[ThreeFishes]

Hi folks,
Quick question...
I have been tweaking my Dkh to around 8.0. But just lately i have come across quite a few comments about the subject of Dkh quoting figures around 11.
Should i be aiming this high ????? What effect will this have on my calcium if any ?
Thanks in advance
TF

[lindsay]

I run at around 9dKH at a calcium level of 420 ish but allot of guys run higher on both .Some say higher Dkh and calcium levels will increase the growth rates, but i think they grow fast enough without trying to make them grow faster ,after all its not a race .

[ThreeFishes]

lindsay, on Mar 2 2009, 11:41 PM, said:

I run at around 9dKH at a calcium level of 420 ish but allot of guys run higher on both .Some say higher Dkh and calcium levels will increase the growth rates, but i think they grow fast enough without trying to make them grow faster ,after all its not a race .

Cheers Lindsay,
I hope you are well?
I am not really after them growing any quicker i really want extra stability...
I have read that higher Dkh can help prevent pH drop over night. As i am just adding suppliments at the moment would i have a better safety net by running at a higher Dkh ?

[chriss]

Stability is they key, sps hate fluctuations in dkh so aim for a value which you can easily maintain. Sometimes a system can find it's own natural level around 8 or 9 which is easy to maintain it at. If you try to push it higher then you need to keep on top of it to stop it crashing down and upsetting the sps.

Chris

[bobba fett]

I never seem to be able to get my DKH much above 6, cant work out why?

[Crabbit]

bobba fett, on Mar 3 2009, 04:59 PM, said:

I never seem to be able to get my DKH much above 6, cant work out why?

Could be low mag?

[bobba fett]

Not a problem for me, am dosing epsom salts, MG is normally around 1350ish

[Crabbit]

You should be able to get it above 6 might be worth checking your results at your lfs you test kit might be out? What do try to buffer it with?

[lindsay]

If you do have 6 its a bit low ,bring it up slow to 8 to 9 with a calcium of around 415 to 425 and mg of 1300 to 1360 ish .
The thing is with a lot of cal,mg and dKH test kits they can often be 10 or even 20ppm out when they get a bit old and if this is the case they normally show a reading higher than it really is .

[bobba fett]

Am adding Kalk, Epsom salts and Sodium Bicarbonate, I would have expected it to be on the up, I think I will point the finger at my test kit?

None of my LFS's offer water testing that I know of other than the nitrogen cycle related stuff

[karnivor]

bobba fett, on Mar 4 2009, 03:09 PM, said:

Am adding Kalk, Epsom salts and Sodium Bicarbonate, I would have expected it to be on the up, I think I will point the finger at my test kit?

None of my LFS's offer water testing that I know of other than the nitrogen cycle related stuff

I'd be tempted to ditch the bicarb and try a proper buffer like the Salifert stuff. Ive never used Bicarb, so I dont know how effective it is. Kalk will increase PH and Calcium but the effects on Alk are neglegible as far as I remember.

[bobba fett]

Ill give that a go then Tony

[ThreeFishes]

karnivor, on Mar 4 2009, 03:20 PM, said:

I'd be tempted to ditch the bicarb and try a proper buffer like the Salifert stuff. Ive never used Bicarb, so I dont know how effective it is. Kalk will increase PH and Calcium but the effects on Alk are neglegible as far as I remember.

I tried bicarb and it did not wotk for me either .....so i gave in and got the salifert Dkh buffer. Must say i have not looked back ..it just works.
TF

[dylan]

i try and keep my kh at about 9.6 for some reason if i push the kh above 10.5 my encrusting monti's seem to go brown i seem to remeber having a conversation with kevang about this he was having the same problem i dropped the kh back down slowly and they coloured back up again within two weeks

[ThreeFishes]

dylan, on Mar 5 2009, 08:19 AM, said:

i try and keep my kh at about 9.6 for some reason if i push the kh above 10.5 my encrusting monti's seem to go brown i seem to remeber having a conversation with kevang about this he was having the same problem i dropped the kh back down slowly and they coloured back up again within two weeks

I guess you can have too much of a good thing then !!! As i have quite a few monti's i appreciate the advise....about 9.5 is the target then

[bobba fett]

Just got some Salifert buffer so will start bringing the PH up , Thanks for the advice

[reefyman]

bobba
noticed your using epsom salts(mag sulphate) to maintain your mag levels whilst this is good for eradicating bryopsis most people tend to use mag chloride to maintain mag levels or a combo of the two(7parts mag chloride to 1 part mag sulphate) you may already know this and keep up a good water changing regime which should help keep the sulphate from accumulating.have used epsom myself to great effect in eradicating the dreaded bryopsis but now tend to only add mag chloride.