h2o conditioners, additives, and medications

[Gluestick]

What kind of conditioners, additives, and medications do you keep around in your "medicine cabinet?" What would you say is necessary for a beginner in the hobby?

 

[smcnally]

None (h20 additives and conditioners)...Stay away from them if you are doing a reef tank. For meds, maybe some lugol's of other types of coral dip.

 

[Gluestick]

Not even like ph buffers or calcium additives?

 

[staman]

Calcium additives are ok. What he's trying to say is get a Reverse Osmosis setup.

 

[Agu]

How big is your tank and what corals do you want to keep ?

Some people keep the additive companies in business, others don't buy any additives, most are somewhere in between.

For my nano tanks waterchanges, dripping kalk, and occasional use of carbon works for me.

Here's an article about the best additive,

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

 

[Gluestick]

55 gal is the plan, i'm not sure about corals yet! anemones and clownfish probably

 

[Paintbug]

once you get some corals in the tank you probably will need to start adding calcium, and alk. heres an article on how to choose a method. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

personally i use a 2 part system for alk and calc. i use Randy's Recipe, which i make myself, instead of buying a 2 part like B-ionic. thats all i add to my tank. water changes will take care of all other trace elements!

the number one rule is if you dont test for it dont add it!!