What exactly is 'alkalinity' ??

jester805 · 05/15/2006, 06:49 PM

I have a 75 gallon display tank with a 20 gallon sump. I have 80 pounds of LS and about 65 pounds of LR. I've had a nitrate problem for several months and do weekly RO/DI water changes and cut way back on my feeding. (I only feed 1 cube of frozen mysis twice per week).

Anyway, I did about a 40% water change on Saturday. The tank has been up for just over 1 year. I was looking at my Watchman Goby and he didn't look good at all. He ended up dying so I tested my levels.

NitrItes: 0
NitrAtes: 40
Alkalinity: 80
pH: 7.8
Temp: 80

My other livestock:

1 Blue-fin damsel
2 Percula clowns
1 Spotted cardinal fish
1 Green chromi
1 Strawberry fish
1 Flame scallop
1 Long-spine urchin
1 Horshoe crab
1 Sand-sifting sea star
Misc. small snails & crabs

This is the first time I've had a low alkalinity. I'm not even sure what that is or how to fix it. Can you guys please give me some advice??

Thanks.

facewedgie · 05/15/2006, 07:12 PM

alkalinity 80? (what crazy test kit are you using?)
measure your alkalinity in meq/l or dkh and let us know what it is...

alkalinity is basically the buffering capacity of your tank (to resist drops in ph), or the carbonate hardness, etc.

look here:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu.../chemistry.htm

facewedgie · 05/15/2006, 07:14 PM

also, just curious, what is a strawberryfish?

jester805 · 05/15/2006, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by facewedgie
alkalinity 80? (what crazy test kit are you using?)
measure your alkalinity in meq/l or dkh and let us know what it is...

alkalinity is basically the buffering capacity of your tank (to resist drops in ph), or the carbonate hardness, etc.

look here:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu.../chemistry.htm

It's a Quick Dip multi-test kit. Has 5 pads on one strip. For Alkalinity it says:
Total Alkalinity (KH) ppm
Then I match the color with a color on the scale. 0 - 120 say Not Desired. 180 - 300 say Ideal

A strawberry fish is just a small pink fish. That's what it was labeled at the LFS when I got it.

poppin_fresh · 05/15/2006, 07:42 PM

Those dip strips are not very good. You should either buy some good tests (Salifert), or have your LFS check your water for you. Low alkalinity wont kill fish, other things like ammonia will. Heres a link to all kinds of reef chemsitry, including alkalinity, by Randy from the RC Chemistry forum.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=102605

facewedgie · 05/15/2006, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jester805
A strawberry fish is just a small pink fish. [/B]

hmmm.....maybe a skunk clown or some kind of anthias?

reefD · 05/15/2006, 08:20 PM

i can gareentee its a basselet or phsuedo chromis.
there is a fish called a strawberry basellet thats what i think they sold you .
agressive fish

Sk8r · 05/15/2006, 08:21 PM

I would recommend Salifert test kits: that gives numbers everyone recognizes, and they are very accurate.

reefD · 05/15/2006, 08:22 PM

a orchid fridmani is a better alternative due to being a sweet heart. basselet will attack even clowns. any added fish to this tank if same size as the strawberry watch out!
orchids can be confused with strawberry . difference is a black line across eyes.

reefD · 05/15/2006, 08:28 PM

wow a lfs store labeling a fish as a strwberry fish...trouble if they mislabel stuff. you could be misinterpret what they label especially if its made up like a strawberry fish. strawberry fish. ok is it a goby a basselet phsuedochromis...damsel..grouper..angler...catfish, tang. just fish as a label is a wide label. strawberry trigger...strawberry damsel...strawberry eel but a strawberry fish thats nuts! could be anything. do you know what you bought and if its reef safe. if its a strawberry grouper then your starting an aggressive tank. any ideas as to its taxicology? u need to do kore research on this fish you may have a killer on your hands. even groupers ..triggers start off small ...so thgats not an id charecteristic

reefD · 05/15/2006, 08:29 PM

I just get a bit angry when someone doesnt evn know what fish they have bought . your headed for trouble if you do this

facewedgie · 05/15/2006, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefD

orchids can be confused with strawberry . difference is a black line across eyes.

