Do My Water Parameters Make Sense?

I'm using an API Marine Test Kit...

This is what I'm getting:
Ammonia/Nitrite - 0
PH - 8.2
Calcium - 480
KH - 5
Nitrate - 40
Salinity 1.027

I checked it today because I noticed a few of my GSP and Xenia weren't looking so hot. Though my other stuff all looks normal.

I know that the Nitrate is high... Tomorrow I"m going to do about a 30% WC
But, if I want to raise the KH, will I be able to do so without the PH going up with it?
It is normal for the Calcium to stay consistently around 450-480 with the other parameters? I never dose Calcium, just do my normal water changes.
Though I don't have but 1-2 LPS or anything that really use up Calcium, to my knowledge.

 

If you do not have a lot of stony corals/ clams/ coralline, and your doing routine water changes I would not expect much of a drop in Ca. If it concerns you I would test a newly made of batch of SW and see where you start out.

The nitrates while at 40, may have just creeped up to that value. Not ideal for a reef tank but I doubt most soft corals like xenia would notice or be affected by that value. Yes you do want to bring it down but 40 is really not that bad nor would I be terrible concerned by it.

 

The only issues i see wrong is your alk and trates. Need to get your alk to at least 8dkh, how are you testing ph ? If its truly high then in order to raise alk and not to effect your ph is to use baking soda unbaked

 

Thanks Corailline

I'm testing the PH with the API Kit, which is how I'm testing everything.
I actually have some Seachem Reef Buffer, and went to a site that said I need to add 3 tsps to get from 5 to 8... So I put about half a tbsp in, and will do that once a week I guess.

I put 15G of fresh SW in today, and the KH was up to 6 a few hours after, so shouldn't be too hard.

The Seachems SAYS that it won't affect the PH, but we'll see I guess.