HBH balance blocks, anyone use them?

[reefgeek84]

http://www.pets-warehouse.com/Vpasp/shopexd.asp?id=87940

 

I would not get it because of it replenshing calcium, but for the reason of the 71 trace minerals it supposedly replaces into the water and sustaining ph. I figure this might be a decent thing to have in the tank, insted of just water changes to replace trace minerals...just curious if anyone has any thoughts on them...

[DennisW]

I think Woody at Seahorse pushes those things. From what Ive heard (never used myself) they dont work very good. Any movement from current or anything and dissolve REALLY fast. They might have their place but, not in my tank.

 

Dennis

[Piero]

I heard that too Dennis.

 

I never bothered to try that stuff myself RG, but that's because everything about it sends up red flags for me. I'm very skeptical.

 

The trade is constantly thinkin' up sly ways to exploit vulnerable hobbyists and push the next miracle mix...or tablet as it were. It makes all these great sounding claims that sound great, but there are no quick fixes as far as i know. Stick with a calcium reactor and water changes and yer golden.

[CCR]

There are other brands to. I spoke to a person that tryed on, a different brand, and lost most everything. Stick to the basic. It's safer

[SULLY]

You would have better luck taking something from your toilet and putting that into your tank! Those things are absolute garbage. If you don't listen to anything else i have said, at least listen to this.

[vanz]

I am using something similar to that called sealabs. I know a few other people who uses it, including LFS.

[CCR]

and that's the one I know of #28. Vanz, how long have you been using it? Have you kept any records. It is the one that he put a bigger block(not Vanz) in and as i said, lost most everything. I was given a half pound jar severall years ago. Still have it. I was leary in the first place, so asked as many as possible to see what there thoughts/ results where. I will stick to my CA reactor using dead corals, and araginite together. It just sits better with me to know that I am putting bact the very elements corals grow from, from corals that grew. One thing, same basic conditions, may or maynot work for another. That's what keeps us all going. A never ending earning/ trial and error, process

[fly guy]

I honestly think that if people would simply keep up on water changes, dump calcium and alk in when necessary they would be much better off AND save themselves money, risk, and effort.

 

Those three things stated above are all it takes to run a successful happy healthy reef. IF you had a heavy load of sps or clams you could throw some mag in the mix.

[reefgeek84]

and that's the one I know of #28. Vanz' date=' how long have you been using it? Have you kept any records. It is the one that he put a bigger block(not Vanz) in and as i said, lost most everything. I was given a half pound jar severall years ago. Still have it. I was leary in the first place, so asked as many as possible to see what there thoughts/ results where. I will stick to my CA reactor using dead corals, and araginite together. It just sits better with me to know that I am putting bact the very elements corals grow from, from corals that grew. One thing, same basic conditions, may or maynot work for another. That's what keeps us all going. A never ending earning/ trial and error, process [/quote']

 

I used that with my other tank...it helped but from what I remember it was more for calcium loss..not so much trace minerals...

 

I noticed a difference using that, then dosing liquid calcium every few days...I attribute it to a consist proper supply, instead of having a declining supply.

[reefgeek84]

I honestly think that if people would simply keep up on water changes, dump calcium and alk in when necessary they would be much better off AND save themselves money, risk, and effort.

 

Those three things stated above are all it takes to run a successful happy healthy reef. IF you had a heavy load of sps or clams you could throw some mag in the mix.

 

I agree with you completely...however, I was only considering this, as a way to keep more of a constant level in the tank between water changes...I am sure that the ocean does not have anything deplete over a weeks time and then dump a whole bunch more in. I have noticed, that a constent level of whatever (calcium, alk, etc.) things tend to do better over all...and this was my purpose for asking.

 

I in no way need this...my tank is thriving...just trying to give it a little more of an edge...I know people that go sumpless and skimmerless and calcium reactorless and have great thriving tanks off of water changes. but yet most do not chose this route...because for most people it makes life easier and tends to be alot more effective and I would be doing the same on with this...but apparently it is no good, so I will not be using it.

[vanz]

I've been using the sealabs tablets and buffer for over a year now....I don't know if it makes any difference as I don't test for the minerals so I can't help you there. AFAIK they do provide trace minerals. I read on Cichlids and Salts webpage that all they use in there system is the sealab block and kent buffer, nothing else.

[SULLY]

I have tried these things in multiple set-ups and have had bad results. Just for the record though, i was using the #28 blocks and not the other brands. So before i bash the others, i just want people to know that. But on another note, like most other products, salts, light bulbs, and so on, alot of the products are manufactured in the same wherehouses and just get different stickers or stamps put on them and then get shipped off to the buyer. So you pay more for one item because it has the name brand recognition instead of the other brand which is the exact same product. Anyways, the blocks i used, #28, screwed up alot of the parameters and also gave me cyano everytime. And it was not just me. Other people that tried these had the same results and some worse than others. Just my .02, but be careful about what you choose. And keep in mind that if these blocks were that great and did everything they said they were suppose to do, more of them would be being used by people especially the LFS.

[vanz]

I've never had cyano with #28. Never had a problem with green hair algae either.

[WAVES]

I used #28 with success in a nano. I dont think its a great product by any means, but in a small tank where a reactor isnt justified it seemed to work. They dont "automatically dessolve based on need" like they claim, and if they are in an area with much of any flow at all I can see where it could foul things up by dissolving too quickly. I never had an issue with cyano using them however, but as we all know, what happens in one tank doesnt mean its going to happen in another! If Sully had terrible luck, and I had "ok" luck, its probably not worth trying for yourself, those arent very good odds.

[Piero]

I just don't know how anyone can think this seems like a good approach to water chemistry control. The delivery method of this product alone should be a huge warning sign to any hobbyist. just me.

[vanz]

By the way, I have a 29g, I use the small blocks in very low flow areas. But I know someone who ran it on 400g+ system and swears by it. He stopped using all the other additives after. I'll see if he's still using it today. Haven't talked to him for almost a year.

[impur]

I used those #28 blocks too in my 29gal. I loved them. 1 block lasted about a week or week and a half. Calcium was always perfect. I still had to add alk. I think they add Mag as well.

[SeanF]

Here is the story of the HBH balance blocks in case anyone is curious. When they were originally brought to market they were made by Sea Lab but then as with many products now HBH sent them to China to have them made for themselves. Personally I have not had good results with the Balance Blocks but have had great success with the Sea Lab #28. I cannot vouch for other peoples aquariums but I know there are a lot of my customers and myself have had great success with the #28 blocks. I am not going to say that they are a better solution than a calcium reactor but for people that aren't willing to make the investment in setting up a calcium reactor they have worked. I even have been able to get a local tank maintainence guy to start using them in some of his tanks of people that were always forgetting to dose their aquariums. He had been skeptical of the product for over two years but continued to test our reef tanks and finally decided to try them in a couple of problematic aquariums and they have worked wonders.