healthy Reef

[bigtyme]

What supplements should I buy to have a healthy reef.

 

[scott0615]

Lots out there...calcium and alkalinity supplements are necessary. From that point on it depends on the animals you choose to keep. I would first suggest a book for a little education - just keep in mind the marketing behind a lot of products - need vs. "need according to manufacturers" is very different!

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Most of the things chemicals in a tank are replaced with water changes. In some (if not most) reef tanks, the addition of Calcium and Alkalinity is used on an ad hoc basis. Some tanks only need a dosage worth every week. While other more demanding tanks need two times the recommended dosage every day. It all depends on your tank. This brings up the point of test kits. In conjunction, never add anything to your tank that you cannot test for. If you are worried about something that you can't test for, do a water change. Another useful chemical that isn't often used is Magnesium and Iodine. These are often replaced with water changes, but with some demanding tanks it might be needed to keep the tank happy and healthy. In a normal tank scenario, I wouldn't add Iodine, but keep an eye on Magnesium. But a tank completely filled full of soft corals, especially Xenia, could use a boost in Iodine before the next scheduled water change.

Follow this link and peer down the list of articles. Read anything that talks about pH and Calcium and Alkalinity. If you get the chance, read up on anything with Magnesium. Any of the articles with trace elements such as Iodine, Strontium, Bromide, etc are great articles, too. But their impact on your home aquarium isn't as big as these four; pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605

 

[captbunzo]

I am pretty much on the same page with Travis. Do regular/occassional water changes to maintain all miscellaneous, trace, etc elements. And then monitor calcium, alkalinity, & magnesium, supplementing as needed to keep thigs proper. For this I recommend Randy Holmes-Farley's 2-part DIY supplement. It is good stuff.

Just a project to FIND the ingredients. But folks in COMAS can help you track them down...

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

In fact, you may have came across this thread the past couple days here in the COMAS forum - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=936636

If you are interested in Randy Holmes-Farley's DIY 2-Part Recipe, check here:
The Original Recipe
The Improved Recipe