sstanle4
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2011
- Messages
- 262
How do you lower your hardness? In our tank it is about 23..... we use the API reef test kit. Also is hardness the same thing as alkalinity?
While that's true under certain extreme circumstances, if your calcium and alk levels are in a normal range, dosing calcium will not drop alk. If that was the case all the time, we would be fighting a never ending battle. Dosing calcium will drop your alk if both levels (calcium and alkalinity) are at or above supersaturation levels and the pH is at the right level to cause a precipitation event which forces the carbonates out of the water and lowering the alk levels. The precipitation would be clearly visible in the form of a snow storm in your tank or a calcium crust build-up on your heater or pump impellors.Try a different test kit first of all, but you can lower alk by adding calcium.
What salt mix are you using?