Hey guys.
I purchased a Red Sea Reef Foundation kit that tests for Ca, Mg, and Alkalinity two weeks ago. My tank just finished its cycle and all the rock is cured and ready to go. All parameters are good and my specific gravity is 1.025-1.026 with a constant 78 degree temperature. This will be my first tank with corals. Before I dosed the BRS two part that I purchased, I of course wanted to see where these elements tested so I knew how much I should dose. To my surprise the levels seemed incredibly high. Here are the results:
Calcium: 480 ppm
Alkalinity: 13.4 dKH
Magnesium: 1240 ppm
I find this very strange because these elements don't just appear out of no where. The tank has no fish or inverts and I have never dosed the tank. I use Instant Ocean salt mix (not reef crystal version). The package says it comes with all the necessary elements for fish and inverts but this seems crazy. My pH is only 7.8. Unless I'm mistaken having a high alkalinity was supposed to maintain a higher pH? So I am a little lost. Is the test kit the issue? BRS suggested I check my LFS or use another test kit if available, but no one in my city does much of any saltwater and those who do are very inexperienced. I was able to check my alkalinity at petco and petsmart and got the same reading of 180 ppm or around 10 dKH at both. Does anyone have any explanation? One member suggested in another thread that maybe my refractometer needed calibrated since perhaps a very high salinity was contributing to the high alkalinity but I've tested using multiple tools and got the same 1.026 result.
Can anyone help? The lives of the animals and inverts are my top priority and I really want to create an optimal environment for them. This test kit has solid reviews, but I have seen some comments of them being inaccurate. Thanks so much for your time and replies.
I purchased a Red Sea Reef Foundation kit that tests for Ca, Mg, and Alkalinity two weeks ago. My tank just finished its cycle and all the rock is cured and ready to go. All parameters are good and my specific gravity is 1.025-1.026 with a constant 78 degree temperature. This will be my first tank with corals. Before I dosed the BRS two part that I purchased, I of course wanted to see where these elements tested so I knew how much I should dose. To my surprise the levels seemed incredibly high. Here are the results:
Calcium: 480 ppm
Alkalinity: 13.4 dKH
Magnesium: 1240 ppm
I find this very strange because these elements don't just appear out of no where. The tank has no fish or inverts and I have never dosed the tank. I use Instant Ocean salt mix (not reef crystal version). The package says it comes with all the necessary elements for fish and inverts but this seems crazy. My pH is only 7.8. Unless I'm mistaken having a high alkalinity was supposed to maintain a higher pH? So I am a little lost. Is the test kit the issue? BRS suggested I check my LFS or use another test kit if available, but no one in my city does much of any saltwater and those who do are very inexperienced. I was able to check my alkalinity at petco and petsmart and got the same reading of 180 ppm or around 10 dKH at both. Does anyone have any explanation? One member suggested in another thread that maybe my refractometer needed calibrated since perhaps a very high salinity was contributing to the high alkalinity but I've tested using multiple tools and got the same 1.026 result.
Can anyone help? The lives of the animals and inverts are my top priority and I really want to create an optimal environment for them. This test kit has solid reviews, but I have seen some comments of them being inaccurate. Thanks so much for your time and replies.