ? Was just hoping afr would take care of...
  8. ReefRookie22

    Salt v target alkalinity

    Salt v target alkalinity. I appreciate not chasing numbers but what is everyone's target alkalinity? I only ask as I was recently advised to aim for 8 but am aware that most salts have an alkalinity much higher than this. I only have about 20 small coral frags so my consumption is low which...
  9. M

    Dosed Alkalinity And It Raised My Other Parameters

    So I’ve been trying to start dosing my reef tank and was completely doing it wrong. Now I’m starting over and I’ve been testing, dosing, testing everyday for the past couple of days. I did do a water change on the first day due to my calcium being 600+ (again I was doing it wrong before) now...
  10. TAC

    EMERGENCY I have Alkalinity problem

    I need to raise alkalinity to 8.3/8.2 at least. I did %20 water change and its still 7.2. I was trying to mix half gallon saltwater with 5 grams of reef buffer with wave maker. But its not getting mixed. 3 corals already died. Any suggestions
  11. johnacharles93

    Struggling to Balance: Alk, Ca, Mg, ORP & PH

    Hello fellow reefers, I’m reaching out for help dialing in the chemistry and filtration balance on my 65-gallon Waterbox AIO mixed reef tank. I’ve been working hard to stabilize parameters, reduce algae, maintain water clarity, and support healthy coral growth but I’m hitting some roadblocks...
  12. Reef_papi

    Alkalinity Spike after water change. Best course of action??

    As stated in the title, did a water change last night of about 4 gallons with IO reef crystals. Today my alkalinity had spiked to 9.5 from 8.5 before doing the water change. What’s the best course of action to keep the alkalinity as stable as possible. last water change was about 3 weeks ago...
  13. simplyaquariums

    Low alkalinity, but pH, Ca, and Mg in range? Please help!

    Hi all, I have 2 mixed reef systems, which have been running since November 2025 and March 2025 respectively. Up to this point, I have been using RODI and saltwater purchased from my LFS, which sources natural sea water as live in a coastal city in Florida. I purchased both RODI and saltwater...
  14. boyfish

    Why is my Alk & Ca dropping in a new dry rock tank?

    Hey everyone! I recently started a 25-gallon Water Box Peninsula tank using dry Marco rock, Ocean Direct sand, and Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt. I added one piece of live rock from a local fish store to seed biological diversity, but the majority of the hardscape is dry rock. I’m about two weeks...
  15. C

    Testing water

    Hello all, I started with a 17 gallon tank and did not need much testing as it was mainly a Fowler. I now have 3 GSP and a red mushroom/ leather? What should I be testing for with these? As well I am starting my 210 and hoping to put corals and fish in around June/ July. In this I’m mainly...
  16. M

    PH Issue and Alkalinity

    Good Afternoon I have had freshwater aquariums for close to 15 years now. I have had great success as well. However, I have decided I will now get my first Saltwater Tank and very long term, future reef tank up and going. I have my own RoDi unit and make my own water and I am able to get the...
  17. CayoHueso

    Suggested Daily Alkalinity Increase when adjusting dKH

    What's a safe daily increase in alkalinity levels that will not stress out corals? I've seen several different numbers. BRS's calculator recommends not increasing by more than 1.5 dKH in one day. That seems like a pretty high jump in one day. WWC's videos mention not increasing by more than .5...
  18. nkyreef

    Testing Alkalinity Mixture

    I've needed to adjust my alkalinity levels manually since making a new mixture with BRS soda ash. The new bag has a 1 1/2 cup to 1 gallon ratio. The older bag was 2 1/3 to 1 gallon. Is there any way I can use a Hanna checker to measure the "strength" of the mixture? Can a certain measurement of...
  19. D

    Low alkalinity in new tank, how to proceed?

    Hi! I have a 30 gal tank that has been cycled since 2 months, currently going through the ugly stage with diatoms. Since I started the tank I've had low alkalinity of 5.1-5.0, whereas the salt I use (AF reef salt) is supposed to land at around 7.6. I've attributed this to the cycle, which I've...
  20. Thizz

    California Aquariums Dry Goods SOLD

    SOLD
  21. G

    Changing my daily Alk dose solution from soda ash to Na-bicarb

    Changing my daily Alk dose solution from soda ash to Na-bicarb. Should I double the volume added per day of Na-bicarb? Should I do the same for Ca dose solution? So if I’m currently at 32 mL/day of Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride. Propose to change to 64 mL/day of Na-BiCarb and the same for...
  22. It’s the Grim Reefer

    Measuring KH with Test Strips?

    Hey R2R family, I’m going to commence cycling my tank this weekend and I’m going to use the Red Sea Mature Reef Starter Kit. This process requires frequently measuring KH. I bought these 7 in 1 test strips but now I’m confused… which test is actually measuring the KH/Alkalinity? I’ve done some...
  23. Cole_Voeller

    Soda Ash Potency?

    Hello all. So I use soda ash to dose for my KH, and have been for quite some time now. BRS stopped using the bags, and switched to the smaller containers, though both are 1 gallon mixes, so I doubt anything changed their. Regardless, I’ve been using the containers for quite a while now. My frag...
  24. reefverse_

    EMERGENCY Alkalinity Swing

    I have a Water box 65.4 AIO. I got my water tested on Friday and my Alkalinity came in at 11 dKH. On that same day I bought two more fish, a gonipora, and the AI Glow blade (48). Saturday I bought 3 acans and a tiger tail cucumber. I also tested my water again that night and my Alk came back at...
  25. TokioSuperGrip

    Hanna - low alk? Salifert - high calcium?

    Hello! Bear with me. I am new to saltwater aquariums and testing, any help is appreciated. I’m testing for Alkalinity using the Hanna tester. I followed the directions and got 6.4 and 6.0. These were back to back tests. I then used a Salifert calcium test and got 400ppm. I trust this one more...
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