Sun777 Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 If you could only have 3 additives to keep you tank going. What 3 would they be if you were keeping soft and sps corals with MH lighting. Thanks Link to comment
Colione Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Cal, Alk, Mg? That's an easy one. Or did you mean other than those? Link to comment
BLoCkCliMbeR Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 ca,mg,alk those are the big three.... eff u colione for being faster Link to comment
lakshwadeep Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 ^^^These additives are mainly for the SPS corals and aren't found in one bottle (i.e. something like a trace elements additive). Link to comment
Sun777 Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 ^^^These additives are mainly for the SPS corals and aren't found in one bottle (i.e. something like a trace elements additive). What is the best way to get the big 3 in my tank? Link to comment
Colione Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 What is the best way to get the big 3 in my tank? Go buy 3 bottles and put them in your tank? EDIT: ok I'll elaborate to be somewhat helpful. a) gotta make sure you test for all 3. most people like using two part solution. B-Ionic and Bulk Reef Supply seem quite popular. (two part is Ca and Alk) c) For Mg ... I'm sure a lot of different brands will do. I was using Tropic Marin Mg Salt. Which adds salt to the tank, but for me, that wasn't too much of a problem. I had good results with it. But just the other day I ran out, and am looking to try something new. I like the B-Ionic products so I might go with them, or maybe Brightwell. Link to comment
amnesiak Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 What is the best way to get the big 3 in my tank? Make your own! Baking soda, ice melt, and epsom salt! Link to comment
coolwaters Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 epsom salt was sulfide in there. u need the magnesium chloride <- the pure stuff that we get from seawater. also pool supply shops have calcium chloride make sure its 100%. and make sure u bake your baking soda. theres a walk though about it Link to comment
cptbjorn Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, not sulfide. Sulfate is mostly harmless and doesn't build up to above normal NSW levels if you keep up with water changes. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, not sulfide. Sulfate is mostly harmless and doesn't build up to above normal NSW levels if you keep up with water changes. yeah thats what i meant... so wat if it has a 4 more Oxygen atoms in it... i believe the more people dose the less water changes they do. which is a bad thing over time. Link to comment
jeremai Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 1. water changes 2. kalk 3. water changes Link to comment
BLoCkCliMbeR Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 i cant believe no one asked this yet.... how big is the tank? b/c in a smaller tank, water changes with a quality salt should take care of the need to dose.... and if the plan is to do softies for now, you can get by with just water changes.... Link to comment
jiriki76 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 RO/DI water. I add that daily. Almost every few minutes actually. Link to comment
blittster Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 I'm gonna say: 1- corals 2- corals 3- gettin crazy with this one... corals Link to comment
timdanger Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Make your own! Baking soda, ice melt, and epsom salt! gotta be careful about saying 'ice melt' -- for instance, the road salt i picked up last night at Home Depot isn't just Magnesium Chloride. Gotta make sure what you're using is just that. And, a lot of them have been known to be unsuitable for aquarium applications because of ammonia impurities. Incidentally, you CAN just use epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) for Mg supplementation, but it won't be ionically balanced, and it'll lead to a build up of sulfates over time. however, it's not evident what negative effect that build-up actually has, if any, especially if you are changing out 30% of your water per month. a good example of this, though, is Seachem's Reef Advantage Magnesium, which is almost entirely Magnesium Sulfate (although their website seems to suggest otherwise, the actual bottle says it's (almost) all Magnesium Sulfate). Link to comment
davenia7 Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Mg whenever bryopsis re-rears it's UGLY head. Other than that, water changes. Sometimes a little trace elements in the bottle, if I can't get to my WC on my schedule. Link to comment
timdanger Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Mg whenever bryopsis re-rears it's UGLY head. Other than that, water changes. Sometimes a little trace elements in the bottle, if I can't get to my WC on my schedule. hello, other person who has an avatar picture of their kitty looking at their tank. Link to comment
amnesiak Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 gotta be careful about saying 'ice melt' -- for instance, the road salt i picked up last night at Home Depot isn't just Magnesium Chloride. Gotta make sure what you're using is just that. And, a lot of them have been known to be unsuitable for aquarium applications because of ammonia impurities. Yep, you're exactly right. I picked up Prestone Driveway Heat as it's mentioned in Randy's article as one of the good ones. I think you meant Calcium Chloride? I have a bag around for melting ice (that's totally useless this year, El Nino!) that is calcium chloride and a whole bunch of other crap. The pure stuff is more expensive. Link to comment
Sun777 Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 Thanks for all the replies. I have a 28gal nano. Been up for about 18months. My calcium is at about 500, mag 1500 and KH is at 8. I just put some macroalgae in my middle chamber with a nano glo and will run the light all the time. My Duncan has just sprouted a 4th head and my Kenya coral is growing like a weed and dropping all the time. I also add marine snow/zoo plankton/phyto plankton 3x a week. I have some red algae growing on some green that is driving me crazy... Link to comment
SpringFever Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 My calcium is at about 500, mag 1500 and KH is at 8. This seems high! Are you already dosing? If so, cut back the calcium and try to balance it with the Alk (450 calc to 10 alk is what I keep my system running at). I don't know too much about Mg, but I try to keep mine at 1400. My Duncan has just sprouted a 4th head and my Kenya coral is growing like a weed and dropping all the time. Are these the only coral you have? If so, dosing is prob not necessary. I also add marine snow/zoo plankton/phyto plankton 3x a week. I have some red algae growing on some green that is driving me crazy... If the above coral are the only ones you have, and/or the only type, you don't need to add the planktonic foods IMO... This might be the cause of your algae problem. Do you have any pictures? Link to comment
Deleted User 6 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 1. water changes2. water changes 3. water changes Link to comment
jeremai Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I was going for variety. but yeah, without stony corals or clams, water changes are all a person really needs, no matter the tank size. everything else is for the lazy. Link to comment
Sun777 Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Here are some pics of the tank. I am not dosing at all. I have tested my calcium with both Sailfert and Elos and I get a reading of 480 with Sailfert and 520 with Elos. So I just avg the 2 to get a reading of 500. I am using Reef Crystals salt and a 4 stage Kent RO unit as well as a TDS meeting which shows a TDS reading of 0 on the out. Thanks Link to comment
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