that would make it a friedmani (orchid dottyback), usually confused with a PURPLE pseudochromis...either way, those fish arent PINK, they are purple...

jester805 · 05/15/2006, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefD
I just get a bit angry when someone doesnt evn know what fish they have bought . your headed for trouble if you do this

Wow. Well I'm so sorry that I was given false information. It is definitely NOT an aggressive fish.

facewedgie · 05/15/2006, 09:27 PM

what is it, then?

scarter · 05/15/2006, 09:32 PM

deffinately salifert. also, LFS misslabel all of the time. personally, I pick the fish I want out out of my books and then go and search for it at the LFS if I see the fish I check the name the LFS used and if it is not the same I go home and research both names and decide for myself wich one is correct.

reefD · 05/15/2006, 09:33 PM

orchids come in different shades . ive kept many. can be confused with purple dottyback but also strawberry basselets. again cosider we are talking about what each individual see's to be pink or strawberry. some people see a close resembelance to pink when they see light purple. its kinda like when you see something that is bluish green and someone says it just plain aqua blue. seriously ......definitions of colors are hard to relay as the same to each person. not colorblind but just more receptive to certain shades. people are people. we are talking about a color but labeling it could make you consider what you see as a definition others see mdifferently. sum it up....some people see purple others see pinkinsh purple. another thought some people see dark pink when i see purple...get it?

reefD · 05/15/2006, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by scarter
deffinately salifert. also, LFS misslabel all of the time. personally, I pick the fish I want out out of my books and then go and search for it at the LFS if I see the fish I check the name the LFS used and if it is not the same I go home and research both names and decide for myself wich one is correct.

great advice

reefD · 05/15/2006, 09:35 PM

ok so does it have any black markings across its eyes?

scarter · 05/15/2006, 09:35 PM

oh yeah, one more thing. chill out reefd, you never made a poor choice your first year in the hobby? cut the guy some slack.

vessxpress1 · 05/15/2006, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by facewedgie
hmmm.....maybe a skunk clown or some kind of anthias?

It's most likely a strawberry gramma. I have one in my tank. Thin, 2-3" , completely flourescent pink? That's what I've seen them called in the books anyway.

reefD · 05/15/2006, 09:49 PM

i never stated he made a poor choice. i still dont know what fish he has. again my point is to save you heart ache. i understand how mistakes happen in the begining. im not at all sterotyping his actions just trying to help. i do dictate alot and it comes off as a lecture. sorry just giving advice that i wish i heard when i started. im actually trying to id this fish but no worries. please please please dont take my words wrong.
jester805 i support you efforts just stating the facts. again some people when speaking casually .................come off as being demanding....... my fault. not at all my intention. just trying to give info and beginers things to avoid like buying a fish that you know nothing about just cause its pretty. lfs employess will steer you into buying it verses giving you all info and stock issues with specimens. so knowing what your buying can and will save you heart aches.

sorry if i did come off as a dictatir! re reading my post i should of never said it makes me made that someone buys a fish without knowing its name. i should of said it concerns me cause im not in anyway angered by that.
no worries and please i dont think you have made a mistake with a purchase. i just think you made a mistake not knowing what it is. it may be fine thus not a bad purchase. im concerns for futur buys. just know what you buying for sure. thats all ............harmless.

