Kh + Ph Buffer

[macpegg]

Does anyone rate this stuff to be any good? I hear people say its champion to use buffers, others say to keep away from them.

I actually bought some..lol

Took 3 weeks to be delivered as i could not get any localy. in the mean time my KH is now 8 but was 6, and the PH is now 8.2 , as i stopped dosing the tank with co2. Ideally i would like the KH to be around the 10-11 mark. Rather than doing things the long way round can is it save to use the now acquired buffer treatment?

thanks

 

[macpegg]

Added the dosage that was mentioned on the side and now my Pulsing Xenia has closed and does not look well at all. Everything was great before i added the buffer, just the dkh was a little lower than i wanted it. now im bricking it in case that dies off. Everything else is still ok.

thanks

 

[steelhealr]

macpegg...why do you want to change your kH? What is your indication or intended goal?

Can you give us pre and post kH, pH, and also calcium levels?

Thanks. SH

 

[macpegg]

Before:
PH 8.2-8.4
KH - 6
Calcium - 420
Salt - 1.025
Now

PH 8.2
KH 9
Calcium - 460
Salt - 1.023


I read that... Kh needs to be 8 minium and can be around the 11 mark.

I would like some corraline algae growth also.

Thanks

 

[andywg]

The KH of 8 is for optimal coral growth, particularly from hard corals.

You would probably do well to look into the FAQ by Randy Holmes-Farley (a link is in the pinned "Realm of Knowledge" thread).

This will explain a lot of the chemistry.

I fear that patience would be a better tool for you than buffers at the moment. You don't mention a heavy stony coral load, and the change in SG makes me wonder for the stability for the tank. I would concentrate on gettting the tank stable and then look into how you want to adjust the water paramteters.

 

[SkiFletch]

Agreed, in addition, be careful of going up past a dKH of 11... When you get high, the system really approaches saturation and you increase the risk of precipitation-induced crashes. I'll agree with Andy, go spelunk through page 2 of the realm of knowledge thread and look for the chemistry threads I've linked there.

 

[macpegg]

My KH has risen again to 11. I obviously dosed the tank with a little too much. So I have done a 20% water change, and will have to wait untill that settles and test again. The xenia does looks bleached, i really should have just left things alone. Now i could really kick myself, im so damn fustrated!

The xenia is still slightly pulsing, so i hope this is a good sign, just no were near as florashing as it was before i tried to increase the KH. I only really did this beacuse of newly bought green star coral. Soley because im so in patient.
The salinity I have kept at 1.023.

My zoos seem fine, not much change in them at all. Will the xenia recover as it is still pulsing, just retracted?

 

[SkiFletch]

Most likely. You almoast have to try to kill Xenia

 

[macpegg]

Little good news i guess. I honeslty wish i cud just leave things be. Instead im always having to fiddle! ..lol

Will wait and see, do another KH test in 4 hours. Hopefully it will drop close to a nice 6-8.. where is was before.

thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

Remember, unless its really really high, just leave it for a few days. Corals will use up carbonate to grow their skeletons and it will drop naturally. Often times stability is more important than a quick fix

 

[steelhealr]

macpegg....if your tank is flourishing.....why change your numbers. I wouldn't have treated those numbers at all. My corals are doing great with almost the same numbers.

Another rec here....don't treat numbers. Stand back.....look at your tank...are your corals healthy? Are your fish healthy? Are your numbers reasonable? Then don't futz with it. The only number you should treat at the outstart is calcium. Keep your calcium within normal range. In fact, when you keep your Ca2+ good, the other numbers usually follow since calcium is a buffer as supplied.

Don't treat numbers as we say in medicine, treat the patient.

SH

 

[macpegg]

Don`t worry, from this point onwards im leaving things well alone. I'll leave things to stablize before i make any changes.

Just to summarise, if the KH is say 10-11 when i do another test once this water change cycles through. Im best just to leave it? I have 3 different kind of zoos and the xenia. around 5 hermits and one snail... Will they really use much of the carbonate as i don't have any corraline algae..

thanks for the help

 

[macpegg]

Qoute " If calcium is less than 400 ppm, I?d suggest using this handy online calculator7 to determine how much dry calcium chloride is necessary to move back to the target zone. Note that it is a minimum estimate because it does not know how much alkalinity you have, so it cannot know if you are only raising calcium directly (which it calculates) or are also precipitating calcium carbonate (when alkalinity is high this will probably happen, but is typically not a problem other than that it uses up some of what you add).

If the calcium is above 400 ppm in this zone (unlikely, but it does happen), then you can safely either do nothing until it drops and you need to add more calcium, and treat it as suggested in the previous paragraph, or you can add some calcium immediately, move into zone 1, and then just let it drop on its own."

From RANDY HOLMES-FARLEY

As mine is above 400ppm, i`ll do what is suggested and leave the tank be. And just watch and test as I go a long. Does anyone have any inclining on a time scale for when the KH will drop down from 10-11 to 7-8? based on what i have in the tank?

thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

Since you have no hard corals, probably a significant amount of time, perhaps weeks. Depends on how much coraline algae or other calcifying corals you have really. TBH, a setup with 10-11dKH and 400ppm+ of calcium is almoast spot-on for growing coraline or other stony corals, so you might see a bloom there. If your xenia remains shriveled for more than a day or two, likely your salinity (drifting hydrometer) or temperature is the culprit

 

[macpegg]

Since you have no hard corals, probably a significant amount of time, perhaps weeks. Depends on how much coraline algae or other calcifying corals you have really. TBH, a setup with 10-11dKH and 400ppm+ of calcium is almoast spot-on for growing coraline or other stony corals, so you might see a bloom there. If your xenia remains shriveled for more than a day or two, likely your salinity (drifting hydrometer) or temperature is the culprit

I have read through the text "RANDY HOLMES-FARLEY" has written. And according to my readings, with relation to the graph, im virtualy on the border line

Calcium = 400 - 420
Alkalinity Meq/l = 4



As im within the threshold, but on the border line would it be a good idea to add some Calicium Chloride? just to bump me across a little, and then let the KH drop?

Or maybe i should just leave it be.. If i start changing the salinity, i may just make things worse then they are already. The temp is 80F which i believe is ok..

The Xenia now does not look well.. Half of the stalks look like they have been munched on, but are still pulsing just look very white. The others are drooped and have kinda brown bubbling around them and when my regal tang just swam past them, stringy bits and what looks like smoke came from them. I think i should take these bits out.. I don`t thing they will be helping the rest of the tank at all...