Who's adding C-Balance?

[billaweed]

I'm curious as to who is adding C-balance (2 part calcium supliment) to their tank. I have it and am wondering if I should add some.

Lately the corraline on my rock has been dying off ( its losing color and lightening up), also I do have some sps. So should I add some? How low should I let my calcium get before I start adding it?

I really want to keep my corraline cause me and the wifelike the color.

BTW: I use the Instant Ocean Calcium Test. Whats the BEST Calcium and Alk test to get?

thanks
Brandon

 

[tike]

Salifert is the test kits most reefers use. you should maintain your calcium around 400-420 and your alk at 8-12 dKh.

 

[acrodesiac]

2 part calcium suppliments in sufficient amounts will definately grow lush coraline. One factor that many people overlook with coraline is the fact that it is an algae, and algae needs nutrients (phosphate and nitrates) to grow. If your system has recently been stripped of nutrients because of your "proper" husbandry techniques you could experience a loss of coraline. Personally I have a hard time growing coralline in my mature systems because I usually have undetectable levels of nutrients. As far as test kits go the "best" would be La mott or Salifert.

 

[DonW]

Coraline lays down a calcium skeleton much like sps. They do not require near nutrients like green alges. A very clean very low nutrient tank will grow coraline just as well as a dirty one.
Keeping water parameter in check just as if you were attempting to keep sps will provide the best coraline enviroment.


Don

 

[acrodesiac]

Low phosphate, low nitrates = good coraline growth

Zero phosphate, low Nitrates = moderate coraline growth

Zero phosphate, zero Nitrates = Very slow coraline growth

A large contributing factor is also what spectrum and how intense your lighting is. Low kelvin high intesity lighting will not grow coraline nearly as well as high kelvin moderate intesity lighting.

 

[DonW]

Low phosphate, low nitrates = good coraline growth

Zero phosphate, low Nitrates = moderate coraline growth

Zero phosphate, zero Nitrates = Very slow coraline growth

A large contributing factor is also what spectrum and how intense your lighting is. Low kelvin high intesity lighting will not grow coraline nearly as well as high kelvin moderate intesity lighting.

Phosphates inhibit coraline growth as does nitrates. Second there is no such thing as 0 phosphates in a closed enviroment. .002 is optimum and is not measurable on any hobby test kit.

Don

 

[acrodesiac]

Let me adjust my previous statment

Low phosphate, low nitrates = good coraline growth

Very low phosphate, low Nitrates = moderate coraline growth

Very low phosphate, very low Nitrates = Very slow coraline growth



I agree that phosphates will inhibit coraline growth but I can't agree that nitrates would do the same. "Zero" nutrients is very near impossible to achieve in the reef aquarium but there is such a thing as a nutrient defficiency. Phosphate will slow calcification at high levels but coraline most definatley needs these phosphates at low levels to grow. I have seen many mature SPS tanks with optimal parameters with very little to no coraline growth. Sure, in their earlier stages of life there was coraline growth, as well as other more "nuciance" algaes but the growth of the coraline slows as the tank matures reduced usually to the lower darker regions of the tank.

 

[DonW]

Let me adjust my previous statment

Low phosphate, low nitrates = good coraline growth

Very low phosphate, low Nitrates = moderate coraline growth

Very low phosphate, very low Nitrates = Very slow coraline growth



I agree that phosphates will inhibit coraline growth but I can't agree that nitrates would do the same. "Zero" nutrients is very near impossible to achieve in the reef aquarium but there is such a thing as a nutrient defficiency. Phosphate will slow calcification at high levels but coraline most definatley needs these phosphates at low levels to grow. I have seen many mature SPS tanks with optimal parameters with very little to no coraline growth. Sure, in their earlier stages of life there was coraline growth, as well as other more "nuciance" algaes but the growth of the coraline slows as the tank matures reduced usually to the lower darker regions of the tank.

:lol::lol:

 

[diverdick]

To answer the C Balance question..........I just spent a month on the system and I found that there was a small increase in calcium and alk (very small using the sugested additive rates).........I plan to start the second part of my test that consists of simple bi-weekly water changes only. On the upside, I have great coral growth in every case......now its time to see if the lack of C Balance has any affect.

bye bye for now,

--Rich aka Diverdick63

 

[acrodesiac]

...................................

 

[DonW]

Very mature! I hope I grow up to be as cool as you!:badgrin:

Has nothing to do with maturity. It is what it is I found your post comical and comparison comical. Think about what you wrote for just a minute then ask yourself how it is that our nasty little boxes can be many times more nutrient rich than the ocean and none the less that is where coraline comes from and thrives.

Don

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

To the original poster...

I started using C-balance after my coraline started depleting my tank of enough Ca to keep going. It was beginning to go white. Prior to that I wasn't checking Ca as I had no reason to, with no corals. Once I started testing, I found my Ca levels were about 320-340 or so. Once I got the Ca back up to around 380-400, and the alk up around 8 dkH, then the coraline started being happy again. For what it's worth, I use Reef Crystals that mixes to about 360ppm at 1.025.

Depending on what your Ca test kit tells you, I'd go for the C-balance. I'm guessing your Ca levels are probably around 320 and bumping those up to at least 380 will help out the coraline growth. You might want to use some Turbo Calcium to adjust the Ca levels up over a week or so and then start with the two-part solution. Just don't get your alkalinity levels out of whack. I found it was hard to increase Ca levels using only the C-balance and keep everything balanced. Once I got my Ca levels up, I used the C-balance to keep them there.

While I agree the Salifert tests are the best thing, the API tests for Ca and Alk and cheap, everywhere, and fairly accurate. Before dosing your tank for Ca, just be sure you understand the whole interplay between alk and Ca. This article is great at describing it...

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

 

[billaweed]

^ Awsome! Thanks for the info Kurt. I do not have an alk test, just calcium. My buddy told me that if my calcium is low that means my alk is high? is that true?

on another note:
I just added another 40lbs of Sand to my tank. Will it go through another cycle? Will the cycle be as bad as the first cycle period of my tank when i started?

thanks fellas

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

billaweed...

Think your buddy is going by the old "you can have high Ca, or high alk, but not both" adage. In your case, I would guess your alk isn't high, but probably normal to low - assuming you haven't put anything in the tank to try and alter pH. Best thing is to test it. When dosing a two-part, it's important to test both Ca and Alk. In many cases, your alkalinity readings may dictate how much of both parts you use. Also, watch your salinity while you get a feel for how much to use.

Regarding the sand, I wouldn't expect any cycle - assuming it's new sand.

 

[Snowboarda42]

Don't add more than 1/2" of sand to the tank at a time. Wait appx. a week before you add another 1/2". It gives bacteria and microfauna the chance to repopulate and move up in the sand bed.

A good trick is to use a funnel and 1" clear hose to put sand down without getting any on your rocks.