KH Buffer Powder for all Marine Fish and Reef Aquaria
Overview
- Raises alkalinity, adjust pH to 8.3
- Unlike single component KH products such as sodium carbonate, Alkalin 8.3P is a multi-component automatic buffer that regulates pH and its use makes for a much more stable aquarium. Eliminates pH and KH instability caused by poor salt mixes and ineffective buffering products.
- Highly-effective alkalinity-increasing (”buffer”) powdered blend.
- Helps increase pH stability in an aquarium by raising the alkalinity; continued addition raises
pH until 8.3 is reached, at which point the pH remains unchanged and the alkalinity
alone increases. - Provides a source of carbonates, which make up the majority by weight of aragonite, the
mineral secreted by reef-building organisms as skeletal material. - Determine alkalinity in aquarium with an accurate test kit prior to supplementing.
- Do not add this product directly to an aquarium without first diluting in water as directed.
- For complete information, click the 'Technical' button at the top right.
Technical Background
Alkalinity, also referred to as carbonate hardness or buffering capacity, is essentially a means of quantifying the stability of pH in a solution, such as aquarium water. In an aquarium, weak acids formed by oxygen respiration and the decomposition of organic material gradually deplete alkalinity. If left unchecked, the alkalinity drops below a critical level and pH begins to fluctuate more wildly than is normally suggested (a daily pH shift of +/-0.2 is normal in marine aquaria), causing stress to livestock. Alkalinity is also depleted by reef-building organisms during the production of aragonite (~60% carbonates by weight), and is therefore very important for their rapid growth. Maintaining the alkalinity in marine aquaria between 7.5 - 9.5 dKH (2.7 - 3.4 meq/L) will generally maintain pH within the desired range.
