Additives for a newbie. Please help me on this.

[Reef Man]

Hi !!
I have some time on this hobby, but I will start to add corals on my FOWLR.

I am using Kalkwasser now, but I suppose I need a Buffer and stronium, molybden and Iodide.

Can you tell me what are you using? brand, and how do you dose them? How frequently?

As you can see. Calcium Reactors are not a question.

Thanks !!!

 

[danmhippo]

To make your life easier, just go with regular water change and you can avoid most of additives. You need to get into habit of making water changes, getting used to normal water parameters before you indulge yourself into dosing additives and other chemicals.

For most reefers, 10 to 15% monthly water change is sufficient to correct most of ionic imbalances. Since you do not have many calcium hungry inhabitants, you may even skip dosing kalkwasser.

One more thing about additives, whatever you intend to dose, make sure you have the proper test kits (I personally recommend Salifert) to make sure you are not overdosing your tank. Say, if you don't have Molybdeum kits, Don't add molybdeum (sp??). You want to dose Kalk? Get a good Calcium, Alkalinity, and PH kit. Otherwise, Don't! Simple as that!

Good Luck.

Just for your reference, I dose I2, Mg, Sr, and Kalk. But, I do test these regularly, Mg, Sr, Ca, I2, dKH, PH, NO3, & PO4. This maybe overkill, but I'd rather to be safe than sorry.

 

[llowwelll]

Reef Man,
I'm fairly new at this as well. However, I went down to the MACNA XIII conference in Baltimore this past weekend. I was at Dr Mac and Sons booth and was getting some advice from him about additives and such. He said that the ONLY thing he adds to his water is B-Ionic (his website: http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/door/ ). He also was quick to point out that he doesn't work for them and wasn't being payed to tout them. So, I picked up a package of it before I left. Later, as I was leaving the hotel, I was holding a package of B-Ionic in front of my face, reading the back label as I waited for the elevator, another conference attendee excitedly told me that the stuff was "the best" and that he never had any success until he started using it. I was in a hurry to leave so I didn't get to talk much to that guy so I can't provide any details. So, for whatever it's worth, that's what I heard down at MACNA XIII. Hope it helps.

 

[clamfoot]

I have asked many people about this and at first I think it best to stick with water changes and just add calcium as needed and some buffer to maintain alkalinity. I may be wrong but at one point I was adding so much that I felt like a chemist and not a reef keeper. You must remember that ionic imbalance can take over very easily and is a real problem to deal with.

 

[naesco]

Reef Man
Yes, that damnhippo gives good advice.

 

[fishfarmer]

This is what I add to my tank = varied diet, water change 20% monthly, kalkwasser in the form of hydrated lime. I will probably be adding buffer soon to help my alk issues. This is what I take out of my tank = xenia and anthelia monthly.

Get into a good schedual of kalk dosing and monitor that and a varied diet that will feed all your critters, not just fish but corals, worms, filter feeders, etc. and then decide if you see the need for any other additives.

 

[Anonymous]

Dan's advice is good, if you aren't testing for it IMO don't be adding it.

That said, the two part calcium supplements are rather nice in that they take care of most of your elements for you. However I find the initial starting dose for B-Ionic to be excessive. Instead of blindly following the 1 ml per 4 gallons daily starting dosage I recommend that you do a water change, test your calcium, (it should be around 400 ppm) and then test daily or every two days and wait for it to drop. Then add the initial dose of 1 ml per 4 gallons and wait 24 hours and test your calcium again. If it is low add some more and test after 12-24 hours. If you do this to determine your maintenance dosage you will find you will use A LOT less of the additive than just indiscrimantly adding the product.

 

[Rorschach]

When I started dosing B-Ionic, my pink coraline took off. This also roughly coincided with phosphates dropping as my tank matured though. The stuff is great. Everything is now coated with bright pink. One powerhead is completely pink encrusted, cord and all. There are old snail shells on the DSB that have their openings almost closed due to the coating of coraline. I test Ca/Alk weekly, and have found a balance of clams and LPS to where I am now dosing approx 15ml of B-Ionic each morning to get 400ppm Ca/9.8-10.2 Dkh without having to correct for individual calcium or buffer. I started out with 5ml/day or so. The stocking and temp do increase this dosing level I have noticed. I change 5 gal/2 weeks for 40gal total volume, and also still have to dose 5ml Kent magnesium, 2-3ml Kent iodine every third day or so.

 

[Reef Man]

Great Friends !!!!

All your comments indicate me to use B-ionic. Now the problem is that I cann´t get it in Mexico. One friend will go to New York and I will order it on line.

Now, My tank is 40 gallons. I am thinking on change one gallon every week to make a 10% waterchange per month. Is this enough?

I am adding Kalkwasser now, and sincerely I never test my parameters. I know I need to test them, but I don´t really want do that, I don´t like it; but If it is a necesity I will do.

Now another question: Does the C-Balance a good product as B-Ionic?

Thanks mates !!!

 

[danmhippo]

1 Gallon every week is excellent. I am a proponent for small frequent water changes than a big water change. It's just that most people don't stick to the weekly maintenance schedule.

It is necessary for you to test your Ca, PH, and water hardness (dKH) when you are dosing Kalkwasser. It is absolutely assential. However, if you are dosing B-ionic, you can get by without doing anymore kalk dosing. B-Ionic alone is sufficient to replenish your Ca and dKH levels. As for C-balance, I have only heard its similar product. Since I have no personal experiences with them, I will let someone else answer for you.

Good luck.

 

[llowwelll]

Reef Man, I just wanted to follow up with you. Like I indicated earlier in this thread, I just heard about B-Ionic for the first time this past weekend down at MACNA XIII. I put the first dose in Sat night. Now, only FOUR days later, I have purple coralline algae spots appearing all over the uptake tubes and powerheads in the back of my aquarium that were not there last weekend. Additionally, there's visibly more growth on the live rock. It's kind of hard for me to believe. My tank has been set up since early May and it is a 35-gal hex with Custom SeaLife PC lights and a DIY skimmer sitting in a 13 gal sump. I don't know if the timing here is coincidental or what but I wouldn't think so. So, again, take all this for whatever it's worth but I think it's pretty cool.

 

[clamfoot]

Originally posted by llowwelll:
[QB]Reef Man,I just heard about B-Ionic for the first time this past weekend down at MACNA XIII. I put the first dose in Sat night. Now, only FOUR days later, I have purple coralline algae spots appearing all over the uptake tubes and powerheads in the back of my aquarium that were not there last weekend. Additionally, there's visibly more growth on the live rock. It's kind of hard for me to believe."

And it should be, something else you've done at least 6-8 weeks ago has caused this miraculous growth. Nothing good ever happens over night (or in your case 4 days)in a reef tank.

 

[pathos]

in my 65 gal reef tank
daily:
B-ionic, as recomended
Kalk, 1 gal prepared the night before
both dosed first thing in the morning
weekly:
Tech M Magnesium
10% RO H2O change
as needed:
Stronium, Iodine and Iron
feeding:
on the light side, Formulas 1-3 or brine shrimp or spirulina or fresh seafood every other day, DT's phytoplankton and/or Micro Vert twice a week