What to dose with?

[kuda]

I have had salt tanks for 15 years, but just bought a 90gallon with intentions of setting up my first SPS tank. What additives is everyone using?

[dsoz]

Welcome to the site

 

I just started my tank in Feb/March, so I am not an expert by any means. I think most people use Kalc (calcium hydroxide), and baking soda as a 2-part additive (and mag-flake as a 3rd part every now and then). This keeps both calcium and carbonate levels up high. OR they have automated and use a calcium reactor, or a Kalk reactor. Both of these increase calcium levels, but they do it in different ways. I don't think many people dose anything else.

 

If you keep up with water changes, and keep nitrates and phosphates low, you should not need to dose anything. But I think the number 1 rule that you should follow: If you don't test for it, don't dose for it.

 

Cheers, and happy reefing!

 

You should think about coming to our meeting on Sunday. You will meet a lot of good people.

 

dsoz

[Michael7979]

If you are just starting out with a 'new' tank you shouldn't have to add anything until you start to build up a population of corals.

 

Like dsoz said regular water changes should keep up with the tank needs at the beginning. And I agrre DON'T add anything if you are not testing for it.

 

WELCOME!!

[kuda]

I bought the tank used and running with live rock and fish and it is ready for coral to be added. I've had success with lots of other corals, just have never had strong enough lighting for SPS corals. What about iodine and magnesium and so on...trace elements blah blah blah

[Michael7979]

Water changes will take care of most but magnesium will need to be added most likely at sometime. But test first so you know where you stand and how much to add.

[Palani]

I second Michael, test everything before dosing. One of the first elements to go is usually Iodine. Go and get some test kits. I would recommend calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. Those are the ones you will have to dose most often, besides iodine. Good Luck and keep on asking questions if you can't find a certain answer online.

[Guest Mbeef61]

i dose the homeade calcium and alkalinity and use tech m for magnesium and thats all i dose...i stopped using iodine and strontium about a year ago to no ill effects.

 

check these sites out

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php

[Nyles]

Keep it simple, usually dosing will just complicate things, cause precipitation or just simply get your levels all messed up. The most important part of SPS is stability, I can't say it enough, get a good auto top off and watch your levels of ph, Mag, cal, and alk. If you can get those constant you have a great starting point. Getting a good PH meter will help. With low quantities of SPS corals you should just be practicing keeping levels good, I recommend a 10% WC per week on larger tanks, or slightly more on smaller. But as for technically dosing, I dose kalk to keep up with SPS consumption and run a cal reactor, but I did not have to do that till corals got larger and to many to count, for starts just monitor and after you cant keep up start Kalk, when that don't work, cal reactor, then combo them up if that cant keep up, or get a bigger reactor. As for all the gimmick additives FORGET ABOUT THEM. To prep water I use a basic salt (IO) so I buffer cal up to 420, add mag flake to 1500 and let run overnight and do WC, thats it, keep it as simple as you can and keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible (what I mean by that is as far as making adjustments to the tank levels)

 

STABILITY, STABILITY, STABILITY.

[Cobalt]

just fyi i think baking soda lowers your pH, but if you bake it in the oven it becomes soda ash and will then raise your pH. Both buffer akalinity.

 

oh yeah, and I think all you really need to dose is Ca, Alk, and Mag as long as you do frequent water changes.

[reef165]

Keep it simple, usually dosing will just complicate things, cause precipitation or just simply get your levels all messed up. The most important part of SPS is stability, I can't say it enough, get a good auto top off and watch your levels of ph, Mag, cal, and alk. If you can get those constant you have a great starting point. Getting a good PH meter will help. With low quantities of SPS corals you should just be practicing keeping levels good, I recommend a 10% WC per week on larger tanks, or slightly more on smaller. But as for technically dosing, I dose kalk to keep up with SPS consumption and run a cal reactor, but I did not have to do that till corals got larger and to many to count, for starts just monitor and after you cant keep up start Kalk, when that don't work, cal reactor, then combo them up if that cant keep up, or get a bigger reactor. As for all the gimmick additives FORGET ABOUT THEM. To prep water I use a basic salt (IO) so I buffer cal up to 420, add mag flake to 1500 and let run overnight and do WC, thats it, keep it as simple as you can and keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible (what I mean by that is as far as making adjustments to the tank levels)

 

STABILITY, STABILITY, STABILITY.

 

i agree with Nyles, my sps tank never looked better when i went with a duel stage cal.reactor, dosing mag. and water changes.