Brightwell Aquatics Calcion (liq)

[jaysauce]

Has anyone ever used Brightwell Aquatics Calcion (liq)? How did you like it?

 

[Chichas01]

hey Jay, I've been using it for about a month. I add a half a cap full with my water changes. Too early to tell if it's having any major effect.

 

[jaysauce]

hey Jay, I've been using it for about a month. I add a half a cap full with my water changes. Too early to tell if it's having any major effect.

Ok cool. I used it for the first time yesterday....

Tested calcium before calcion: 380ppm
Added 1 capful to 56 gal tank w/ HOB fuge

Test calcium 8 hours later: 420 ppm

Used API reef master test kit.....

 

[jezzeaepi]

If your dosing calc, make sure your dosing alk as well, and to a lesser extent, magnesium. Otherwise your going to throw off your whole system. Calc is useless without alk.

Peace,
Jesse

 

[Chichas01]

wouldn't that depend on where alk is at currently? My understading is that the Brightwell product is calcium chloride and can be added without using a 2-part method. I do agree that you should be testing alk as well though when dosing this.

 

[jezzeaepi]

wouldn't that depend on where alk is at currently? My understading is that the Brightwell product is calcium chloride and can be added without using a 2-part method. I do agree that you should be testing alk as well though when dosing this.

According to the product description as I read it, it is calcium only.

Calcium and Alkalinity are used in equal parts. Corals can not pull calcium out of the water and use it unless there is alkalinity as well(which is also used up). If you are dosing only calcium, you are only dosing one part of the equation.

What you want to do is reach a BALANCED equilibrium between alk and calcium(like 420pm calcium, 9dkh alk) and KEEP it there. The only way to keep it at the right level is to dose in equal parts. Otherwise you will get out of balance and your corals will suffer.

 

[jaysauce]

Is it possible to dose the calcion and then dose part b of c-balance because I have some left over.

 

[jezzeaepi]

Yah that will work. In the future though you will want to get a two part solution for dosing both alk/calc in your reef, because they will make it much easier to dose evenly. If you are trying to buffer your freshly mixed SW(up to 420ppmcalcium and 9dkh alk), then you should use dry additives because they are better and cheaper for that purpose.

Also, when dosing the 2 part solution, you want to dose them at different times so that they don't precipitate. When adding the alkalinity part of the solution, make sure to add it slowly, and in small amounts per the instructions. Nothing spikes PH up faster then the alkalinity part of an A/B solution. When I had my old 38 gallon tank and was using the two part system, I dumped in like 20ml at once I think when I first started, and watched my PH spike by .6 or .7 almost immediately(ph meter). Afterward I switched to dumping in only 5ml at a time and giving it a minute to circulate before adding more. Keep in mind though that this was a 38g tank with no sump, so if you have a larger tank, and sump, you can probably safely dose more. Just trying to give you a feel for how powerful it is in swinging PH if you are not careful with it in a small system.

Peace,
Jesse