High Alkalinity??

[canada911]

Hello, I have an alkalinity of 18 or 180mg/L of CaCO3...

Is it too high? Last week I was at 16 but my Calcium was too low (320) so I had to add some calcium all week and that pupped up my level of alkalinity...

Is this damagable for corals and snails??

I have a PH of 8.2 BTW.

 

[malkore]

what do you mean '18'? 18 degrees of alkalinity? if so, that is not the same as 180mg/l. to convert degrees to ppm, you multiply degrees by 17.9 to reach mg/l or ppm...which if you mean 18 degrees, your alk is 322.2mg/l.

can we get a little clarification on what '18' is?

 

[canada911]

ok, the carbonated hardness is 180mg/L

 

[canada911]

So is that too high or normal?

That means that I have to divide by 17.9 to have the degree? That gives 10?

 

[steve-s]

50 mg/l = 1 mEq/l

Your alkalinity is 3.6 mEq/l which is nothing to be concerned about. How's the Ca?

Cheers
Steve

 

[canada911]

Thanks!
I really wasnt sure about the alkalinity.

For the calcium I need a refill bottle for the tester...

I think I'm around 370... I will have to test before adding more...

What is the ideal? I heard between 400-450... Is it better to be in the higher range? 450?

 

[steve-s]

Let you alk fall some and if your dosing a buffer of any kind hold off a bit. It will make it easier to bring the Ca back into balance if the alk is allowed to lower. Don't try to correct anything until your test kits are available though. Guessing will just lead to more frustration.

As far as what levels to shoot for, the most important aspect is the balance not how high they are. Keep the range within NSW values.

Alk = 1.5-3 mEq/l (75-150 mg/l)
Ca = 380-420 ppm

There is absolutely no advantage to keeping the levels higher than that and ibn fact can cause unhealthy coral growth if maintained above NSW levels as a norm. I would however recommend keeping the levels at the higher end of NSW. It will help with little "hick ups" along the road.

Cheers
Steve