tests a bit off?

Wow K+ to you for that great additive calculater that it brill! saves me all the hassle of using my brain not to mention alot safer!
so give me a ruff idea off what levels calcium , Alk & mag should be so its all completely clear in my head..............im of to the fish shop tommorrow.
It funny as i always seem to struggle keeping my alk up & my calcium has always been high so if i get this alk back up gradually ( should it be 12)then it should raise my ph & fix my cal by lowering it?
Thanks again K

 

how do you lower ph, also how do u know the date on the api test kit

 

Ok so i went to the LFS to get some sechums alc raiser as my husband didntlike the idea off me putting baking soda in my £3000 tank incase i killed it all! ha ye of little faith anyway i took my ph which seemed to be 8.1 ( its late here bout 9pm at night) but im stumpped with my alc test as it dont tell me in dkh just in kh which mine is 70ppm so i cant figure out what dkh mine is so can someone figure out how i convert a level 70ppm kh to dkh as i no dkh of 12 is normal but i have no idea what kh is normal
Thanks K

 

First a dkh of 12 is a bit high for a softie or fish only tank. Perfect IMO for an SPS display. Softies prefer a dkh between 7-10. Your dkh is indeed very low. PPM/50= Meq/l then Meq/lx2.8= dkh (not sure the direct equation from ppm to dkh but I know both equations for Meq/l) So this tells me your dkh is sitting at 3.92 or rounded up to 4. You will be amazed how much of that sechums alk raiser you will have to add to raise dkh to 9, probably more than what you purchased. ALSO with the product you have purchased it will probably raise your PH very high if you add much at one time. So SLOWLY over a few days add what you need, test and check everything daily before you dose to see the effectiveness of your dosing from the day prior. And by the way, tell your husband baking soda is safer to dose then any commercial additive because you know EXACTLY whats in baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate), not always the case for additives.

 

Thanks for your great advice.......8 months down the line & im still not great on the understanding cal, ph ,mag & kh levels! do you have any good online info sites that i could read up on it all so i can get a clear picture in my head of what im trying to do.............. as i currently understand to keep your ph stable you need mag , alk & cal all to match up & once you have that joining then it should stay pretty much stable?
Thanks K

 

If you are truly dedicated to the hobby and read all of these articles everything will become completely clear. I suggest to set aside a few hours a day for about a week and read though all these. The first one is probably the most important and easy to understand. There is even a link that has a chart to convert alk for you from ppm to dkh (forgot about this one earlier.)

A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH
A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

When Do Calcium and Alkalinity Demand Not Exactly Balance?
When Do Calcium and Alkalinity Demand Not Exactly Balance? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System
An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

A Homemade Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Additive System
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...l2004/chem.htm

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems
Chemistry and the Aquarium

How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme
Chemistry and the Aquarium

Electronic Calcium Monitoring
Electronic Calcium Monitoring by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Purity of Calcium Chloride
Chemistry and the Aquarium

Calcium and Alkalinity Balance Issues
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-0...ture/index.htm

Calcium Carbonate as a Supplement (Aragamight; Liquid Reactor)
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...y2002/chem.htm

The Relationship Between Alkalinity and pH.
Chemistry and the Aquarium

The Chemical & Biochemical Mechanisms of Calcification in Corals
Chemistry and the Aquarium

Calcium
Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Chemistry and the Aquarium: Calcium

What is Alkalinity
Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Chemistry and the Aquarium: What is Alkalinity?

Alkalinity Conversion Table
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/...5Alk_Chart.jpg


Do-It-Yourself Magnesium Supplements for the Reef Aquarium
Do-It-Yourself Magnesium Supplements for the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com


Strontium and the Reef Aquarium
Chemistry and the Aquarium

Magnesium in Reef Aquaria
Chemistry and the Aquarium

Magnesium and Strontium in Limewater
Chemistry and the Aquarium

 

Great thanks for all your time & effort you have put in to helping me.
K