DKH TOO HIGH

[mogood]

Hello reefers I am an serious issue with my alkalinity/DKH it high I started off topic Marin salt then went to friz salt cuz I got 6 boxes for 200 and now for last two months I have been using instant ocean regular salt mix and my dkh is still high I have been doing big water changes to drop it and it seems to say the same!! I tested it tonight it was 18.3 but my corals are doing fine!! By the way I am not dosing anything at all water changes only!!! I need help to get this issue resolved

 

[Matt1997]

Double check with a different testing method. Clean the vials well and retest.

 

[mogood]

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I did the they are new and I got new reagent to hand clean them with r/o water before I use them

 

[Reef.]

Either you are using the Hanna checker incorrectly or your salinity is too high, as instant ocean salt is around 11.5dkh, so if you were to do a 100% water change your dkh would be around 11.5, so as said it’s either you doing the test wrong, the checker is not working correctly or your salinity is too high, very easy for a salinity checker to be giving the incorrect reading.

 

[Dine]

Either you are using the Hanna checker incorrectly or your salinity is too high, as instant ocean salt is around 11.5dkh, so if you were to do a 100% water change your dkh would be around 11.5, so as said it’s either you doing the test wrong, the checker is not working correctly or your salinity is too high, very easy for a salinity checker to be giving the incorrect reading.

Unlikely but another option is the salts off? Not likely to be the case but worth a test

 

[Reef.]

Unlikely but another option is the salts off? Not likely to be the case but worth a test

Could be but the op said their reading was high even when using Tropic Marin and also Fritz, so to have 3 salts with very excessive alk would be very unlikely.

 

[mogood]

Either you are using the Hanna checker incorrectly or your salinity is too high, as instant ocean salt is around 11.5dkh, so if you were to do a 100% water change your dkh would be around 11.5, so as said it’s either you doing the test wrong, the checker is not working correctly or your salinity is too high, very easy for a salinity checker to be giving the incorrect reading.

 

[mogood]

This the salt I am using

 

[Reef.]

This the salt I am using

Yeah you said, it’s unlikely to be the salt, it has an alk of 11.5, your alk is much higher, so most likely your test is wrong or you are adding too much salt so your salinity is off, which would also increase your alk.

Buy a Salifert alk test kit, very cheap and very accurate, to double check your results before you make any changes.

 

[Opus]

If the salt is supposed to be 11.5 then make up a batch and then test it. If you get something way off, then most likely it is your tester. Hanna makes a calibration kit with premade vials of solution to check the accuracy of the checker. Other option is to take a sample to your LFS if they do water testing. Or as someone else already stated, buy a test kit so you can compare. I have test kits for all my Hanna checkers so I can check their every 6 months or so.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hello reefers I am an serious issue with my alkalinity/DKH it high I started off topic Marin salt then went to friz salt cuz I got 6 boxes for 200 and now for last two months I have been using instant ocean regular salt mix and my dkh is still high I have been doing big water changes to drop it and it seems to say the same!! I tested it tonight it was 18.3 but my corals are doing fine!! By the way I am not dosing anything at all water changes only!!! I need help to get this issue resolved

I would test again using a different test kit, such as a Salifert.

As the Calcium is in normal range, I expect your Salinity is okay.

 

[mogood]

If the salt is supposed to be 11.5 then make up a batch and then test it. If you get something way off, then most likely it is your tester. Hanna makes a calibration kit with premade vials of solution to check the accuracy of the checker. Other option is to take a sample to your LFS if they do water testing. Or as someone else already stated, buy a test kit so you can compare. I have test kits for all my Hanna checkers so I can check their every 6 months or so.

I am using the regular instant ocean salt not the reef salt and my checker just came back for Hanna

 

[mogood]

I would test again using a different test kit, such as a Salifert.

As the Calcium is in normal range, I expect your Salinity is okay.

I take it to my local store and they spin test it for me I just need to know to get it down safely

 

[gbroadbridge]

I take it to my local store and they spin test it for me I just need to know to get it down safely

1. You can bring it down with water changes with a salt mix that has lower Alkalinity.

2. You can use the same Salt mix and chemically reduce the Alkalinity of the freshly mixed water (before adding to the tank) using either Sodium Bisulphate or an acid such as Hydrochloric acid.

See this thread.

Sodium Bisulfate to Reduce Alkalinity in New Salt Water or in Display Tanks

I just want to record these calculations in their own thread to refer back to in other threads. When alkalinity is too high in new salt water or in a display tank, acid can be used to lower the alkalinity. You can easily use muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid), or sodium bifulfate (e.g...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[liddojunior]

I recommend not changing salt brands so often.

Test your newly mixed saltwater.

Don’t chase numbers since you said your corals are happy, just stick to consistent instead of doing a huge Alk swing.

Im not sure if I’m missing it, but if you’re testing your tank water. Nitrates being consumed increases Alk. So you you might just have Alk because you’re having tons of nitrates and your biological filtration is keeping up with that

 

[mogood]

1. You can bring it down with water changes with a salt mix that has lower Alkalinity.

2. You can use the same Salt mix and chemically reduce the Alkalinity of the freshly mixed water (before adding to the tank) using either Sodium Bisulphate or an acid such as Hydrochloric acid.

See this thread.

Sodium Bisulfate to Reduce Alkalinity in New Salt Water or in Display Tanks

I just want to record these calculations in their own thread to refer back to in other threads. When alkalinity is too high in new salt water or in a display tank, acid can be used to lower the alkalinity. You can easily use muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid), or sodium bifulfate (e.g...

www.reef2reef.com

Is this what they talking bout and it said don’t use bisulphate I am not understanding what they mean

 

[mogood]

I recommend not changing salt brands so often.

Test your newly mixed saltwater.

Don’t chase numbers since you said your corals are happy, just stick to consistent instead of doing a huge Alk swing.

Im not sure if I’m missing it, but if you’re testing your tank water. Nitrates being consumed increases Alk. So you you might just have Alk because you’re having tons of nitrates and your biological filtration is keeping up with that

I don’t water change every weekend 20% just try to get it down I not chasing numbers I want to be safe cuz I don’t want to send money on coral and they start to die

 

[liddojunior]

I don’t water change every weekend 20% just try to get it down I not chasing numbers I want to be safe cuz I don’t want to send money on coral and they start to die

I mean why do you think the number is not safe? If it’s going well then you don’t need to change.
Since you tried many brands. It’s time to find out why your tank has high Alk. Instead of trying to lower. if your salt mix is high then that’s the problem. But if your new salt water is lower, that means your tank is making Alk go up, and that’s usually because it’s consuming all the nitrates that would make the tank unsafe. So it’s a good thing that it’s happening, it’s protecting your tank. So maybe you want to reduce nitrates and the alk will naturally go down

 

[gbroadbridge]

Is this what they talking bout and it said don’t use bisulphate I am not understanding what they mean

That product is fine.

Remember you lower the alkalinity in the water change water - not directly in the Display tank.

 

[Nano_Man]

Hello reefers I am an serious issue with my alkalinity/DKH it high I started off topic Marin salt then went to friz salt cuz I got 6 boxes for 200 and now for last two months I have been using instant ocean regular salt mix and my dkh is still high I have been doing big water changes to drop it and it seems to say the same!! I tested it tonight it was 18.3 but my corals are doing fine!! By the way I am not dosing anything at all water changes only!!! I need help to get this issue resolved

Is your Di taking it out of the tap water . My alkalinity is through the roof even after ro Having to reduce Alk in the water change water with acid buffer