Alkalinity converter
Convert alkalinity between dKH, ppm and meq/L — the buffering that keeps water from swinging in pH.
That's about the same as a reef aquarium. That is well buffered, the range aquariums and pools aim for.
What it means
How well buffered is it?
Alkalinity is reported as calcium carbonate by convention, even though most of it is really bicarbonate. That convention is what makes the units comparable.
Every unit
Your alkalinity in every unit
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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1 dKH = 17.9 ppm = 0.357 meq/L
A reef tank held at 8 dKH is 143 ppm. A swimming pool wants 80 to 120 ppm, which is 4.5 to 6.7 dKH.
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German degrees again
dKH stands for Karbonathärte, carbonate hardness, and comes from the same nineteenth-century German water analysis that gave us °dH for hardness.
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Alkalinity is not alkaline
Water can be acidic and still have high alkalinity, or alkaline with almost none. pH says where you are; alkalinity says how hard it is to move you.
Shortcuts
Popular alkalinity conversions
Background
About alkalinity
Alkalinity is not pH. It is how much acid the water can absorb before the pH moves — the buffer, not the reading. A tank with high pH and no alkalinity will crash overnight.
Aquarists use dKH, pool chemistry and water treatment use ppm as CaCO₃, and chemistry uses meq/L. One dKH is 17.85 ppm.