Supplements/Addidtives/Waterchanges...Need help

[tskinner2002]

So first I'll tell you alittle about my tank. Its a 20high with a remora skimmer, about 40X turnover rate. For fish I have 1 YWG, 1 perc and 2 purple firefish. For corals I have yumas, zoo's, leathers, frogspawn, torchs, acans, and 1 pink monti branch frag. I havn't been adding any extra additives to my tank. I normally do water changes every friday unless I'm away then i'll extend it for a couple more days. I have a bottle of seachem essestial trace elements and also a bottle of purple up. I havn't used any of these yet. My Ca is at 440 but I don't have dkh or mg test kits yet. Should I get these first and test for this? Then decide what to dose? Whats this 2 part solutions I've been hearing so much about? Any extra help and suggestions would be great.

 

Thanks alot

[xenon]

You should run to your LFS and get an alk and mag kit asap. Another kit everyone should have is nitrate.

 

You need to get some Kent Marine Tech CB. It's a two bottle system that you must dose equal parts to maintain you calcium/alkalinity levels. You should also get some Kent Marine TechM and that will raise magnesium levels.

 

Test often so that you can figure out how much cal,alk,mag your corals use up and dose them in the morning about 20-30min apart.

[bdare]

I agree with the test kits. I disagree with the supplements. I suggest getting the "Complete Package" from www.bulkreefsupply.com. Both the Ca and Alk will make 8 gallons of solution!

[BKtomodachi]

You probably don't have to dose at all. With that tank setup, regular water changes should be all you need.

[SPerry]

Weekly water changes 15~20% with quality salt and you are good. I have a 20H among others and dont dose anything. Have the usual mix of SPS, LPS and softies. I dont test water either unless something looks odd but I wouldnt suggest that until your tank is well established and your get used to the moods of the corals.

[xenon]

You wont know if water changes will be enough until you test to see how much cal, alk, mag is used up daily by your corals.

[The Propagator]

I agree with the test kits. I disagree with the supplements. I suggest getting the "Complete Package" from www.bulkreefsupply.com. Both the Ca and Alk will make 8 gallons of solution!

 

 

Ben you have become a regular poster child for bulk reef supply

Do you have stock with them or what ? ( just yanking your chain )

 

To the original poster.....

Not to miff any one off intentionally,

But unless your tank is well matured ( like a at least 6 months old. Preferably a year or more ) you REALLY don't want to skip a weekly check for PH , magnesium, nitrite, nitrate, and at least a twice a week check on alkalinity and calcium ( until you get an idea of usage to dose for both calcium and alkalinity any way) .

 

Big things happen in new systems quite fast. Especially in nano tanks.

Usually those things are nitrate build up, PH fluctuation, and ca / alk drops.

Relying on the old "don't fix it if it doesn't LOOK broken", or "Let your corals tell you when something is wrong" is really not the way to go. That's the way to get in to trouble with your inhabitants. Because 9 out of 10 times if you notice some thing is wrong with your corals it will take more then routine maintenance to fix the problem. Where as if you had been testing for it and picked up on it earlier all it would have taken was a little something in addition to routine maintenance instead of a lot of a big some thing later. Make sense ?

 

Purple up is hot garbage. It has basically no value to your corals at all. Its not a viable bio-available source for them to uptake and utilize because it is an aragonite based product.

For this same reason don't buy arago-milk either. Its useless garbage that just clouds your tank and make a nice film on the glass you have to whipe down.

I would either use a two part bulk reef supply product, or one of many available do it your self options available, or good old stand by's made by seachem, kent marine, or B-ionic.

 

Your absolutely right in asking if you should waitr and test for alkalinity and magnesium before you dose any essential element type products in to your system. Chances are you will not need to use that product at all because you keep up on your water changes. Usually the only people that actually need those types of product have HEAVLY stocked systems ( such as your LFS. Seriously )

 

Last but not least... don't get sucked into the whole " You need to dose iodine and strontium " thing. Fact is iodine isnt used up that rapidly at all, and niether is strontium ( unless its a heavly stocked system, or one that runs carbon all the time ). If you feel like it buy a test kit for each and test before you dose. Other wise I am supremely confident your regular water change regimen will replace al thats needed as long as you stick to at least a 10% change every week. Just as bdare and Sperry have told you.

[LIreefer]

Ben you have become a regular poster child for bulk reef supply

Do you have stock with them or what ? ( just yanking your chain )

 

To the original poster.....

Not to miff any one off intentionally,

But unless your tank is well matured ( like a at least 6 months old. Preferably a year or more ) you REALLY don't want to skip a weekly check for PH , magnesium, nitrite, nitrate, and at least a twice a week check on alkalinity and calcium ( until you get an idea of usage to dose for both calcium and alkalinity any way) .

 

Big things happen in new systems quite fast. Especially in nano tanks.

Usually those things are nitrate build up, PH fluctuation, and ca / alk drops.

Relying on the old "don't fix it if it doesn't LOOK broken", or "Let your corals tell you when something is wrong" is really not the way to go. That's the way to get in to trouble with your inhabitants. Because 9 out of 10 times if you notice some thing is wrong with your corals it will take more then routine maintenance to fix the problem. Where as if you had been testing for it and picked up on it earlier all it would have taken was a little something in addition to routine maintenance instead of a lot of a big some thing later. Make sense ?

 

Purple up is hot garbage. It has basically no value to your corals at all. Its not a viable bio-available source for them to uptake and utilize because it is an aragonite based product.

For this same reason don't buy arago-milk either. Its useless garbage that just clouds your tank and make a nice film on the glass you have to whipe down.

I would either use a two part bulk reef supply product, or one of many available do it your self options available, or good old stand by's made by seachem, kent marine, or B-ionic.

 

Your absolutely right in asking if you should waitr and test for alkalinity and magnesium before you dose any essential element type products in to your system. Chances are you will not need to use that product at all because you keep up on your water changes. Usually the only people that actually need those types of product have HEAVLY stocked systems ( such as your LFS. Seriously )

 

Last but not least... don't get sucked into the whole " You need to dose iodine and strontium " thing. Fact is iodine isnt used up that rapidly at all, and niether is strontium ( unless its a heavly stocked system, or one that runs carbon all the time ). If you feel like it buy a test kit for each and test before you dose. Other wise I am supremely confident your regular water change regimen will replace al thats needed as long as you stick to at least a 10% change every week. Just as bdare and Sperry have told you.

 

 

+1!!