Additives / seditives.....

[nikon70]

i have recently started (1month) my 80gal marine tank and i feel its about time to start adding some additives to get the tank ready for more corals and inverts.

what do i need ...???

strontium
magnesium
kalkwasser
turbo calcium

etc there are varied responses online and i wanted a definitive answer.

thanks guys and gals

 

[Adrian]

The most important things to add for are Ca and alkalinity, anything more than that is a matter or opinion. With that said I also add strontium, Mg, and Iodine. HTH

 

[CaptiveMarine]

I think the best additive you can add to your tank is simple water changes. IMHO 99% of the products you see on the shelves at your LFS are unnecessary, and some of them can be harmful is not used correctly. All I use on my tanks and that of my customers is calcium and regular partial water changes.

If you do decide to add something else, make sure you have a test kit for it. If you can't test for it, don't add it.

 

[supertech3]

I agree with captivemarine, it is cheaper to buy a bag of salt and water than to buy all the additives you would probably end up adding. I do water changes and dose limewater/kalkwasser

 

[nikon70]

cool ok thats good enough for me thanks

 

[mystikdragon7]

Re: Additives / seditives.....

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6575846#post6575846 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nikon70
i have recently started (1month) my 80gal marine tank and i feel its about time to start adding some additives to get the tank ready for more corals and inverts.

what do i need ...???

strontium
magnesium
kalkwasser
turbo calcium

etc there are varied responses online and i wanted a definitive answer.

thanks guys and gals

Have you tested for all of that stuff yet? No need to start adding stuff to your tank just becuase. If your calcium and alk are in good parameters now, then there is no need to add stuff.

 

[Amphiprion]

The only thing you will need on hand eventually will be a decent sea salt and calcium/alkalinity additives. Kalkwasser is great for maintaining Calcium, turbo calcium is great at raising the Calcium concentration--but not maintaining it. It may also be good to have a good alkalinity buffer on hand in case you need it. Sometimes, magnesium is needed, though do not add it unless you care to test for it.

 

[Pandora]

Sedatives? Maybe xanax if you continue to stress over this.

In all seriousness, I think newbies overdose many additives to the tank, so many are pushed in this industry. As others have said, calcium is really the biggie, many other *trace* elements are just that... needed by a few inverts in TRACE quantities, usually maintained well enough through water changes.

 

[musty baby]

Agree with most everyone. When I started into saltwater I was given a few bottles of additives by someone gettingOUT of saltwater (temporarily, as he has seen my tank lately and is set on setting his back up now) and did a total double take when I read the directions. I knew nothing about saltwater chemistry or anything of the like, but I knew "add 1/2 tablespoon per 30 gallons per week" with not even a mention of types and sizes of tank inhabitants, live rock, sand, etc would mean trouble in the long run.