More on water chemistry

[gpm586]

Alright, i am somewhat new to reefing. I have had a 46 bow for the last 6 months or so, and I guess I am unclear of what is the best to add to the tank in terms of supplements. At the moment, i just have a couple of mushrooms, star polyps, and zo's, but i do plan on adding some more corals in the near future. I've done a lot of research as to what elements should be added, but have gotten countless different answers both online and from the LFS. At the moment, I add Kent Marine TechCB parts A and B (twice a week and thinking about replacing with kalk), Kent Tech M Magnesium (once a week), Coralife Liquid Gold (every other day), Kent Tech I Iodine(once a week), and I buff the tank about once a week with Seachem Marine buffer. I realize I have nothing that uses Iodine too extensively yet, but I plan on adding some xenia soon, so I started adding it recently. Everything is doing fine in my tank. All corals are doing great and coralline is spreading at a pretty good rate, but I guess I am looking for some advice on how I can improve on what I'm adding. Is there anything I'm missing/anything that I'm wasting my money on? Anything that I should do differently?
Thanks!

[Ninong]

At the moment, I add Kent Marine TechCB parts A and B (twice a week and thinking about replacing with kalk),

I believe this is one of those two-component calcium/alkalinity supplements similiar to B-Ionic or C-Balance. It should be added daily, not twice a week. Just adjust the daily dosage to maintain your calcium and alkalinity levels where you want them. Personally, I like 425-475 ppm Ca and 10-12 dKH alk.

Obviously, if you switch to limewater (Kalkwasser), it is balanced in itself and would replace the two-component Kent product. It is best slow-dripped at night into the sump. If you don't have a sump, you can slow drip it into a fast moving stream of water.

Kent Tech M Magnesium (once a week),

You should never add anything without testing for it first. You may be low or Mg or you may be high. You would have to test for Mg first to determine how much to add and when to discontinue adding it. NSW concentration is ~1300 ppm Mg.

Coralife Liquid Gold (every other day),

Whatever that is, you don't need it.

Kent Tech I Iodine(once a week),

You definitely don't want to add iodine unless you are certain that it is depleted in your tank, which is very unlikely due to all the iodine in the foods we feed. NSW concentration of iodine (all forms) is ~0.06 ppm. Iodine in excess is toxic. Don't add it unless you test for it first. I have never added iodine ever and my tank always tested at or above NSW iodine concentration.

...and I buff the tank about once a week with Seachem Marine buffer.

I wonder why that's necessary. Are your pH readings out of range or something? I have never used any buffer ever. Limewater seemed to keep everything in range without buffers.

I realize I have nothing that uses Iodine too extensively yet, but I plan on adding some xenia soon, so I started adding it recently.

Why would you want to add iodine to your system just because you intend to add some xenia? Just because something contains something in it's tissue doesn't mean it requires it and it certainly doesn't require it at levels above NSW concentration. In any event, don't add iodine without testing for it first. In fact, don't add anything to your tank without testing for it first and never add anything to your tank unless you know exactly what the ingredients are and exactly how it is supposed to work. There are too many useless magic potions on the market as it is now.

Test for calcium and alkalinity on a regular basis, maybe once a month, to make sure your levels are steady and where they should be. Test for magnesium as necessary and add magnesium chloride if needed to maintain Mg levels near 1300 ppm.

P.S. -- I googled that Coralife Liquid Gold product. Their description is hilarious: Liquid Gold Pro Plus is a complete additive for reef and saltwater aquariums. It contains over 200 ingredients including amino acids, trace elements, vitamins, stable Vitamin C, complex organic nutrients, major essential elements and many other additives required for growth by fishes, corals, and invertebrates.

[gpm586]

Wow! definitely a lot of great info Ninong. thanks!
Adding the two part calcium/alkalinity supplement only twice a week explains why my calcium tests remained consistently low at around 300ppm. The LFS said to add the magnesium once a week and that should take care of the calcium issue... Lol, apparently not.
Would you suggest switching to limewater? I do hav a sump, but my only worry is dropping of the pH. I've heard it can drop pH significantly, but as long as its a slow drip at night, I'm safe?
Buffing the tank on a weekly basis was also suggested by the LFS because my pH tested consistenly at around 8.0, but if I switch to limewater, that should not be an issue anymore.
So in essence, all I really need to do is drip limewater and test on a regular basis for Calcium/alkalinity and Mg occasionally. Other than that, there is nothing else that is really necessary to be added? No other "essential elements" that stores are so big on?
Thanks so much for the info Ninong, this is exactly why I signed up to Reefland... Great help. I'll be sure to start adding the Liquid Gold to the toilet from here on out.
Thanks again!

