PART VPutting it to work
CHAPTER 19

The first seven days

This chapter is a route. If you have just installed the equipment, follow it and by the end of the first week you will have an Aquarino KH tuned to your aquarium — and, more importantly, the confidence of knowing why it is tuned that way.

Day 1 — install and calibrate

  • Install the equipment, the hose and the probe (Chapters 4 and 5).
  • Install the app, create your account and add the equipment (Chapters 6 and 7).
  • Run a full calibration with a chemical test you trust (Chapter 10).
  • Set target and margin (Chapter 14). Leave correction off for now.
  • Set the interval to 1 hour and notification to Always.

Days 2 and 3 — observe

  • Change nothing. Let the equipment measure.
  • Once a day, open Graphs and look at the last 24 hours.
  • Check the aeration in both chambers (Chapter 13) — it is the adjustment that most affects reading quality.

By the end of the third day you should be able to answer: what is my aquarium's daily KH swing, and does it follow the photoperiod?

Day 4 — check against the chemical test

  • Run a chemical test at the same time of day and from the same collection point as the equipment.
  • Compare it with the value measured at that hour.
  • If the difference is smaller than your kit's margin of error (± 0.30 dKH), all is well — do not recalibrate.
  • If it is larger, run a partial calibration (Chapter 11).

Days 5 and 6 — turn correction on

  • If you use 3-in-1 balling or want the safety net: set the Buffer Doser to Normal and calibrate the pump (Chapter 16).
  • If you use a calcium reactor: enable the Co2 Port and start watching the hourly percentages (Chapter 17).
  • Follow the event log in Logs to see the decisions the equipment is making.

Day 7 — adjust and settle

  • Calcium reactor: set the bubble counter so the port lands in the ideal ranges (75–90% during the photoperiod, 15–30% outside it).
  • Doser: if you see daily-limit warnings, the problem is your main replenishment, not the Aquarino KH.
  • Change notification from Always to Off target.
  • If the system is steady, you can raise the measurement interval to 2–4 hours — unless you are using the Co2 Port, which requires the hourly cadence.