Buffers

[Morn]

Hi guys,

 

As the title suggests, I am thinking about dosing products for my nano.

 

The products that I am looking at currently are:

 

1) Kent Marine - Nano Reef A & B Buffer (hard to get in the UK)

2) Microbe-Lift - Nano Complete

 

What I am trying to figure out is whether there is a need to dose these products in to the system, and whether anyone has used the above products and what their advice on them is.

 

For reference, my tank is 10US gal in capacity.

 

Any comments are welcome.

 

Thanks in advance

[Pickle010]

The question most would want to know first is what are your peramiters? Why do you feal you need to dose?

 

You should never dose for anything you aren't testing for since your water changes should be taking care of most, if not all of your needs.

[Morn]

Ok, here are the latest results from my most recent tests:

 

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 10ppm

Phosphate: <0.25 (no more accurate than that)

dHK: 8 (have dosed to get here)

Magnesium: 1250ppm

pH:8.2

 

The reason I ask is that I have read a position of a forum in the UK and the user simply uses the 2 drops of Kent Nano every day to keep the levels ship shape.

 

At present I am doing a 12l (3gal US) fortnightly water change as recommended by a fellow reefer as that should allow for more stability in terms of the water conditions.

 

The salt that I use has the following levels:

 

pH: 8.2

dHK: 8

Ca: 420mg/l

Mg: 1200mg/l

 

Think that covers it

[Weetabix7]

You shouldn't need to be dosing anything unless you're keeping sps corals or you're having trouble maintaining good Alk or Ca levels.

The levels you mentioned, both in your tank and your salt, sound fine to me.

[Morn]

Ok, that sounds fair enough. I will dose when needed based on the test readings.

 

My question therefore has to be:

 

'What is the point in these products?'

 

If they are not needed then why bother to make them, I get making say magnesium buffer etc.. so that you can adjust specific values, but these products seem for want of a better word pointless.

[Weetabix7]

In an aquarium dominated by sps they are VERY useful, since sps deplete Ca from a system fairly rapidly sometimes as they grow, and other minerals get depleted as well.

Some people also have issues with low levels of Ca, Alk, or Mg in their systems due to low levels of these things in their salt and sometimes for other reasons as well.

But if you have a good salt (which seems impossible to find in the US these days), and you do regular water changes and have mostly softies or lps for corals, you're probably fine without these products.

The simpler you can keep it, the better.

Only add stuff if you're certain your system actually needs it.

[Morn]

Ok that makes sense.

 

I have recieved today a Montipora Digitata which I believe is a SPS coral.

 

As the rest of my tank is full of softies I am guessing that I should still be ok?

 

I have some mushrooms that have been doing badly of late, interestingly enough however after I dosed a little of the Microlift product they have perked up. As the only things that I have not got test kits for yet are calcium, Iodine and Strontium I am guessing that maybe I need to keep an eye on these.

[Weetabix7]

Yes, that is an sps. Just keep an eye on your Ca levels, looks like you need to get a test kit for it.

I try to keep my Ca between 420-450.

Iodine and strontium aren't as big of a deal, usually.

I've never heard of Microlift, guess they don't sell it here.

[Morn]

Sorry, I ment Microbe-Lift. Its a US product and its designed to do what I originaly asked about. I will keep an eye on the Ca and see how I go. Thanks for you help on this

[rhunter513]

IMO you should strive for ionic balance between ca and kh no matter what you are keeping. Use a two part buffer (I use B-ionic) and start out testing and dosing daily.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php#1

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.php

[Morn]

IMO you should strive for ionic balance between ca and kh no matter what you are keeping. Use a two part buffer (I use B-ionic) and start out testing and dosing daily.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php#1

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.php

 

Interesting idea, can you take a look at this product and tell me if it sounds like the kind of thing I should acquire?

 

As I said my mushrooms are looking better since I have dosed the tank to bring the Mg up and dosed the Microbe-lift buffer to the system. Perhaps its because they have stabilised the ca and kH

[rhunter513]

that will work

 

I use this - http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~EV1113.html.

[Morn]

Thanks to everyone above.