reefD · 05/15/2006, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefD
wow a lfs store labeling a fish as a strwberry fish...trouble if they mislabel stuff. you could be misinterpret what they label especially if its made up like a strawberry fish. strawberry fish. ok is it a goby a basselet phsuedochromis...damsel..grouper..angler...catfish, tang. just fish as a label is a wide label. strawberry trigger...strawberry damsel...strawberry eel but a strawberry fish thats nuts! could be anything. do you know what you bought and if its reef safe. if its a strawberry grouper then your starting an aggressive tank. any ideas as to its taxicology? u need to do kore research on this fish you may have a killer on your hands. even groupers ..triggers start off small ...so thgats not an id charecteristic

should of stated this diferently as not to offend anyone about accepting names.heck if you never seen it how would you know the name? true. i just say see this new animal place it on hold then try to do research about it. then you can find a name that is more common or understood. thats all. best wishes and good luck.

reefD · 05/15/2006, 10:19 PM

gramma's ...basselets same difference. see here

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grammas.htm

facewedgie · 05/15/2006, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefD
some people see dark pink when i see purple...get it?

this has moved waaay off topic to the original thread, however....
i dont see how "dark pink" can be considered purple. if so, then whoever thinks so is going to have some tough times dealing with hobby test kits...

reefD · 05/15/2006, 10:58 PM

true! your right back to topic

alkalinity is the hardness of your water. the hardness of your water is easaly explained as your ph and its liklyhood to flux .
best way to test your ph for flux is at night. something occurs to our tanks at night that shift chemisrty. and in some case shifts our ph. if ph is off when tested in day and more imp. at late night then you need to buffer your water. there are many product to do this i use kents superbuffer dkh. another controller of your ph is doseing kalk solution drip at lights off. the kalk counter acts all shifts in ph....i dont know the science in it but it does. so to help you alk start buffering your water and testing ph as direced by buffer until desired range. hope this helps.

05/15/2006, 06:49 PM	#1
jester805 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: IL Posts: 47	What exactly is 'alkalinity' ?? I have a 75 gallon display tank with a 20 gallon sump. I have 80 pounds of LS and about 65 pounds of LR. I've had a nitrate problem for several months and do weekly RO/DI water changes and cut way back on my feeding. (I only feed 1 cube of frozen mysis twice per week). Anyway, I did about a 40% water change on Saturday. The tank has been up for just over 1 year. I was looking at my Watchman Goby and he didn't look good at all. He ended up dying so I tested my levels. NitrItes: 0 NitrAtes: 40 Alkalinity: 80 pH: 7.8 Temp: 80 My other livestock: 1 Blue-fin damsel 2 Percula clowns 1 Spotted cardinal fish 1 Green chromi 1 Strawberry fish 1 Flame scallop 1 Long-spine urchin 1 Horshoe crab 1 Sand-sifting sea star Misc. small snails & crabs This is the first time I've had a low alkalinity. I'm not even sure what that is or how to fix it. Can you guys please give me some advice?? Thanks.

05/15/2006, 07:42 PM	#5
poppin_fresh Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,982	Those dip strips are not very good. You should either buy some good tests (Salifert), or have your LFS check your water for you. Low alkalinity wont kill fish, other things like ammonia will. Heres a link to all kinds of reef chemsitry, including alkalinity, by Randy from the RC Chemistry forum. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=102605 __________________ PBITAWA! Current Tank Info: None now. Past- 180g w/ 100g basement sump and 20g 'fuge. H & S skimmer, T'5s & Tunze

05/15/2006, 08:20 PM	#7
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	i can gareentee its a basselet or phsuedo chromis. there is a fish called a strawberry basellet thats what i think they sold you . agressive fish __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 08:21 PM	#8
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I would recommend Salifert test kits: that gives numbers everyone recognizes, and they are very accurate. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

05/15/2006, 08:22 PM	#9
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	a orchid fridmani is a better alternative due to being a sweet heart. basselet will attack even clowns. any added fish to this tank if same size as the strawberry watch out! orchids can be confused with strawberry . difference is a black line across eyes. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 07:12 PM	#2
facewedgie Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 227	alkalinity 80? (what crazy test kit are you using?) measure your alkalinity in meq/l or dkh and let us know what it is... alkalinity is basically the buffering capacity of your tank (to resist drops in ph), or the carbonate hardness, etc. look here: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu.../chemistry.htm

05/15/2006, 07:14 PM	#3
facewedgie Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 227	also, just curious, what is a strawberryfish?

