I have recently decided to do a reef aquarium. I have a 20 gallon with a 150 watt metal halide and a 10 gallon sump with a coral life skimmer. I always see people on the forum talking about dosing their tanks with additives to help out their corals. I have no clue on how to do any of this so i was woundering what to add to my tank and what method to do so. I already have a few sps frags and a candycane coral. I do have a calcium test and it said i have 400ppm. Should i try to raise it? Also if anyone knows any products that have made there reefs succesful please let me know?
Questions?
- Thread starter boxcar182
- Start date
joshkennedy07
New member
Your regular water changes may keep your levels in the correct range. Get a alkalinity or KH test along with a Magnesium test to complement your Calcium test.
Lot of reading for you on this site.
Lot of reading for you on this site.
aslavatortin
New member
Yep, I disagree, I had a 400w 20K over a 26 bowfront with SPS and nothing but an overhead fan for cooling, there are waaay too many variables (like color temp, livestock choices, canopy or lack thereof, fans, room temp, tank height, etc.) to really EVER make a blanket statement about what is too much or too little without defining all the variables. To go out and buy a 150w for a 20 is probably overkill (unless it's a 20 tall) but if you have it laying around, then it is suddenly perfect!
chrismunn
New member
god i would kill to get a 150w hqi over my 14g, i just can afford it 
to answer your question in a way your not looking for boxcar182, you have alot of reading to do! first you need to know what the corals your trying to keep are going to need, then you can decide what to add as far as suppliments are concerned. as a beginner, sps in a 20g tank shouldnt have been your firts choice, but what the heck, your already on your way here.
youve got plently of light, just make sure to change out the bulbs every what is it, 12-14 months?
youve got a skimmer, learn how to get it dialed in. ive heard that particular skimmer is hard to get working efficiantly.
b-ionic is a 2 part calcium/alkalinity suppliment. you use equal parts of each suppliment and its supposed to maintain a balanced ca/alk. you jus have to keep testing to see how much your putting in, and how much your losing day to day. unless you have tons of sps, you sohuldnt have to use very much to maintain your levels. always start off using less that the bottle says to add...
dt's makes the same thing but it has a magnesium suppliment that goes with it, so its a 3 part system.
i would say dont bother with anything else. do weekly water changes of around 2-4 gallons, that should do alot to help maintain trace elements, and keep up with water quality.
calcium in the range of 380ppm to 440ppm. :edit: -when you find out where your calcium is, there is a balanced alkalinity to match. find it on the calculator in the link.-
magnesium 1230 -1400, ive got a magnesium quark, dont get me started!
if you have fish, dont over feed them. if you see detritus building up on the sandbed, siphon it off. good husbandry is key.
this link should help you figure out how much you need to dose to get from a certain level, to another level...
http://jdieck1.home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html
go get some books......
to answer your question in a way your not looking for boxcar182, you have alot of reading to do! first you need to know what the corals your trying to keep are going to need, then you can decide what to add as far as suppliments are concerned. as a beginner, sps in a 20g tank shouldnt have been your firts choice, but what the heck, your already on your way here.
youve got plently of light, just make sure to change out the bulbs every what is it, 12-14 months?
youve got a skimmer, learn how to get it dialed in. ive heard that particular skimmer is hard to get working efficiantly.
b-ionic is a 2 part calcium/alkalinity suppliment. you use equal parts of each suppliment and its supposed to maintain a balanced ca/alk. you jus have to keep testing to see how much your putting in, and how much your losing day to day. unless you have tons of sps, you sohuldnt have to use very much to maintain your levels. always start off using less that the bottle says to add...
dt's makes the same thing but it has a magnesium suppliment that goes with it, so its a 3 part system.
i would say dont bother with anything else. do weekly water changes of around 2-4 gallons, that should do alot to help maintain trace elements, and keep up with water quality.
calcium in the range of 380ppm to 440ppm. :edit: -when you find out where your calcium is, there is a balanced alkalinity to match. find it on the calculator in the link.-
magnesium 1230 -1400, ive got a magnesium quark, dont get me started!
if you have fish, dont over feed them. if you see detritus building up on the sandbed, siphon it off. good husbandry is key.
this link should help you figure out how much you need to dose to get from a certain level, to another level...
http://jdieck1.home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html
go get some books......
No matter the tank dimensions huh? So if my tank depth was 10 inches we're good to go? If the thread starter should take your advice - all i recommend is buying some sunglasses for each inhabitant and using a good chiller.
Ha, I don't have the energy to debate this any further so if you reply please award yourself 15pts dignity points and buy yourself a candie.
Ha, I don't have the energy to debate this any further so if you reply please award yourself 15pts dignity points and buy yourself a candie.
chrismunn
New member
if it looks like your frying your corals, which is possible, raise your light up. it should already be 12" -16" off the waters surface to begin with. if thats not high enough for your liking, you can go higher. when you get a new coral, find out what type and strength lighting its coming from, that way you can properly acclimate it to your own lighting.
you probably wont, but QT... EVERYTHING!
you probably wont, but QT... EVERYTHING!
phenom5
Member
Sweet...only 50 more points and I win! Mmm...candy.
Seriously though, I still disagree. My tank (and plenty of others) is going to be SPS dominated, so no sunglasses needed for any of the corals. Of course both of us could frame the discussion in a way the proves the point our way. I wasn't suggesting, or advising the OP to do anything, merely pointing out that IMO the notion that 150W HQI is overkill on a 20 is wrong, or at least wrong under some circustances. Heat is an entirely different topic, and yes, you'll have some heat to deal with (you may or may not need a chiller), and that's why I'm entertaining the idea of T5's for my tank.
Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one, and I think we've run this thread far enough off topic.
InsaneClownFish
New member
My last tank- 150w DE HQI over a 16g cube. I could have easily gone with a 250w but would have had to deal with some heat issues.
Your calcium level is fine.
The best advice I can give you is to set up a sufficient ATO system so that your salinity doesn't fluctuate. If your calcium does fluctuate, you can mix kalkwasser(lime) into the top off water.
Two part is one of the most common dosers you will find. I've used the ESV B-Ionic 2 part alk/calc in every reef I've had. If you test at night, you can add the appropriate alk to buffer and then the second part calcium if need be. The only stipulation is that you wait for the Alk to dissipate before you add the Calcium.
Your calcium level is fine.
The best advice I can give you is to set up a sufficient ATO system so that your salinity doesn't fluctuate. If your calcium does fluctuate, you can mix kalkwasser(lime) into the top off water.
Two part is one of the most common dosers you will find. I've used the ESV B-Ionic 2 part alk/calc in every reef I've had. If you test at night, you can add the appropriate alk to buffer and then the second part calcium if need be. The only stipulation is that you wait for the Alk to dissipate before you add the Calcium.
