OP
OP
Chlorinated
Non-member
Replied. Thanks!
Help with water test in/near Franklin
- Thread starter Chlorinated
- Start date
Casino
Tang Police Fugitive
Yes! Every week the ALK kept getting lower and lower in the 7.0 to 7.3 range but my trident would say its not that low but I would add Alk to raise it and recalibrate the trident. I only figured it out because when I bought a new bottle it was high. So I tested with salifert and red sea and they were high. As I calibrate my trident with my tank water for controlled dosing I was telling the trident the ALK was lower so as controlled dosing does... it did. Now every week the trident and hanna are off by maybe 10 points if that. I havent gotten a low reading ever since.
Casino
Tang Police Fugitive
I would just lower it slowly. It took its sweet time to get there now let it come down nice and easy.
OP
OP
Chlorinated
Non-member
So you store it in the refrigerator? New unopened or just once opened? How long has it stayed stable in the refrigerator?
Casino
Tang Police Fugitive
Once I open it, it goes in the fridge. Next time I have to test I open the fridge door shake the bottle about five times open the bottle measure out the 1ml then close the bottle and put it in the fridge. I have done that with the last five bottles. I don't know if something was wrong with the previous reagents and maybe hanna secretly fixed it but keeping it in the fridge has given me the best readings. Unless somehow down the line something changes in how Hannah makes that reagent and keeping it in the fridge will actually cause the reagent to not work properly or if keeping it in the fridge is not necessary I don't see myself not keeping the reagents in the fridge.
OP
OP
Chlorinated
Non-member
Thanks to @Reefer508 for coming by today and testing my tank. Salifert test confirmed alk of 16! Looks like old Hanna reagent was garbage and new ones are spot on.
im going to stop dosing and test daily with the new reagent until things fall inline again. And...keeping those tests in the refrigerator from now on!
im going to stop dosing and test daily with the new reagent until things fall inline again. And...keeping those tests in the refrigerator from now on!
Last edited:
OP
OP
Chlorinated
Non-member
Do after a week of no dosing, my tank is down to 13.1 dkh and 370 Ca. Did a 3gal water change yesterday with Red Sea blue and alk jumped to 13.4 somehow.
Anyway, corals have declined which is to be expected. Polyp extension is there but reduced with the exception of the finger which was mid shed when this started and has yet to show polyps again.
I tested again today
Salinity 35ppt
Alk 13.4
Ca 395
Nitrate 2
Phosphate 0.05
I'm dosing Ca to bring it up a bit and just holding course. The one thing I thought about was me dosing AFR. I stopped doing when this happened and I wonder if the lack of carbon dosing....though small....is also playing into things.
Anyway, corals have declined which is to be expected. Polyp extension is there but reduced with the exception of the finger which was mid shed when this started and has yet to show polyps again.
I tested again today
Salinity 35ppt
Alk 13.4
Ca 395
Nitrate 2
Phosphate 0.05
I'm dosing Ca to bring it up a bit and just holding course. The one thing I thought about was me dosing AFR. I stopped doing when this happened and I wonder if the lack of carbon dosing....though small....is also playing into things.
NHJMC
Non-member
NHJMC
Non-member
Appreciate your snotty comment though
Well, I noticed my corals were looking a little...off. Checked my dkh...7.5. thought of this thread. Broke out the new bottle of alk reagent..10 dkh.
Storing mine in the fridge from here on out...
Is there an alkalinity standard or positive control that we should be using?
Casino
Tang Police Fugitive
I just run a salifert test. That's good enough for my needs. When I get a new Hanna reagent I test with salifert and compare. Usually off but very little and can be because I didnt catch the color change. Then the Hanna goes in the fridge.
Casino
Tang Police Fugitive
You can try Randy's methods to make an ALK standard.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-alkalinity-standard.714738/
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-alkalinity-standard.714738/
My assumption is that the reagents are going bad, not that there is huge batch to batch variation.
Cool! Thanks, I will check it out!
Casino
Tang Police Fugitive
I always check. There's always a new thread on r2r with reports of bad reagents.
Good point.
OP
OP
Chlorinated
Non-member
Happy my issue helped someone else! I also agree it is most likely reagents degrading with time and not batch batches.
Since storing in the refrigerator my tests have been very consistent.
Since my alk has dropped into range my corals have started to grow again and consume more alk. I am slowly starting my AFR dosing.
Good to be back on track!
Sounds like we both need a Trident.
jkobel
Non-member
I was getting results that were unreliable for Alk and Ca and I replaced the batteries and everything is consistent again.
Great...
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