Alkalinity in marine aquariums.

To measure alkalinity is to measure the acid needed to ensure that there is enough bicarbonate and carbonate in the water, which are etracted from the waters by calcifying organisms once they are converted to carbonic acid.

These are corals, coralines and algae, so basicly anything with a symbiotic relation with algae or actual algae utilise these substances once they are in acid form, there is your alkalinity.

These two along with some borate and a few more substances, not anywhere near as important, is a marine aquariums alkalinity!

So what we try to achieve is a balance of acid needed to reduce aquariums PH so carbonates and bicarbonate become cabonic acid.

KH or some call DKH test will let you know roughly what the waters Kh is at and it should be around 7 as the ocean is 7 and things are normally fine between 6 to 10,consistancy is more important then the level of KH its self.