Reef Supplements ?????
- Thread starter rob352
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Anemonebuff
New member
Kalkwasser.
jeffbrig
Premium Member
Use a calcium/alkalinity supplement, and regular water changes should take care of everything else.
And above all, don't add anything if you're not testing for it. If you know your salt is low in magnesium, for example, add magnesium. But test before and after. Same for strontium, iodine, or anything else. The bottle doesn't know much about your tank, or how fast things are being consumed by your livestock. Also, beware of supplements that don't list ingredients and claim to do magical things.
And above all, don't add anything if you're not testing for it. If you know your salt is low in magnesium, for example, add magnesium. But test before and after. Same for strontium, iodine, or anything else. The bottle doesn't know much about your tank, or how fast things are being consumed by your livestock. Also, beware of supplements that don't list ingredients and claim to do magical things.
Anemonebuff
New member
Like Marc Weiss stuff.
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
I use a 2-part Ca/Alk suppliment, and water changes for the last few years.
Seems to work well without anything other than food in addition.
Seems to work well without anything other than food in addition.
vessxpress1
Premium Member
I tend to dose a lot. After talking with a marine biologist at that fish place for a while, I finally realized i was probably doing too much. Like my calcium is usually always above 450 now and my alk is 8-11 dKH all the time because I dose B-ionic. Well, my magnesium I thought was too low at 1200-1260 so I kept trying to get it to 1300+ and the guy told me you can dump it in as much as you want and it's probably just precipitating out of the water was the reason I couldn't raise it no matter what I did. The water just isn't holding it. So I'm happy with 1200 mg/l now.
Don't underestimate the power of a water change is what I finally learned. I use reef crystals now. The calcium's great, Mg and Strontium I thought were a little low, so I'm not afraid to add now and then.
I'd be careful with Iodine though. You can overdose in fact mines over-dosed right now. A lot of supplements has that stuff in it so you really have to watch it. The iodide, iodine content in a newly mixed batch of reef crystals I found to be at the perfect amount. So when I added right away, it's just too much. I guess soft corals, even though they use it, are pretty sensitive and may not extend their polyps if the iodine is over-dosed.
Don't underestimate the power of a water change is what I finally learned. I use reef crystals now. The calcium's great, Mg and Strontium I thought were a little low, so I'm not afraid to add now and then.
I'd be careful with Iodine though. You can overdose in fact mines over-dosed right now. A lot of supplements has that stuff in it so you really have to watch it. The iodide, iodine content in a newly mixed batch of reef crystals I found to be at the perfect amount. So when I added right away, it's just too much. I guess soft corals, even though they use it, are pretty sensitive and may not extend their polyps if the iodine is over-dosed.
jvetter
New member
I top off with kalkwasser on my 30 gallon tank. The output of the dosing pump has been reduced somewhat so that I can also add either SEACHEM's Reef Advantage Calcium or Reef Builder (one tablespoon per gallon). These two supplements are added alternately. I also add 2 teaspoons of their Reef Advantage Strontiom per week dissolved in water.
The growth of coralline algae was impeded when I dosed kalkwasser alone, so I decided to add the additional supplements. This practice seems to have worked, of course now I have coralline algae to scrape off the glass.
My tank generally reacts negatively to iodide additions, so I do not add this anymore.
The growth of coralline algae was impeded when I dosed kalkwasser alone, so I decided to add the additional supplements. This practice seems to have worked, of course now I have coralline algae to scrape off the glass.
My tank generally reacts negatively to iodide additions, so I do not add this anymore.
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