Help with DkH

[mr.elcajon]

ok so my tank has been running for about a year now. i was having problems with nitrites and nitrates. after lots of research i found out it was my sandbed. to fine of sand for how deep it was. i think i had like 5 inches.made all sorts of problems. cynobacteria, ammonia spikes, nitrate and nitrite spikes , bad deal. well i switched my subtrate to a bigger substrate, not sucha fine sand. more room for oxygen flow between the substrate. well anyways, all my problems with ammonia and nitrites and nitrates have stopped. but now im havin problems keepin my DKH up. its at 7 right now and i would like it 9 or 10. im thinkin it may be my top off water. i tested that water for alkalinity and its at a 4. i use a top off kit, so i never actually put the wate rin myself. becuz my make up water has such a low DkH, could this be why i cannot raise my DkH? well hers a pic too and all the specs, still tryin to add some stuff to the tank. nowhere near done yet .lol.

Ammonia-0
Nitrite-.05
nitrate-2.5- still wish it was 0
Ph-8.2
DKH-7 the main problem
Calcium-400
magnesium-1350
salinity-1.022
also im runnin 2 powerheads, and one return head. i use a euro reef protien skimmer, and have two micron bags with a sponge in them, and the sponge on the overflow box. and i just bought a new sunpod 2x250 metal halide. love that. cant quite get the blue out of the pics but im still tryin lol.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/whudufuxup/PICT0050.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/whudufuxup/PICT0053.jpg

[mr.elcajon]

can someone please post reply if they know anything at all about this. i always have such a problem getting people to respond to my questions, my problem may not be urgent, but it would be nice to have a little help.

[kaybee]

What actions, if any, have been done to increase or maintain the alkalinity of your system?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

What salt brand are you using?
I also have issues with lower alkalinity, however I have overcome this issue by adding Pickling Lime to my top off tank. I personally add 1tbsp of pickling lime for every 3 gallons of water and let it mix for a few hours. I then turn off the circulating pump and run a hose to my sump. When my water level gets low, I just turn on the pump and pump the water into the tank. My Alk stays at 9-10 all the time using this method. This method is essentially the same thing as using Kalkwasser, just much cheaper and it's not really done on a drip system.

[mr.elcajon]

What actions, if any, have been done to increase or maintain the alkalinity of your system?
well i do water changes once a week and started adding a buffer to my top off water. but im using Rd Sea Coral Pro Sea Salt( just switched to this). so far my DKH is on the rise now an 8 instead of 7. hopefully i can continue to do this until about a 10 is reached. over a period of a month or so.

[mr.elcajon]

and ive always used the 2 part buffering system