What kind of supplements do you guys mix in when doing water changes? I use red sea coral salt, stress coat and zyme. Just realized I should've been throwing in marine buffer to get the pH up to the 8.3. What other kind of supplements do you guys use during your water changes? I have a Kenya tree and mushroom so coral wise I don't have much going on. Have a diamond watchman, 2 perculas, flame angel, valentini, pencil urchin, and cuc as well.
Mixing water for water changes
- Thread starter T Haynes
- Start date
I do not use any supplements. I would be careful with the marine buffer, pH is of little concern, if you add a buffer you are increasing your alkalinity which could become problematic. If you are concerned about low pH, run an air stone in the water for an hour before the water change to drive off some of the CO2. I would be careful about adding anything you cannot measure like stress coat and zyme unless you have a very specific issue you are dealing with.
acebigalowe
New member
Reef Crystals, a drop of prime, Brightwell Alkalin if needed. Temp. 77-78. I keep it pretty simple. i dose cal/alk on my reef.
I'm gonna have to get a test kit before I start dosing supplements. Probably before next water change. Figuring I'm going to have to start treating for cal/alk now that I'm keeping corals
I
I don't use stress zyme all the time. Occasionally to add the bacteria to the water. I use their specific measurements they say to use. I have an air stone running all the time. Don't know if that will make a difference or not.
Aquageek450
Member
I just mix Reef Crystals to 1.026 salinity and make sure the temperature is close to the tank temp. Never had a problem.
scooter31707
New member
I would skip adding the PH Buffer and Zyme. As Aquageek450 stated water, mix in salt, and bring up to temp and change water. PH and ALK will balance themselves out, recommending during water changes every 2 weeks.
toothybugs
New member
Depends on your tank, if you're an SPS nut you will probably check your chemical parameters (maybe bump your calcium and alkalinity) before adding it to your system but otherwise just RODI, salt, a pump, and a few hours to agitate. Shouldn't be any need for Prime, StressCoat, Zyme, etc unless you are working with a QT system (and then it's still a maybe).
gone fishin
New member
just salt mix and RO/DI for me.
Doing it every 2 weeks now. Got lazy for a bit but really getting back into doing it properly.
Do you know the exact ammount of salt you use to get 1.026? I know 1/2 cup per gallon is 1.024 and that's what I've been doing
CStrickland
New member
I don't dose anything unless my tank is deficient in it, as determined by test kits.
My corals don't use up much either, so going back and forth between IORC and regular IO is doing fine with a little kalk in my ato.
My fish are healthy from good food and mindful stocking, their stress coats are fine.
Ph buffers are a racket.
My corals don't use up much either, so going back and forth between IORC and regular IO is doing fine with a little kalk in my ato.
My fish are healthy from good food and mindful stocking, their stress coats are fine.
Ph buffers are a racket.
skeeter_ca
Active member
RO/DI and Salt to 1.026sg. Mix well. Temp is usually just what the garage is at(50 to 80 degrees). I usually only change 1-4 gallons, daily, at a time so it doesn't affect the 75 gallon tank temp.
Dkuhlmann
New member
Try Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, you won't have to dose Calcium, Alk or Mag
I've been using IORC and can't complain. I have a lot of frags mostly LPS but a few leathers and a few SPS. I do a 20% WC every two weeks and don't have to dose anything. Here is a link to my tank but I've added another dozen mostly acan frags along with a blasto and a couple of micromusa's to my tank. Need to get busy on taking some pictures and update my thread.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2540376
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I do 8 gallons in a 65 every 2 weeks. I think I'll stop dosing unless needed. Do you know how much salt per gallon mixes to 1.026?
Dkuhlmann
New member
No not really, I do know that with Instant Ocean Reef Crystals that 1/2 cup per gallon gives you 1.024 and since I'm doing 10 gals at a time (my tank is a 40b with a 20 gal sump so about 50 gals total) so I'm doing a 20% WC and I end up usually putting in 12-13 cups. I always check it after 10 cups and again after 12 because I may not have exactly 10 gals. Once I hit 1.025 I stop adding mix then test again after an hour or so as my water heats up just to be safe and make sure that I'm at 1.025-1.26 and once it's up to temp I drain two 5 gal buckets out of my sump then refill with the new mix.
ryeguyy84
New member
JammyBirch
Aquaria Engineering
My water changes are 5g per change, i use Reef Crystals and add salt to the mix over a 2 day period. 1.5 cups of salt on day one, 2 cups of salt on day two with an old return pump in the bucket to keep it moving. The reason for this is to keep the calcium and other components to stay in the water and not precipitate out. That brownish tan crust that comes out of the salt mix usually happens when i mix it too fast or get the water too hot.
I dose nothing during water changes, the levels for me are close enough. I do dose a 2 part to maintain levels i just don't need to do anything to the change water.
I dose nothing during water changes, the levels for me are close enough. I do dose a 2 part to maintain levels i just don't need to do anything to the change water.
I have a bydrometer. Gonna get a refractometer next check
