B-Ionic, levels, and SPS.

[erikharrison]

So this B-Ionic stuff is a good product eh? I bought some yesterday, and it seems to be an easy addition to do daily. Aside from testing the normal parameters, with the use of the B-Ionic, the only other thing to test for is excess phosphates correct? I am speaking of "normal" stuff to test for. I don't mean stuff like copper, etc... If all of these things are testing out properly, what else would I need to start trying some sps?

[Ram_Puppy]

I test cor calcium, alk, mag, ph (digital).

I don't have a lot of SPS so I only need to dose the B-ionic every week or so.

[Ping]

B-Ionic is great stuff. Testing for PO3, PO4 is not effective to determine both types of Phosphates. Tank observations, water changes and protein skimming are the best measures for P control. If observations eg; cyno become a problem, consider a Phosphate remover. I prefer Iron based products.

Dose the 2 part solution and test every day for a week to determine your Ca and Alk demands. "I" would then test once a week to ensure the aquarium water demands are being met.

Correct Alk will equate to an acceptable Ph when dosing 2 part solutions.

Over time Mg levels deplete and testing for Mg should be done. Mg is an important parameter that our hobby is becoming aware of when attempting to maintain a reef type system.

[LoneStar]

Dose the 2 part solution and test every day for a week to determine your Ca and Alk demands. "I" would then test once a week to ensure the aquarium water demands are being met.


I'd second that. Record it in spreadsheet or on a line graph. The graph would be a good visual you can save on your computer or draw out on paper. You can record where your levels are at and where they should be. If the amount your dosing is not keeping up to what your levels should be, slowly increase the quantity of what your dosing. As you add more calcium sucking corals (and clams) you will see your dosing needs rise. Just remember do not dose anything you do not test for ;)

[caferacermike]

Over time Mg levels deplete and testing for Mg should be done. Mg is an important parameter that our hobby is becoming aware of when attempting to maintain a reef type system.

I certainly agree with this. I started dosing Seachem MG and had horrible results. This is certainly true of most any crystal type MG supplement be it from Kent, Seachem, etc.. They are essentially Epsom salts. I've also read numerous times advice given telling folks to dose with Epsom salts. 2 weeks after I started adding my Seachem mg to my tank I visited a tank that had been dosing Epsom salts. The algae problem was amazing. The reefer told me it was a direct result of the salts. About a week later I noticed a hair algae problem starting in my tank. After doing some research I found that Epsom salts and regular mg supplements have huge amounts of phosphates in them. What I did find is that B Ionic makes a liquid mg that works very well but has a lot of ammonia in it. Dose lightly and it works great. Tropic Marin makes a great mg supplement that has no phos or trates in it.

So Erik now that you are beginning to dose you are going to find out just how much fun this hobby can really be.

[JimD]

Ive been using Epson salt as an Mg suppliment for years, never once have I had an algae outbreak directly or indirectly linked to the salt. In fact, Epson salt is the product Randy Farly recommends in conjunction with his two part home brew., Get used to dosing the B-Ionic along with the Epson salt and sit back and enjoy the rewards....

[erikharrison]

yeah, I noticed results fairly fast. Everything seems to be alot happier today, which the only thing that has changed is the B-Ionic. I'll try the Tropic Marin(e?) stuff out as well. The only other thing that may be having such a good effect is the new bulb. It's a South Pacific Sunlight bulb 14k. I love it so far! It is a fairly good mix of blue and white, but only time will tell!

[LoneStar]

yeah, I noticed results fairly fast. Everything seems to be alot happier today, which the only thing that has changed is the B-Ionic. I'll try the Tropic Marin(e?) stuff out as well. The only other thing that may be having such a good effect is the new bulb. It's a South Pacific Sunlight bulb 14k. I love it so far! It is a fairly good mix of blue and white, but only time will tell!

How old is your bulb? Usually takes about 100 hours (give or take) for a bulb to set in to its color spectrum.

[erikharrison]

I put it in yesterday about 4 pm. My MH is on for only 5 hours per day.

[jc]

Here is a link to a video that shows the homemade b-ionic mixture. It also has the instructions for the magnesium additive. http://www.reefvideos.com/ Just choose the square that says diy calcium additive. Also, check out http://www.twopartsolution.com/ for some cheap ready to mix diy stuff.

[matt]

The link for homemade 2 part additives:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

Once you get your Ca and Alk levels where you want them, if you dose both parts you really only need to check Alk frequently. The Ca levels will follow the Alk levels, although the Alk will drop and rise much more quickly. This is because there is much less carbonate than Ca in seawater.

Regarding Mg supplementation, ideally over the long run you'd use a combination of Epsom salts, which is magnesium sulfate, and magnesium chloride, which is cheaply available as Magflake. The ratio is discussed in the 2 part recipe. The reason is that you ideally want to keep chloride and sulfate ions in NSW proportions.

If you use alot of 2 part, whether it's homemade or B-ionic, you're going to eventually increase the salinity of your tank. This is because you're adding Sodium Carbonate (or Bicarbonate) and Calcium Chloride. As the Carbonate and Calcium get used up, what's left? Sodium Chloride, or basic salt. Don't worry too much about it, as there are 19000 PPM Chloride and only 400 PPM Calcium, so it takes ALOT of Calcium Chloride to upset the Chloride ratio by any substantial amount. A similar situation exists with Sodium and Carbonate. If you do regular water changes, you'll keep a reasonable ionic balance. Randy Holmes-Farley does a good job of explaining exactly how this works at the end of the recipe.