jc16 Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 hi sorry to bother you guys again but i'm back looking for more advice, as i will be adding corals soon i would like to know what kind and brand of supplements would i need for a mixed reef? sps and lps? my calcium levels are great 460 , the lfs told me to buy the sera branded supplements but they are extremely expensive compared to seachem. (calcium,magnesium,adn strontium?) what other supplements would i need? and would be best if you guys could recommend a good brand! thanks will post pics after i have added some sort of corals
Pickle010 Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 Save your money... you don't need any of them. The fish store needs to sell them to make profits. Instead - 1. Do regular water changes - weekly - that should replenish your tanks nutrients. 2. Buy a good test kit. This way you'll learn what your tanks inhabitants / corals consume and if you even need to worry about supplementing. Down the road - as you get into a lot of demanding corals that absorb your tanks nutrients faster you'll know exactly what it needs because you're testing regularly. I started my tank in Nov of '06 and I haven't added any corals in the last 3 months or so. I test my water less frequently now but I've learned what my tank needs over that time. I still try to test at least monthly. Keep in mind you should never dose for anything that you aren't testing for. Good Luck and HTH
jamesnmandy Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 water changes are not always enough bro...not enough to replentish everything you want in the proper proportions..... at least on large tanks it's not, and i dont imagine smaller volumes of water are any different to the OP, i use Brightwell Aquatics Reef Code A&B two part for calcium, alaklinity and trace elements, i also dose some of their Replenish at times to minor trace elements i order mine from fishtanksdirect.com, $12 for a 2 liter bottle each, great price for a great product
qbical Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 seriously, go to a frag-fest that has lots of sponsors and get everything for free lol its where i got mine and i love the shizzle
Pseudocheilinus hexataenia Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 Don't supplement what you can't test for or don't understand. Water changes will be plenty for maintaining a mixed reef s'long as it isn't densely packed where corals are fighting for positions.
Pickle010 Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 water changes are not always enough bro...not enough to replentish everything you want in the proper proportions..... Maybe not... but throwing a cocktail of supplements in your tank without testing or knowing what it needs can cause more harm then good.
jc16 Posted June 17, 2008 Author Posted June 17, 2008 lol okay i'm lost but i will read more about the supplements and what the tank needs, i test for calcium(460),phosphate 0,carbonate hardness which i have tried yet, but are there anythign else i shud be testing for if i'm planning to pack my tank with corals lps,sps,and soft corals? btw my tank is only 10 gallons and is kent marine or seachem a good brand?
HecticDialectics Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 You should test for calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, nitrates, ph, phosphates if you have algae problems... Calcium's calcium... I suggest going to somewhere like http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ (after you read up on supplements, you obviously need to do a lot more reading and research on it before you start dosing anything) and buyin' it on the cheap, then mixing it yourself. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm
jamesnmandy Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 Maybe not... but throwing a cocktail of supplements in your tank without testing or knowing what it needs can cause more harm then good. i have done my research and achieved proper water balance, then found the dosing additives that simply maintain those parameters in the proper ratios, regardless of water changes, and all i can say is my parameters are rock solid and my corals and such are thriving, including my acropora tri color i recently got, it was a totally brown ugly frag at the LFS and with my water and light i have nursed it to color up and add new growth quite nicely, so i have to say i am doing something right for some people's systems, a simple water change may be enough, but i never could get those results with water changes or different salts alone
tike Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 Don't supplement what you can't test for or don't understand. Water changes will be plenty for maintaining a mixed reef s'long as it isn't densely packed where corals are fighting for positions. +100,000 Listen to the knowledge.
Pickle010 Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 i have done my research Exactly As should the OP... he should test before adding anything to his tank... what's wrong with that? People come on here all the time and want to know about additives... half the time the tank is still cycling or is still fairly new and has no LS to speak of or doesn't have any idea what there own levels are currently at. Why would anyone send them out to buy supplements - waste of money. NOW, if the OP had an established system and knew his peramiters - that's an entirely different issue. and achieved proper water balance, then found the dosing additives that simply maintain those parameters in the proper ratios, regardless of water changes, and all i can say is my parameters are rock solid and my corals and such are thriving, including my acropora tri color i recently got, it was a totally brown ugly frag at the LFS and with my water and light i have nursed it to color up and add new growth quite nicely, so i have to say i am doing something right for some people's systems, a simple water change may be enough, but i never could get those results with water changes or different salts alone You make it sound like we are talking about you and your tank. Don't take it personally.
bdare Posted June 18, 2008 Posted June 18, 2008 When you need to supplement DEFINITELY go with the packages from bulkreefsupply.com. They are PURE and MUCH MUCH cheaper than buying any packaged 2 part additive.
lionheart Posted June 18, 2008 Posted June 18, 2008 I use B-Ionic 2 part buffer system in my 55g reef tank I personal love it!! I just bought a 12gNC and hope it gets here by the end of the week.I also use Salifert test kits and i just test for mag,cal,and alk and my tank does great,no other chemical filters ie carbon or filter media just live rock,Hope this helps,it works for me ro/di water.
bdare Posted June 18, 2008 Posted June 18, 2008 I know lots of people have great success with B-ionic. I'm CERTAINLY not putting the product down (or it's users), but on a purely cost basis I don't understand why people use it. B-ionic - 1 Gallon of each $30 BulkReefSupply - 8 gallons of each $50. Seems like a no brainer to me.
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