Calcium supplement you prefer?

[kkutac001]

I'd like a few opinions from more-experienced folk than I. Other than kalk, what is your preferred additive to bring up calcium levels? Number 28 cube? I use Seachem powder to buffer; it is excellent and accurate. Does Seachem make a calcium powder, too? Which LFS has it, if so? Any opinions? Thanks.

[GaryP]

I'm not sure if Seachem does, but Kent has their Turbo Calcium.

[GaryP]

Reef Advantage Calcium™

http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/ReefAdvCalcium.html

[gjuarez]

I have only used B Ionic and it has worked great for me. Well Kalk has worked good to, but I dont have too much experience with others.

[matt]

Totally depends on your system. If you have a sizable tank that's got lots of light and fast growing corals, a calcium reactor is great IMO. If you can keep up with calcium demand by dripping KW, that's great too. Both of those, and the 2 part additives, are good for maintaining levels; if you need to bring up a depleted calcium level, calcium chloride (turbo calc or another brand) is the typical solution. But, you don't want to use it everyday to maintain levels.

[Thunderkat]

I like the plenum system combined with frequent water changes. Have not had a problem with calcium. My brand new bottles of B-Ionic still sit in their shrink wrap waiting for calcium levels to go down as the months go by.

Edit: Ignore the hair algae you see nothing nothing :lol

[kkutac001]

Thanks to all for the input. I have added more animals; I also have quite a bit of Halimeda in my modest 25gallon tank. Certainly all the animals (mostly inverts) are growing/spreading.

I've had such a fantastic experience with SeaChem's alk buffer, I'm looking for that first (thanks for the link, Gary). If I can't find that, I'll go B Ionic. Calfo's written such great things about kalk, I know; but i really can't set up a drip system at this time. (Next tank, maybe)

[GaryP]

Halimeda will deplete calcium just like a coral.

[TheOtherGuy]

I am currently dosing B-Ionic to my 75. I do occassionally check calcium and if a little low I use SeaChem Reef Advantage Calcium to bring it back up. I think I have about 10-12 acros right now and they are growing and doing well. I also use Kalkwasser in my 5g Auto-Topoff bucket and add about 5-6 Tablespoons of Kalk when I refill my bucket. Usually refill about every 3 days or so. I hope to add a calcium reactor within the next month or two.

[Shark_Bait]

Reef Advantage Calcium™

http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/ReefAdvCalcium.html


This is my choice just dose as directed

[scuba_steveo]

I am a big B-Ionic fan. They put something in there that make the corals pop. A few of us were talking to Paletta about this when he was at my house. Great stuff but it can get expensive to use especially if you have a bigger system. I just ordered 16 gallons of each part I and II straight from them.

[GaryP]

Reef Advantage Calcium™

http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/ReefAdvCalcium.html


This is my choice just dose as directed

I disagree, slightly. The dosing direction may be good for a starting point, but no 2 tanks will deplete calcium in the same way. Your dosing strategy needs to be based on the daily or weekly useage of calcium, or any other supplement. That requires doing a lot of testing in the beginning and then a less stringent monitoring program afterwards. Remember that the useage rate changes as the tank matures and you add livestock. Other changes may effect it to. A good example is fresh lightbulbs. New bulbs are going to have more PAR, resulting in more growth, and eventually faster depletion rates. I have seen a lot of folks get in trouble with supplements by following the recommended dosage rates. You certainly don't want to under dose, or over dose.

One other thing about the Seachem product. It contains a couple of trace metals as wella s calcium. It has Strontium and Magnesium blended in. This can be a good thing, so long as you are testing for them. I know of very few people that do. If you are only testing for calcium, how do you know that you aren't over or under dosing strontium for example?

The key to these solid products is how you make them up and add them to the tank but that is a post for another time.

[Bill S]

I just drink a lot of milk. No supplements required...

I guess I should start paying more attention to these posts, now that I'm on the way to a big tank...

[LoneStar]

Water changes and BIonic supplement. I do weekly water changes on Fridays (roughly 10%) and on Wednesdays dose with BIonic. All my sps is growing great and laying down thick base layers. Just like everything in life, its all variable. What works for me, proabably won't work good for the next guy, but you never know!

[Shark_Bait]

The dosing direction may be good for a starting point, but no 2 tanks will deplete calcium in the same way.--- trimmed --- Remember that the useage rate changes as the tank matures and you add livestock.

That is part of the dosing directions :D ;)

And the trace should be kept in check with the water changes...

[GaryP]

My opinion of Seachem just went up. They are the only chemical company I have heard of that says that on their directions.

[kkutac001]

I picked up the Reef Complete. I could only get it in liquid form. Gary, to illustrate their instructions for 'advanced' aquarists: "After determining the calcium consumption rate, set up a continuous drip system. Use this formula to determine how much to add to your top-off water: m=vc/160 (m=mL of product; v=volume in liters; c=amt to raise calcium in mg/L"

When I use SeaChem's alk buffer and follow their 'intermediate' level dirctions, I can hit an exact meq/L target every time. Sweet.

Thank you to all who gave their advice!