Conclusions an Aquarist Can Draw from Testing KH Parameters

Understanding the Aquarium Situation

For every marine aquarist, whether beginner or advanced, the most crucial aspect is understanding what is happening in the aquarium and adjusting accordingly. The goal of an aquarist is to maintain a stable aquatic environment, ensuring that parameters are within the norm.

The aquatic environment can present three scenarios:

• Corals are growing (positive situation)
• Corals are in stagnation
• Corals are stressed or dying (negative situation)

A marine aquarist must understand the environment and react accordingly. Surprisingly, even a positive situation, such as coral growth, requires specific actions.

Focus on Two Specific Actions

Positive Situation – Coral Growth – Case Study

We test KH and observe a decrease. A too rapid daily drop can be dangerous for certain types of corals. For example, SPS corals like Acropora do not tolerate KH drops over 0.3 dKH. Goniopora does not like KH fluctuations. Many types of corals prefer KH to remain stable.

The first rule of maintaining a stable KH is regular measurements. In tanks more populated with corals, testing every 2 hours is recommended. The cyclic nature of measurements is necessary to detect changes at the smallest possible level if corals start consuming more minerals from the water. It is better to see that KH changed from 7.7 to 7.6 than from 7.7 to 6.0. If we perform regular, frequent tests, we can catch the change quickly and adjust dosing accordingly (or use automatic actions supported by a device like a KH keeper).

Negative Situation – Case Study

We test KH and observe an increase in KH. Corals have reduced their mineral uptake from the water. Commonly, we say they are stressed. This situation can be conditioned by many factors. If we observe such a situation, we must quickly diagnose and eliminate the cause of stress (if it still exists) and reduce dosing. Quickly detecting changes by controlling KH values can be crucial in maintaining life in the aquarium. Here too, the frequency and cyclic nature of KH measurements are key to preventing problems.

Increased Frequency of KH Measurements Allows for Quick Aquarist Response

The more often KH is measured, the greater the chance of quickly identifying a problem and taking appropriate action. Regular measurements, for example, 4 times a day (professionals test KH even every 2 hours), allow early detection of deviations from the norm. As described above, even in a positive situation, we must react appropriately to prevent increased mineral consumption from causing coral stress. If, despite increased consumption, dosing is not adjusted in time, the parameter will start to drop too quickly, stressing the corals.

Using KH Keeper Automations to Support Marine Aquarists in Maintaining Stable Parameters

KH keeper Plus automatically tests KH with a frequency of 1 to 24 times a day. If KH changes, the marine aquarist will receive an alert notification on their phone. Additionally, the device will send information to pumps to adjust the next dosing to support the marine aquarist in maintaining stable water parameters.

An automatic KH testing device is our recommendation for KH testing.