this might sound real real dumb but >>?

I bought a reef test kit and was wondering what the KH tester is for ? like what purpose does it have when testing it ?

 

the carbonate hardness of the water

 

dont want to sound dumb again, you mean alkalinity right? i had a same test kit and got confused with the same thing

 

yea kh is for alk

 

o ok i tested mine and it was A ok lol i thought it was alkalinity also but just making sure lol... i love when i test my water and everything is tip top lol...

 

also, how often should i check the levels on my tank?

 

i check certain parameters every couple of days, like Nitrates, pH and salinity..others like CA and phosphates i take longer..depends on you though

 

you could test every other day and if you see the same reading you could extend it to like once a week.

 

not dumb questions at all!

It depends on what type of corals you have in your tank. I tested my kH very infrequent until I added SPS corals or I had problems with my pH. SPS corals are more sensitive to kH then say softies.

I test mine almost daily right now cause I am trying to get the dosing routine down on my 2 part solution with additon of kalk down. Once I get the levels where I want them for a while I will go to once a week or so.

what is your kH at?

 

I hardly ever test now. I've got my additives adjusted to my system and my water change regime is steady. Once you get used to your system then you can ease off the testing - let's face it. It's expensive. I hardly ever test PH because if your other params are in check, then PH will be.