Additives Discussion

[diverdick]

Hello all,

I am looking to generate discussion on additives, specifically calcium / alkalinity items. First I will describe what I currently do and look for variations and inputs from others that have an opinion.

Hardware

- 65 gallon display - mixed reef - sps dominated - heavily loaded
- 20 gallon refugium w/ ~ 12” x 12” deep sand bed (5” deep) & 300 gph water flow through
- ASM mini G protein skimmer
- DIY Kalkwasswer reactor open loop w/110v AC solenoid controlled w/ low voltage DC float switch supplied from RO system
- 1/10 hp chiller
- Light system - two 250 watt halide - 14k & two T5 actinic (1, true & 1, 05)
- Two Tunze, one 6045 & one 6055 with flow control

Additives

- Kalkwasser delivered essentially continuously via top off demands
- B-Ionic two part solution added daily – 45 ml of each component
- Water changes made twice monthly @ ~ 10% for no other reason than good habit, there are no measurable pollutants detected

Now to the discussion – My current practice yields the following conditions

Salinity – 1.026
Ph – 8.2 to 8.4 (night & daytime readings)
NH3, NO2 & NO3 – effectively zero with nothing measurable with my test kits
AT – Alkalinity – 2.6 ME/liter
Ca – Calcium – 400
Mg – Magnesium – 1280

This practice yields outstanding coral growth (IMHO). The real question here in my mind is can I reduce the cost of the B-Ionic pre made two part solution by using a DIY solution? The direct answer is yes for sure. I would like to tap others knowledge and experience with the alternative plan(s) that you all may use and have success. Does anyone have an opinion? What do you all use for Ca,MT & Mg control?

Thanks for looking

Regards,
--Rich AKA Diverdick

 

[MikeS]

I use kalk, and baking soda for carbonate alkalinity. Kalk alone does not meet the Ca demands of my tank, so I periodically adjust it back into the 420ppm range using calcium chloride.

MikeS