05/15/2006, 08:28 PM	#10
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	wow a lfs store labeling a fish as a strwberry fish...trouble if they mislabel stuff. you could be misinterpret what they label especially if its made up like a strawberry fish. strawberry fish. ok is it a goby a basselet phsuedochromis...damsel..grouper..angler...catfish, tang. just fish as a label is a wide label. strawberry trigger...strawberry damsel...strawberry eel but a strawberry fish thats nuts! could be anything. do you know what you bought and if its reef safe. if its a strawberry grouper then your starting an aggressive tank. any ideas as to its taxicology? u need to do kore research on this fish you may have a killer on your hands. even groupers ..triggers start off small ...so thgats not an id charecteristic __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 08:29 PM	#11
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	I just get a bit angry when someone doesnt evn know what fish they have bought . your headed for trouble if you do this __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 09:27 PM	#14
facewedgie Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 227	what is it, then?

05/15/2006, 09:32 PM	#15
scarter Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Baltimore Posts: 605	deffinately salifert. also, LFS misslabel all of the time. personally, I pick the fish I want out out of my books and then go and search for it at the LFS if I see the fish I check the name the LFS used and if it is not the same I go home and research both names and decide for myself wich one is correct. __________________ My name is Shane and I am a reefaholic, I have a disease and they don't know what to call it. Current Tank Info: what tank?

05/15/2006, 09:33 PM	#16
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	orchids come in different shades . ive kept many. can be confused with purple dottyback but also strawberry basselets. again cosider we are talking about what each individual see's to be pink or strawberry. some people see a close resembelance to pink when they see light purple. its kinda like when you see something that is bluish green and someone says it just plain aqua blue. seriously ......definitions of colors are hard to relay as the same to each person. not colorblind but just more receptive to certain shades. people are people. we are talking about a color but labeling it could make you consider what you see as a definition others see mdifferently. sum it up....some people see purple others see pinkinsh purple. another thought some people see dark pink when i see purple...get it? __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 09:35 PM	#18
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	ok so does it have any black markings across its eyes? __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 09:49 PM	#21
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	i never stated he made a poor choice. i still dont know what fish he has. again my point is to save you heart ache. i understand how mistakes happen in the begining. im not at all sterotyping his actions just trying to help. i do dictate alot and it comes off as a lecture. sorry just giving advice that i wish i heard when i started. im actually trying to id this fish but no worries. please please please dont take my words wrong. jester805 i support you efforts just stating the facts. again some people when speaking casually .................come off as being demanding....... my fault. not at all my intention. just trying to give info and beginers things to avoid like buying a fish that you know nothing about just cause its pretty. lfs employess will steer you into buying it verses giving you all info and stock issues with specimens. so knowing what your buying can and will save you heart aches. sorry if i did come off as a dictatir! re reading my post i should of never said it makes me made that someone buys a fish without knowing its name. i should of said it concerns me cause im not in anyway angered by that. no worries and please i dont think you have made a mistake with a purchase. i just think you made a mistake not knowing what it is. it may be fine thus not a bad purchase. im concerns for futur buys. just know what you buying for sure. thats all ............harmless. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 10:19 PM	#23
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	gramma's ...basselets same difference. see here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grammas.htm __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

05/15/2006, 10:58 PM	#25
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	true! your right back to topic alkalinity is the hardness of your water. the hardness of your water is easaly explained as your ph and its liklyhood to flux . best way to test your ph for flux is at night. something occurs to our tanks at night that shift chemisrty. and in some case shifts our ph. if ph is off when tested in day and more imp. at late night then you need to buffer your water. there are many product to do this i use kents superbuffer dkh. another controller of your ph is doseing kalk solution drip at lights off. the kalk counter acts all shifts in ph....i dont know the science in it but it does. so to help you alk start buffering your water and testing ph as direced by buffer until desired range. hope this helps. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol