What Do You Keep Your DKH At??

[azkass]

Just curious to see what others are keeping theirs at. 7-9 KH seems to be the norm but I've been keeping mine between 10-11 with good results. The Salifert test kit I use for ALK says natural seawater is between 7-8 I believe and as many of us do use Coral Pro salt, on the front of the bucket it says the salt mixes to 12.2 DKH. So what is the ideal DKH we should be keeping?

 

[zibba]

I finally started keeping a "reef log" in September, which I just checked, and since then I've averaged 8.3 dKH on a Hanna (checked it 20 times during that timeframe, or approx. once per week).

I run Red Sea Coral Pro as well and, even with 20% water changed every 2-weeks or so, I don't see a huge bump in alk (maybe 0.5 dKH and it drifts back down slowly).

 

[bambam918]

I buffer mine. If I didn't it would be around 8.2 but currently keeping it at 10-10.5 range

 

[Tschupe]

I keep mine between 10-11

 

[arthurdent510]

What's the advantage of keeping it so high? Just curious since natural seawater is in the 7-8 range, what is the benefit of keeping it so high?...

 

[azkass]

That's what I'm trying to figure out, if there is a benefit to keeping it higher. It's my understanding that the higher the DKH, the more buffering capacity the water has equates to a more stable PH. I think it might just be a matter of preference and what your corals do best at.

 

[zibba]

Entirely anecdotal but I've seen better color from SPS when running under 9 dKH. pH has been stable regardless of whether it was over or under 9 as long as I've used the auto doser.

 

[zrogst]

alkalinity is the ability for liquid solutions to be able to neutralize acid. the alkalines in our reef tanks are primarily bi-carbonate and carbonate (used by corals to make calcium carbonate skeletons)

Further chemistry reading here.

 

[Dre59]

I keep mine at 9dkh.. Mixed reef