Alk question

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by cj5_dude, Dec 10, 2012.

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  1. cj5_dude

    cj5_dude Flamingo Tongue

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    Location:
    Durango, CO
    I tested my water today and it seems like my alk is a little low but I don't know if it's an issue to worry about or not.

    Here's the numbers I came up with today...

    Ammonia - 0
    Nitrite - 0
    Nitrate - 0
    pH - 8.2
    Calcium - 440
    kH - 6
    Phosphate - 0
    Magnesium - 1300
    Salinity - 1.025

    So as you can see my other numbers look fine but the alk is a hair low. Should I do something to raise it?
     
    cj5_dude, Dec 10, 2012
    cj5_dude, Dec 10, 2012
    #1

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  2. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    If you have corals yes raise it to 7 to 10 dKH range. You should be able to find an alkalinity supplement at your LFS.
     
    2in10, Dec 10, 2012
    2in10, Dec 10, 2012
    #2
  3. cj5_dude

    cj5_dude Flamingo Tongue

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    I do have a few LPS and soft corals. Any suggestions on what to get? Or would water changes make enough difference? It's a 12 gallon cube.
     
    cj5_dude, Dec 10, 2012
    cj5_dude, Dec 10, 2012
    #3
  4. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    With a tank that small....you could try a couple of water changes over the next few days to see what happens. Be careful dosing with water volume that low.
     
    Daniel072, Dec 10, 2012
    Daniel072, Dec 10, 2012
    #4
  5. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    You will need to get baby droppers to control you amounts. WC may do the trick.
     
    2in10, Dec 10, 2012
    2in10, Dec 10, 2012
    #5
  6. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    Finally the guy partially agrees with me.
     
    Daniel072, Dec 10, 2012
    Daniel072, Dec 10, 2012
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  7. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

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    What salt are you using and how often are you doing water changes? As others said, sometimes just using a higher alk salt or doing more water changes is enough. This is especially true with such a small tank.
     
    m2434, Dec 10, 2012
    m2434, Dec 10, 2012
    #7