How to Lower dKH???

[downhillbiker]

I have had my dKH up around 13-14 for over a month now, and just was wondering how important it is to lower it, and how I should do that.

I have read that CO2 lowers it, and I have a CO2 tank that I use for my plant tank, should I hook it up on the reef tank?

[sjames]

just stop adding whatever your using to buffer it. It should fall on its own pretty quickly.

[downhillbiker]

i only do water changes and dose kalk every night. the kalk is supposed to increase my Ph not my dKH right? i stopped dosing kalk for a week about 2 weeks ago, and it did nothing.

[sjames]

no, it increases calcium and alkalinity, with the side effect of increasing pH.

If two weeks showed no lowering of your alk then your tank must have very few consumers.

I would stop the kalk till it drops and perhaps start again with a less than saturated kalk solution.

[downhillbiker]

ok sounds good. i guess i will have to dose with the calcium from a 2 part for a while. i will also use the lower concentration of kalk. i guess i should have been using less anyway, i have about 10 sps frags and thats about all of my consumers.

[sjames]

Originally posted by downhillbiker
ok sounds good. i guess i will have to dose with the calcium from a 2 part for a while. i will also use the lower concentration of kalk. i guess i should have been using less anyway, i have about 10 sps frags and thats about all of my consumers.

you should not need to dose calcium during this time assuming its high now, if you alk falls from 13 dkH to 8 dkH your calcium should only drop by 40mg/l.

[downhillbiker]

ok. my calcium is 500ppm right now, so as the dKH lowers the calcum will drop 40ppm/1dKH or total 40ppm over a drop of 5 dKH?

[sjames]

it drops about 20ppm per 1 meq/l. I think 1 meq/l is about 2.5 dkH.

[downhillbiker]

ok thanks. that should help. basically i will leave it and keep an eye on it. if it needs it i will add it, if not, i'll leave it alone.