Best all in one additive..
- Thread starter thedeper
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Just because you're not paying for water. Not really an advantage, just a matter of volume. A jar of the dry stuff lasts longer than a jar of the liquid. No other reason really.
I mix it with RO/DI water in a cup to pour in. Never mix dry supplements or other chemicals with saltwater or tank water. Always add them to a volume (usually a couple or few cups) of RO/DI water. Otherwise, you risk causing precipitations and/or concentrations that can cause bad reactions. For example, adding calcium supplements directly can cause calcium precipitations that can chain-react and drop the pH of the water. There are exceptions, but if you just do it for all additives, you can't go wrong.
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It's impossible to create an "all-in-one" reef product by virtue of the chemical properties of the supplements we use.
You should does magnesium, carbonates, and calcium seperately, and in that order. Those 3 are the foundation of your reef tank. Supplementing anything else, for the most part, is arguable.
Seachem Reef Advantage Calcium, Reef Builder, and Reef Advantage Magnesium are 3 good ones if you want to go brand name. If not try,
Calcium chloride(very concentrated), baking soda, 10:1 Magnesium chloride:magnesium sulfate mix.
If you have low pH, use Reef Buffer in place of Reef Builder.
You should does magnesium, carbonates, and calcium seperately, and in that order. Those 3 are the foundation of your reef tank. Supplementing anything else, for the most part, is arguable.
Seachem Reef Advantage Calcium, Reef Builder, and Reef Advantage Magnesium are 3 good ones if you want to go brand name. If not try,
Calcium chloride(very concentrated), baking soda, 10:1 Magnesium chloride:magnesium sulfate mix.
If you have low pH, use Reef Buffer in place of Reef Builder.
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Because Sr only exists at 8ppm and it's really annoying to test for(the test requires gloves and safty goggles) most people don't dose for it. I would watch for signs that you may not have enough. Water changes are often enough to replenish that. Instant Ocean has a Sr level of 10ppm.
skriz
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46bfinga;205931 wrote: My additive of choice is a Corona with a Lime. It makes the tank look so much better without actually doing anything to the tank.
+1 :thumbs:
I run my calcium reactor and does kalk. Other than that, I randomly dump stuff in that I find in my boxes of crap (mostly seachem additives).
BUT, water changes are the best. They trump everything.
Even if you had only a 10g tank, you probably have at least 5g of water which is 640 ounces. 1 cup of water would only dilute 5g of water 1.25%.
Plus, the directions (if I remember correctly) suggest diluting 1tsp of powder in 1 cup of water. If your tank is 10g, you won't be dosing 1tsp, you'll be dosing much less. There's also nothing preventing you from making your own liquid calcium by mixing up a week's worth of doses in a bottle and then adding that. I asked to the Seachem rep a year or so ago when he came to one of our meetings how one could make a "two part" type solution using Seachem products and that was his answer: mix up buffer. mix up calcium/builder. Dose from the bottles.
