First Alkalinity Check - Crazy High, or Am I Crazy?

[kittenbritches]

My 40g breeder just finished cycling and I did a 25g water change (0 TDS RODI + Instant Ocean [0.5c/gal]). My Red Sea test kit also just arrived, so I tested my water parameters with both that and my API kit.

Since my base API kit doesn't test for dKH, this was my first time testing for it. This *isn't* the Red Sea Pro dKH kit with the titrator, so I'm counting drops with the janky pipette. It took 19 drops for the test sample to turn green.

Is this a fluke? Did I do something wrong? Or is my alkalinity really 19 dKH for no good reason? I'm going to re-test tomorrow after the water change has had some time to settle in...but I feel like I'm nuts.

If my alk really is that high, what is the best way to decrease it without screwing up my pH?

Other Parameters:
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm
pH: 8.1
SG: 1.023

 

[Miami Reef]

Do you have the orange bucket Instant Ocean salt (reef crystals)?

 

[kittenbritches]

Do you have the orange bucket Instant Ocean salt (reef crystals)?

Nope. I just used the regular IO...

 

[Miami Reef]

Nope. I just used the regular IO...

Make sure you do the test again and make sure you do it exactly as instructions state. If it still shows high, go to LFS and ask them to test it. If it STILL shows high then it’s a faulty salt batch.

Im going to guess it’s just a testing error. Most probable likelihood.

 

[Spieg]

19 dKH does sound pretty crazy. Maybe test some of your fresh mixed salt water before you do the next water change, just to see what that measures out at?
Another suggestion - IO salt has a bit of a reputation of not being mixed well when it goes into the bag/bucket, so you might try mixing the salt up before you use it (sometimes all the alkalinity component can ends up all together in one section of the container which can cause very high/low alkalinity when mixed). I usually use a couple of empty buckets to pour the salt back and forth a few times to be sure it is mixed well (be carefull not to breath the dust though).

 

[Little c big D]

did you do the test with 5ML or 10ML. Instructions for both are listed. it's likley you alk is 9.5 and you used the wrong scale

 

[kittenbritches]

did you do the test with 5ML or 10ML. Instructions for both are listed. it's likley you alk is 9.5 and you used the wrong scale

I did the test with a 10mL water sample. About to check it again. ;Nailbiting

 

[Miami Reef]

Following!

 

[Miami Reef]

I did the test with a 10mL water sample. About to check it again. ;Nailbiting

Are you using the API or the Red Sea? I want to make sure we are talking about the same test kits.

 

[Potatohead]

Are you actually checking salinity or just doing cups/gallon?

 

[DrZoidburg]

When in doubt test again. When I use that salt its usually around 9.5dkh? I forget its been a while.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Did you use tap water? It can add a lot of alkalinity.

 

[DrZoidburg]

True like my tap well water if unfiltered is 19dkh.

 

[kittenbritches]

Great news: I'm an idiot.

The 10mL measurement is the 0.5dKH resolution, and the 5mL is the 1dKH resolution. I inverted them in my brain (likely matching fives and ones). ;Facepalm

Are you using the API or the Red Sea? I want to make sure we are talking about the same test kits.

Using the Red Sea KH test from their "Multi Test Kit Marine Care"

Are you actually checking salinity or just doing cups/gallon?

Measuring salinity with a calibrated refractometer.

When in doubt test again. When I use that salt its usually around 9.5dkh? I forget its been a while.

It's 9.5 on the nose. ;Happy

Did you use tap water? It can add a lot of alkalinity.

0 TDS RODI

Thanks for engaging with me and my reading error. Haha. At least I don't have to do another water change...

 

[Little c big D]

Great news: I'm an idiot.

The 10mL measurement is the 0.5dKH resolution, and the 5mL is the 1dKH resolution. I inverted them in my brain (likely matching fives and ones). ;Facepalm


Using the Red Sea KH test from their "Multi Test Kit Marine Care"


Measuring salinity with a calibrated refractometer.


It's 9.5 on the nose. ;Happy


0 TDS RODI

Thanks for engaging with me and my reading error. Haha. At least I don't have to do another water change...

Wooooooo called it