[zhenya]

I do hav a sump, but my only worry is dropping of the pH. I've heard it can drop pH significantly, but as long as its a slow drip at night, I'm safe?

Hi gpm586,



I think someone gave you a wrong information about the kalkwasser being able to drop your tank's PH. In fact, saturated limewater does the exactly opposite. It can raise your PH significantly if overdosed because in saturated state the PH of limawater is about 12. Hence, dripping it slowly at night, when PH usually is lowest due to animal's respiration when they produce CO2 as oposed to oxygen during photosynthesis, helps offset this and maintain somewhat constant PH levels. When I used to drip limewater at night ( to offset drop in PH due to me using calcium reactor and having slightly elevated CO2 levels because of it) my PH was never below 8.00. Without limewater it would drop to 7.8 and even 7.6 at times.

[Ninong]

Wow! definitely a lot of great info Ninong. thanks!
Adding the two part calcium/alkalinity supplement only twice a week explains why my calcium tests remained consistently low at around 300ppm. The LFS said to add the magnesium once a week and that should take care of the calcium issue... Lol, apparently not.

If the LFS tested your water and found your magnesium levels were very low, then that's why they would recommend adding magnesium. If they didn't test, then they're just guessing that the reason you are having a hard time getting the calcium concentration to rise is because your magnesium is too low. If your magnesium levels get very low (say below 700 ppm), then that would make it difficult to maintain proper calcium levels. NSW magnesium is ~1300 ppm and that's what you should shoot for but as long as you're above 1000 ppm Mg you shouln'd have any problems.

Would you suggest switching to limewater? I do hav a sump, but my only worry is dropping of the pH. I've heard it can drop pH significantly, but as long as its a slow drip at night, I'm safe?

I used a two-component product during the first five or six weeks after setting up my tank only because it allowed me to add extra calcium component; however, once my calcium levels were up around 400 ppm, I switched to dripping limewater (Kalkwasser) instead. If your calcium is around 300 ppm, start adding 3 parts calcium to 2 parts alkalinity instead of 1 to 1. That should cause your calcium levels to gradually rise. Limewater is good at maintaining calcium and alkalinity but not all that great at raising calcium. When using limewater, if you find that your calcium level has slipped, you can always add a little calcium chloride to boost it back up. I had no problems at all maintaining high calcium and alkalinity levels with just limewater but once your tank is full of corals, this will become more difficult, which is why people buy calcium reactors eventually.

Actually I used Mrs. Wages' Pickling Lime because it's cheaper. It's pure food grade calcium hydroxide.

You are confused on the pH drop issue. Limewater doesn't lower your pH, it raises it. That's why it is recommended that it be dripped at night. When your lights are off, your photosynthetic animals (corals, clams, etc., with zooxanthellae) are in respiration mode and they produce net carbon dioxide, which is exactly the reverse of what they do when the lights are on and they are producing net oxygen. Saturated limewater has a pH of 12.4 -- extremely high. That's why it should be slow dripped and not dumped all at once. By dripping it at night, you are counteracting the natural lowering of pH caused by the CO2 resulting from respiration.

Buffing the tank on a weekly basis was also suggested by the LFS because my pH tested consistenly at around 8.0, but if I switch to limewater, that should not be an issue anymore.

A pH of 8.0 is acceptable. A lot depends on what time of day you test. Your pH will always be lower early in the morning before your bright lights come on and highest late in the day after the lights have been on all day. Anything between 8.0-8.4 is fine. Below 7.9 is not all that good and above 8.6 is not good either.

I liked limewater because it also helps to keep phosphate levels under control. A calcium reactor would be even better but not absolutely necessary unless you have a large tank.

So in essence, all I really need to do is drip limewater and test on a regular basis for Calcium/alkalinity and Mg occasionally. Other than that, there is nothing else that is really necessary to be added? No other "essential elements" that stores are so big on?

Assuming you do water changes at least every other month, I see no reason why you would have to worry about anything other than maintaining calcium and alkalinity and making sure your magnesium doesn't drop too low. Limewater doesn't add magnesium at all (unlike a calcium reactor) and it's possible your magnesium levels could fall without supplementation. Also, some salt mixes are a little low in magnesium.

[gpm586]

Hey again,
Just wanted to say thanks again for the info. I have changed my supplements and going to start using limewater, but everything is testing out great and I feel much better and much more confident about what is going into my tank. I do have one last question though. Is there a rule of thumb of how much limewater to drip per gallon capacity of the tank? Also, how often do you drip?
Thanks again!