my alkalinity is extremly low

[Fish Fan]

I have some stony but not big

Your tank looks good, and IO Reef Crystals is a solid choice with a fairly high starting Alk. I'd double check your tester with another test kit or at your local shop. I think if your Alk was really 4.7 dKH or lower you'd be seeing a noticeable decline in your corals.

 

[Luigi Terenzio]

How big is the tank and how big of a water change are we talking? I'd bet the farm on this certainly being a testing error/bad reagent. I don't know how familiar you are with the testing kits, but make sure you follow the directions precisely as they are written. Your Nitrate is also flirting with disaster.

It’s a 30 gallon tank I do 5 gall changes a week with a salinity of 1.026 with instant ocean reef crystals

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I use hanna alk dkh i tested the tank it been almost 24 hours since my water change yesterday and with a brand new thing of reageant that expire 12/25 it reads 4.7 and my ph is at 8.6 so i put a little bit of distiled vinager white in the sump

I don’t think either value is likely, and strongly urge not adding vinegar for ordinary pH situations.

 

[Dreamreefcorals]

consider replacing the reagent

 

[Australian_Reef]

I use instant ocean reef crystals which doesn’t show the alk

It’s on the bucket and everywhere online

 

[get-salty]

maybe you're reading it in mEq/L ?

 

[liudachris]

I second salifert test kit. It’s grown on me and I might retire the Hanna Altogether

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It’s on the bucket and everywhere online

Where do you see the alk for Reef crystals on the bucket?

 

[Australian_Reef]

Where do you see the alk for Reef crystals on the bucket?

I posted the picture of it on the bucket above. It’s here…

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m confused. That’s a graph over time. What is the month even talking about?

Are you getting that bucket in the USA? I don’t see it in buckets on line, which are totally different.

 

[Australian_Reef]

I’m confused. That’s a graph over time. What is the month even talking about?

Are you getting that bucket in the USA? I don’t see it in buckets on line, which are totally different.

I’m in Australia and never knew whether we got the US or European version so from what you are saying it seems it’s the EU version.

There is a legend attached which states that this is the measurements over 12 mths of production. It is a bit strange but I’m guessing as a mined product production changes slightly over time. They have the same for calcium and Mg. But given that Reef crystals is then supplemented you’d think it would I be more precisely dialled in

 

[playboateralex]

Be careful with the vinegar. You are Carbon dosing and it could lead to zeroing out nutrients. Zero nitrates or phosphates can lead to Dino’s or cyano.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m in Australia and never knew whether we got the US or European version so from what you are saying it seems it’s the EU version.

There is a legend attached which states that this is the measurements over 12 mths of production. It is a bit strange but I’m guessing as a mined product production changes slightly over time. They have the same for calcium and Mg. But given that Reef crystals is then supplemented you’d think it would I be more precisely dialled in

Thanks. I had also heard long ago from a rep that the European version can deviate from the US version in some parameters. I think he may have said it was made under a license, but even if true, that may have changed since then.

 

[benaer]

There is no way your water is that soft with those parameters. Get a cheap test kit for alkalinity and use it until you have found the issue with your hanna checker.

Nox Vidmate VLC​