high KH

Hi,
when doing my weekly water tests today everything looked good (ph was a little low 8.2) except for KH which seems to have skyrocketed to 18 dKP. any idea what would cause high KH and how i should go about lowering it.

heres the full set of parameters
Ammonia Nitrites phosphates 0
nitrates about 2 ppm
PH 8.2
Ca 440
KH 18

I use Kent coravite Iodide,and Tech CB(a and b) as well as a powered PH buffer as needed

 

Did you repeat the test to verify?

M

 

i repeated it and i got 17 dKP. I did a 10% water change just now to try and bring it down. It only occured to me after i dropped my last 5 gallons premix, to test the water im using from the LFS. Ill get some more tomorrow and ask them if their adding anything beyond saltmix.

is 17-18 dKP an emergency situation that i need to change more water asap or can I wait for it come down on its own?

 

Could be the PH buffer,don't really know what you mean by powered ph buffer but I once had this happen when using Kent Marine super dkh buffer to raise my ph.AT the time I wasn't testing Alk,after being told it's better to test Alk I bought and tested and it was at 22! I then asked lfs owner what,if anything,I could add to lower it and was told there was nothing to add and it would slowly decrease on it's own,which it did.Don't really know if it's a problem for anything you have in your tank,if it is,waterchanges may be the best way to lower it more quickly,with no buffer of course.

 

Just stop dosing anything that can effect ALK and test again next week

J

 

+2 Just let the tank be and it will consume it. I let mine get up to 19 before by accident and just let the tank run to get rid of it.