KH is the buffering capacity of water in your pond preventing sudden pH changes. KH, also known as “total alkalinity” or “carbonate hardness”, is a measure of the buffering capacity of the water in your aquarium. The buffering capacity refers to how well it can resist changes in pH. This test kit measures KH in dKH (where one dKH = 17.8 ppm as CaCO3).

In a marine aquarium, it is essential to maintain a minimum KH level of at least 7 dKH at all times. Depending on how you run your aquarium, you may wish to maintain a level of anywhere between 7 and 14 dKH.

If your KH is low in your aquarium, use NT Labs Marine Buffer Powder to safely increase the KH up to the desired level. Monitor the KH frequently to determine how quickly the KH decreases over the period of a week and adjust to frequency of water changes or addition of buffer to maintain a stable KH. If the KH in your aquarium is high, a water change with a good quality salt will help reduce the KH, but changes to KH should be carried out slowly to avoid stressing the inhabitants.

Magnesium is the second-most plentiful positive ion found in natural seawater. Magnesium is essential for the efficient absorption of calcium by marine invertebrates.

Without the correct levels of magnesium, corals and invertebrates cannot properly or efficiently utilise calcium for the formation of their shells and growth of skeletons. Sufficient magnesium also prevents precipitation of calcium and carbonate ions, ensuring bioavailable calcium and a pH stabilising effect.  As magnesium tends to deplete with the age of the water, monitoring the magnesium frequently is the only reliable method to determine the concentration present in the water.

The average magnesium level in natural seawater is 1300-1400 mg/l.  Equally importantly, the correct ratio between magnesium and calcium should be achieved.  The concentration of magnesium should be 3 times that of calcium (e.g. a magnesium to calcium of 3:1).

If the magnesium concentration in your aquarium is wrong, partial water changes using a good quality reef salt is recommend to help re-establish the correct magnesium concentration. It is also important to check the calcium and KH as the three are correlated.  If the magnesium is incorrect, calcium and KH are also likely to be wrong.

Calcium is one of the critical building blocks for corals, clams, calcareous algae, and many other marine organisms. After sodium and magnesium, calcium is the third-most abundant cation found in seawater and is vital for a balanced marine environment.

Achieving the correct calcium concentration range is critical: too little can lead to poor coral health, while too much can result in depletion of carbonate hardness (KH). Testing for calcium allows you to ensure optimal conditions for your aquarium inhabitants and the stability of other significant water chemistry parameters.

The typical value of calcium found in seawater is 420 mg/l, but values in the aquarium vary from 380 mg/l to 450 mg/l, dependent on the method of running your aquarium.

If the calcium level in your aquarium is wrong, partial water changes using a good quality reef salt is recommend to help re-establish the correct calcium concentration. It is also important to check the magnesium and KH as the three are correlated. If the calcium is incorrect, magnesium and KH are also likely to be wrong.

Phosphate is an essential component in fish nutrition but is also produced as a waste product by fish. Phosphate is practically non-toxic to fish, but excess phosphate can cause unwanted algae and will inhibit coral growth.

Maintaining a low level of phosphate is essential for reducing unwanted algae and maintaining coral growth rates. Phosphate tends to accumulate as an aquarium matures, so regular monitoring of phosphate is required to determine the health of the aquarium.

Phosphate in natural seawater generally varies from 0.01 mg/l to 0.06 mg/l (in terms of phosphorus) in reef areas. However, in a reef aquarium, aim for 0.03 mg/l to maintain good coral growth and keep nuisance algae at to a minimum.

Regular maintenance and use of partial water changes with a good quality reef salt should help to keep phosphate low. To remove additional phosphate, use of Phosphate Remover in your filter or add Anti-Phos liquid regularly to instantly remove phosphate.

NT Labs Marine Lab Reef Multi-Test Kit will help you understand the importance of water quality. By having the correct parameters and good water quality, it will help your fish and plants live longer, healthier lives.

Highly accurate, the NT Labs Reef Marine Lab Multi-Test Kit contains liquid kits which work by changing the colour of a water sample in relation to the concentration of a given substance. Simply compare the colour of the sample to the easy-to-read colour charts or count the number of drops it takes to alter the colour of the sample.

All the tests are liquid drop tests from a calibrated dropper bottle, so all the drops are the same size. Just add your aquarium water to the test tube and count the drops needed. The back of the box details clear pictorial instructions so you can see what to do from the start. A set of colour coded stickers is provided to label both the test tubes and test tube lids, so you always conduct the same test in the same test tube avoiding contamination. Full instructions are included detailing optimum levels and suggestions for correction, along with an integrated test tube rack.

Suitable for marine, reef and brackish aquariums.