How are you keeping up with alk/cal demands?

[gjuarez]

Hey folks, just doing a little research on how everyone goes about keeping up with their calcium demands. Here's a multiple choice for you:

A) Calcium Reactor
B) Kalk Reactor (Pickling lime)
C) B-Ionic or another 2 part additive
D) Water Changes
E) Insert your other choice here

Also, please include the size of tank you have and your demand for cal/alk whether it be low, medium, or high due to the inverts that are being kept. Why are you doing it that way and what would be your ideal way of supplying the demand if all the factors were taken care of.

Jerry

[Richard]

Ca Reactor & Kalk Reactor

Demand: High I suppose. SPS w/decent growth
Ideal Way: This is it. Automated is quite nice.

I avoid the calcium chloride based additives and maintaining thru water changes is not practical for me.

Oh yeah it's a 215 gallon...

[brewercm]

e) Dripping Kalk. I don't have a large load right now so that's my only requirement, that and testing.

100 gallong with approx total water volume of 150

[hobogato]

c) and d) ive just been using b ionic for about two weeks, i was waiting for my calcium to drop below 500 since i recently changed to IO salt vs. oceanic.

my tank is 240 gallons with lots of sps frags and 7 clams so my calc load is medium high but will soon be very high as my sps continue to grow. i see a possible calcium and kalk reactor in my future. :wacko (it never ends!)

[LoneStar]

D with a hint of C

[falcondob]

All of the above.
Water volume - 300 gal (tank), 85 gal (Fuge), 30 gal (Sump), 410 gal (Total).
Ca Reactor and Kalk automated, running 24/7.
Dripping 2 part on occasion.
Approximately 14% water change per week. (Yes, I know, obsessive/compulsive. But, I try to just live with it.)

John

[Thunderkat]

D and E

Plenum system maintains your calcium if you use aragonite

[greatwit]

B and C on my 40 breeder. I would say med to high with two clams and sps dominated.

Ideally I would have a Ca reactor but don't want to spend the money or add an overflow/sump right now.

[Alamo]

B Ionic

[gjuarez]

Seem like B Ionic is one of the favorites. I am going to be using b ionic as the main supplier along with water changes. I also plan to make a kalk reactor. THe tank I am setting up will be a 29g sps dominated tank. I want to keep clams as well so the demand for calcium and alkalinity will be high.

Ideally, I would have a calcium reactor and I would adjust the level with B IOnic if it needed. With this tank being small I think the best way for now is to keep up with weekly 20% water changes and B Ionic.

[hobogato]

edited my original post - im a little more awake now and followed directions this time ;)

[NaCl_H2O]

A) Calcium Reactor,
B) Kalk Reactor, and
E) Kent Turbo Calcium as needed

Ca demand: Probably considered high, decent SPS population (and growing), and several large clams

Size: About 500g operationsl volume

Ideal method: A school of "Calcium Pooping Tangs" ;)

[hobogato]

Ideal method: A school of "Calcium Pooping Tangs" ;)

ahh the things we REEFers dream about! :D

[jason]

Right now I'm using Kent Reactor, but switching to B Ionic. The Kent product seems to be working fine, I have sps growth and my Ca levels are maintained at 420 to 450...alk is 3.5meg...PH 8.3.

I have a 150 gal plenum.

[MikeyBoy]

yes, yes, yes...............................a little bit of everything.

Big Kalk reactor and Calcium Reactor do the trick 99% of the time.

[gjuarez]

Time to revive this thread as i currently have a nano and will soon be setting up a 75g tank. On my nano i am focusing more on water changes with a little bit of B Ionic, and once or twice a week I'll drip a little bit of kalk. I recently got a clam and will be receiving 3 acro colonies in a couple of days in my nano so my demand is going to rise, so up we go on the b ionic and kalk 3 times a week. My parameters will be measured of course and the dosing will be done accordingly to results. Anyone using calcium chloride and/or baking soda? How bout Epsom salt? Any DIYers out there?

[ErikH]

I'm using a dual stage CA reactor on my 75. Very effective, and the PH probe is inside the first chamber. Very simple, and hard to mess up. :D

[OrionN]

For smaller tank, it is much cheaper to get two part additive and Kalk solution, especially if you want to automate dosing (pump is costly). Ca reactor will keep the Ca and Alkalinity where you want without problem (even huge tank)
I used a homemade Ca reactor and kalk reactor and have no problem keeing Ca/Alkalinity in a 400 G SPS and clams system.

[Mr Cob]

e) Dripping Kalk

My calcium stays at about 500-520 with regular water changes. I recently aquired some new SPS colonies so I'm testing daily to see how things change. I rarely drip at the moment only if I miss a couple of water changes.

[gjuarez]

Mr Cob, how big of a tank do you have? How heavy are your calcium demands?

[stoneroller]

72 g. zoa-dominated and few colonies of SPS and LPS. light to moderate demand

I use bulk two-part for daily dosing along with treating my topoff water when I can't dose daily. I can maintain calcium around 450 and alk 8-9 but it's probably not the most stable way of doing business.

[Mr Cob]

Mr Cob, how big of a tank do you have? How heavy are your calcium demands?

I have a 120g with a 40gal sump with fuge. I do weekly water changes of 5-10gallons per week religously. Mostly 5 gallon changes weekly and here and there I do a 10gal change.

I have a kalkwasser drip setup on stand by but I never have to use it. Maybe as my SPS colonies grow out I will. I've been checking weekly but it stays at about 500-520ppm.

I have One baseball sized SPS colony and about 15-20 SPS frags growing. I have some large LPS colonies and tons of softies. I also don't really dose anything anymore except for occasionally I dose Iodine.

[gjuarez]

Nice and simple.. Any sps nanos out there? Interested in listening to what you guys are doing.