RE: Alk and pH questions...

[Shane Clays]

Thanks. Yep, it was 4.57 meqs, sorry. I use Sea Lab calcium blocks, and my
calcium stays at 400-450. Right now it is running about 420. The alk didn't
rise quickly. It was at 3.6 meqs and over the course of, maybe 3 months,
reached 4.57. Do you know how high alk can get before it will cause a
problem with the animals in the tank?

Thanks again,
Shane C.

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   [EMAIL PROTECTED] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
        Sent:   Wednesday, May 30, 2001 9:36 AM
        To:     [EMAIL PROTECTED]
        Subject:        Re: Alk and pH questions...

        Alkalinity of 4.57(?) is just fine. That is 12-13 dKH. You should
avoid 
        abrupt increases in dKH, however. As long as Calcium rises with
Alkalinity 
        you should be OK. You can add Sodium Carbonate and/or Sodium Borate
to bring 
        your pH up. These are available and inexpensive at the link for
T.A.T 
        Additives at www.athiel.com.  We don't like to see dKH increase too
quickly 
        as the rapid increases can cause stress. It is a good idea not to
raise dKH 
        by more than 4-5 over a few weeks. Also, you can add Calcium
Chloride slowly 
        to increase Calcium and decrease Alkalinity. HTH.    
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