crlkeep or others

[Sandman12]

Ok i need some help on what supplements to get. Right now i just have zoos, one shroom that came back from the dead!!!!! and satr burst polyps that i just got ,but they havent come out yet.

What supplements do i need to keep for my corals and any other corals? What do u add? Do u like it?

I love ur torch coral i will have to get one. How about an over all shot of ur tank?

[Charles Poole]

I dose Alkalinity (Ment Marine Superbuffer dKh) Calcium (Kent Marine Turbo Calcium) Magnesium (Kent Marine Tech-M).

Thats it.

Alkalinity -------- 4.0 meq/L
Calcium --------- 420 ppm
Magnesium ----- 1280 ppm

I'll try to get a full tank shot up later on....

[Sandman12]

ok so this is all i need? Where do u buy from the lfs?

[Zack]

I also believe it will be a good idea to get some live phyto like DTs live Phyto to feed to the tank. You can get this and what crlkeep at pritty much any online or in store company.

[Sandman12]

yeah i was thinking of getting some DT's for now and growing my own phyto later on. O and i have iodine and SeaAlk right now that i add

[Zack]

oh yes i also suggest iodine, just remember add little bits as if u overdose, NOT GOOD!! :shock:

[Sandman12]

ok i add it like once a month rather than a week becuase i dont much that takes it up and i dont have a test kit yet.

[Zack]

Sounds like a great idea let me know man!!!

[Sandman12]

ok i got this seachem powder only becuase i got it from a friend for free, and some other stuff i will list latter(Home Work gets int he way)

[Charles Poole]

I find that it is best to test for anything that you add to your system. I am a big proponent of "less is more". I don't use meds to treat illness with my fish. I have used a myriad of different meds. in the past, but have found that proper water quality management (water changes especially), and a healthy diet are often the only means necessary to maintain or regain the health of your fish.

Sad to say, but too many fish are still being caught using poisons like Cyanide. These fish are 99.99% doomed. The effects from this poisoning depends on the actual dose the animal recieved, but always lead to the animals demise. Heavy doses cause a more rapid decline in the fishes behavior, and these fish are likely to die in the first few days to a week.

It is my experience that if you do not have more than 3 watts per gallon in lighting, and few to no corals, then most chemicals available for reef tank dosing are unnecessary, and more likely to end in an overdose. Check your alkalinity and pH often. pH is the more important of the two, but a drop in alkalinity will most often lead to large pH swings and disturb the balance of your system.

If you are interested, check this out...
Water Chemistry for Marine Aquarists (http://coralforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12&sid=f79e0622f3f568f77f661a7c7f558b4f)

[Sandman12]

yeah but wont the corals i have grow faster with these supplements? And doesnt coraline algea ntake up calcium, my rocks r kinda white and i need soem coraline.

[Charles Poole]

I was just recommending that you only dose what you are testing for. To much of any chemicals dosed, and disaster will follow.

[Sandman12]

o yeah, i know. I only dose like 3 weeks or a month. It says every week or 2 times a week but not untill i get a test kit

[paulsreef]

Hey crlkeep, I notice you're from Geneva... just wanted to say I was born and raised in that area of the world (Cleveland boy). Is it cold up there yet?

This is probably one of the toughest areas of reef keeping for people to get a handle on. There are many different ways to maintain your levels, and it seems that everyone has a different ritual (just look at how many supplements are on the market). The key is keep it simple and consistant. Instead of writing a book here, you can check out my personal site and look under the 90 gallon reef (in the tanks section). I describe my dosing setup and what I use.

Here's the link: www.paulsreef.com (http://www.paulsreef.com/)

I hope that helps to give another perspective on dosing. The most important thing you can do right now is test your Ca and Alk and find out what your consumption rates are. If you have corals that aren't using up much, then something as simple as weekly water changes might be enough to keep things in balance and within the parameters you're looking for. If you're like me and have corals and other organisms that are sucking up the stuff like there's no tomorrow, then you'll need to dose more (and more often).

HTH

Paul

[Charles Poole]

Yep, been a bit cold lately, and we just had a real destructive wind storm blow through. But, you know the weather here.

Paul, email me sometime, I would like to chat with you about your tanks.

[andrew79]

i dose kent tech c&b its a 2 part additive one cal and the other alk, i have had great results from this with almost all 100+lbs of lr covered in coraline, this is a daily dose but as stated befor you shouldnt put anything in your tank you cant test for. also once you get your levals correct alot of people dose kalk to maintain them. i would also stop dosing everything and get some test kits quick(salifert make the best) ph/cal/alk/mag all go hand in hand expecially with cal/alk if you only dose one that one will rise as the other will fall 8)

[Sandman12]

i currently get tested at my lfs, iam a little low on money. Try to get my 135gal up. O yah i do take donations to the " I need money, please" foundation. :lol: :lol:

ok thanks

[andrew79]

just curious what are your levals