Tropic Marin KH-Test

Tropic Marin's KH test is a test for determing the carbonate hardness in saltwater and freshwater aquariums. All test cuvettes, reagents and dosing syringes are included in the kit. The reagents can be bought as refill packs after they have been used up.

What is carbonate hardness (KH)?

Carbonate hardness is one of the most important water parameters in aquarium water. This value is usually measured in degrees of German hardness (°dH). Carbonate hardness measures alkalinity and is an important acid buffer that takes care of pH stability: as KH increases, so does the pH of the water. Since most water dwellers need stable water values to stay healthy, the KH values in the water must be checked regularly!

The optimum carbonate hardness in saltwater aquariums is between 6 and 9 °dH. In freshwater aquariums, the carbonate hardness should not be less than 3 °dH.

Instructions for use:

1. Shake the dropper bottle before use!
2. First rinse the glass cuvette with tap water. Then rinse it out several times with aquarium water.
3. Fill the glass cuvette with 5 ml aquarium water. Use the dosing syringe to measure.
4. Add the KH Test Reagent drop by drop. After adding each drop, shake the cuvette until the turquoise solution turns pink.
5. The number of drops (until the solution turns pink) gives you the carbonate hardness (in °dH) of the solution. For example: 9 drops = 9 °dH.
6. After you have finished measuring the carbonate hardness, rinse the glass cuvette and syringe thoroughly with tap water.

Tip: If you use a 10 ml water sample, the measurement will be even more accurate. In that case, 1 drop corresponds to 0.5 °dH. For example: 18 drops = 9 °dH.

Included in the kit:

• 1 x 25ml Reagent KH
• 1 x glass cuvette 10 ml
• 1 x dosing syringe 5 ml
• 1 x instruction manual

Our expert Oliver Knott recommends:

Water parameters should be kept as stable as possible. Fluctuating water parameters lead to unnecessary stress and should therefore be checked regularly.