[sharpie]

someone told me that i could just use kalkwasser to add to my soft coral tank (i dont have on eyet) instead of b ionic 2 part calcium supplements and
seachems advanced Ca+ and reef builder for Alk
reef buffer for pH issues because they could they could throw my tank chemistry off. my question is is there another way to add kalk without the drip system. would i be able to measure it and add it to the tank?

thanks

[ncdiablo]

Drip system is probably the best because it will slowly raise calcium levels instead of spiking them.

[tanked001]

If your using B-Ionic calcium system then you don't need to drip kalk or add any other cal/buffer. I use to drip kalk before and I found it to be a pain in the butt.

The 2 part sys in B-Ionic is to maintain calcium and alkalinity levels. It also contains trace elements.

I use B-Ionic daily... after starting at a very low dose and testing I was able to find out what my tank requires daily to maintain proper Cal and Alk. It isn't very much at all... 30ml of each and that's to maintain a well stocked 120 gal reef with a 40 gal sump and a 40 gal fuge.

[sharpie]

Originally Posted by tanked001

If your using B-Ionic calcium system then you don't need to drip kalk or add any other cal/buffer. I use to drip kalk before and I found it to be a pain in the butt.

The 2 part sys in B-Ionic is to maintain calcium and alkalinity levels. It also contains trace elements.

I use B-Ionic daily... after starting at a very low dose and testing I was able to find out what my tank requires daily to maintain proper Cal and Alk. It isn't very much at all... 30ml of each and that's to maintain a well stocked 120 gal reef with a 40 gal sump and a 40 gal fuge.

my tank is a 55 and i wont be able to add anything daily. do you know of any other options?

-thank you

[lynnvangsnes]

There's always the calcium reactor; they can work well once you get them tweaked, and they are pricey and take up some extra room. They do require extensive setup and maintenance, IMO. Why not just up your water changes to 10 gal per week?

[tanked001]

Unless you set up some kind of automated system your going to be adding something to your tank daily anyway.. like food, top off water....

Since it is a 55 gal maybe you can dose it ever 3 or 4 days or stretch even longer. It would depend on what your system consumes. The idea is to maintain your Cal/Alk and the only way to find out how much to dose and how often is to test, test, test... and thats with any method you choose. I just find it easier and cheaper to dose B-Ionic

[sharpie]

so just get some b ionic and some test kits and that is all i need?

[tanked001]

As far as cal/alk goes...
But remember that doesn't take the place of water changes.. I do mine monthly.

[sharpie]

your tank is fine with monthly changes? if it is then why do most people say that you have to do weekly?

-thank you for the reply

[sharpie]

just water changes and bionic (and the equiptment) is all i need to keep softies?and i was told they will live off of left over food and fish waste....right?

[tanked001]

Yup, 20% water change a month for my 120 gal but I do have a 40gal sump and a 40 gal fuge. I also dose essential elements and iodine weekly. I have alot of softies in my tank along with LPS and clams and I feed them all... phyto, baby brine, Cyclopeeze and Coral accel... Its also funny watching the fish go crazy trying to eat all the cyclopeeze.

[sharpie]

Originally Posted by tanked001

Yup, 20% water change a month for my 120 gal but I do have a 40gal sump and a 40 gal fuge. I also dose essential elements and iodine weekly. I have alot of softies in my tank along with LPS and clams and I feed them all... phyto, baby brine, Cyclopeeze and Coral accel... Its also funny watching the fish go crazy trying to eat all the cyclopeeze.

thanks tanked. how often do you think i should do water changes and how much water do you reccomend i change? so if im planning on keeping a lot of soft coral i should feed them and not let them live off of fish waste and left over fish food? i dont know if there will be a lot of left over fish food (or fish waste) because i only have three small fish an a 55 and they are all piglets.

-thank you for al the help

[tanked001]

I would say monthly and about 20% to 25% but that also depends on how well your filtration is.... If you have poor filtration, cheap or no skimmer, fuge, clean up crew... then you might want to do WC's more often. Its really about testing and finding the right balance for your tank.
When I feed, I like to think of it as I'm feeding my little reef.... the fish, coral and all the inverts. I make a mix of Phyto, baby brine, Cyclopeeze and coral accel and target feed the coral and let the fish and crabs eat the access... They mostly go after the cyclopeese... I also feed the fish larger food like krill and seaweed but they hardly ever leave any left overs..
Before you get a certain coral read up on it see what it requires (food, light, flow...) then give it just that and you'll have a happy reef.

[gimmito]

Sharpie, I have a 55 gal. + 20 gal sump/fuge. I have a mixed reef (primarily lps) and I add a 1/2 gallon of kalkwasser or aragamight in a 1 gallon jug and drip it at night. I believe the person who recommended dosing kalkwasser was trying to give you the most cost effective way to replenish calcium in your tank. Aragamight gives you that plus strontium,magnesium, and potassium (with no side effects).

[sharpie]

Originally Posted by gimmito

Sharpie, I have a 55 gal. + 20 gal sump/fuge. I have a mixed reef (primarily lps) and I add a 1/2 gallon of kalkwasser or aragamight in a 1 gallon jug and drip it at night. I believe the person who recommended dosing kalkwasser was trying to give you the most cost effective way to replenish calcium in your tank. Aragamight gives you that plus strontium,magnesium, and potassium (with no side effects).

thanks gimmito. b ionic is also cheap. i dont have an auto top off system and i read that if i were to drip kalkwasser and have the water level drop (if i missed a top off or 20 then all the kalkwasser could spill in to the tank. also, do i have to worry7 about strontium,magnesium, and potassium in a softie only tank?

thank you for your help

[gimmito]

Sharpie, I don't have a auto top off in my current set up either. Get a empty plastic jug, some hard and soft plastic air line tubing, & a control valve. Drill a hole in the cap, cut the hard plastic line to length (so it sticks out a few inches from the cap), insert the plastic tubing to length and insert the control valve. My evaporation rate is about 1/2 gal a day with the 20 gal sump. If you haven'nt done so, mark a line on your tank (with a sharpie) so you know how much to top off. Topping off is very important because fishes, invertebres, & corals are sensitive to a change in specific gravity. I like the aragamight because it's basically pulverized aragamite sand and contains essential elements your corals need. The only exception might be adding iodine. Hope this helps.

[sharpie]

Originally Posted by gimmito

Sharpie, I don't have a auto top off in my current set up either. Get a empty plastic jug, some hard and soft plastic air line tubing, & a control valve. Drill a hole in the cap, cut the hard plastic line to length (so it sticks out a few inches from the cap), insert the plastic tubing to length and insert the control valve. My evaporation rate is about 1/2 gal a day with the 20 gal sump. If you haven'nt done so, mark a line on your tank (with a sharpie) so you know how much to top off. Topping off is very important because fishes, invertebres, & corals are sensitive to a change in specific gravity. I like the aragamight because it's basically pulverized aragamite sand and contains essential elements your corals need. The only exception might be adding iodine. Hope this helps.

thanks for the help