Test kit help needed for dosing Calcium and Alkalinity.

[hanknmorgan]

I have decided to give Bionic a shot in my tank to get coralline to grow a little better and to get my calcium levels up to try some SPS or a clam down the road. My question is this. Since I am supposed to add equal amounts of the CA and ALK solutions, do I need to test for both or if one is correct, the other should be as well. I dont have any test kits and I dont really want any, but I guess I need to test my CA for a while to get my dosing amount correct. Can I get by with just testing for calcium or do I have to have a carbonate hardness test kit as well. I know most people have tons of equipment and testing stuff, but I like to keep things as simple/cheap as possible. Thanks.

[JimD]

Test kits are as important than any piece of equipment, how are you going to know what your parameters are if you dont know the current levels? Especialy if you intend to add suppliments like B-Ionic. You add a fish and it dies, then you come here and ask why, we ask you what your parameters are and you say, I dont know... You then buy an ammoinia kit and find out that its off the chart, then you think, why didnt I test first? Absolute minimum would be Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ph, Calcium and Alk. If your looking for a cheap hobby, try basket weaving. lol

[LoneStar]

http://www.maast.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=26181

There are some good responses in the thread above about B-Ionic.

Do not dose anything unless you test for it ;)

[hanknmorgan]

I understand the logic on testing everything. When I set up my first saltwater tank several years ago, I tested everything all the time. After the cycle all the parameters were exactly the same every time I tested for a year, so I gave up. I am downright anal when it comes to my weekly water changes and cleaning the tank. It seems to me that the only people I ever here about having algae problems or any phosphate, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite problems are people that dont change their water enough or have it stocked to the max. I have a low bioload, Feed minimally and change water weekly mainly so I dont have to constantly worry about my parameters and my tank is always 100% nuisance algae free. If something starts looking out of wack or I have some problems, I may start testing to see whats going on. Maybe my whole mentality is stupid/lucky, but it's been working so far. I did have my water tested at the LFS once a few months ago after a new fish that I got died after a couple days. All my levels were perfect and the replacement fish has been great.

I do however agree that you shouldnt dose without testing which is why I am asking about the CA and ALK test kits. My only confusion was that if you have to add equal amounts of the two solutions for them to ionize correctly then I assume that the CA and ALK must be directly related and therefore if one is correct then the other should be. Maybe I'm wrong on that. It just didnt sound like your could vary the amounts with respect to eachother by reading the directions if for example your CA was low and ALK was high.

The CA and ALK test kits are not cheap, so if I dont Have to have both, it would be nice. Thanks again for the input everyone.

[LoneStar]

I think its a falacy thinking if you believe one level is right..the other will be the same. For me I'd dish out the $30-$40 for the test kits so I know exactly what I should be dosing. Without test results you have no idea on how to judge what your demand is on your aquarium. You can go by what the bottle says and follow that all the time from now till you part with the tank but you could be doing 2 things: Adding more than what your tank needs or you will be lacking of what your tank should be using ;)

Test kits are some of the cheapest things you buy in this hobby. You may not need all of them once you have an established system, but I wouldn't fret over $15 for one more test kit ;)

[hanknmorgan]

If I need to test for both, I certainly will. I was just under the impression that I had to add equal amounts of the two solutions and the overall amount could varied to fit the needs of the tank. But it's ok to add more of one than the other?

[Texreefer]

there is a correlation between Ca and ALK.. but not directly.. you can deplete one or the other quicker depending on the rest of your tank chemistry,, for instance, magnesium plays a big role in being able to maintain your Alk levels. if you are absolutely religious about water changes then Mg should remain where you need it, and if you have fish and a few softies, water changes alone might work, but if you have LPS or SPS your rate of uptake will increase as the corals grow and you will need someway to measure this change,, you will likely need to make small adjustments to one or the other, so you will need both test kits. its a small price to pay to avoid an expensive mistake

[hanknmorgan]

Thanks texreefer. Exactly what I wanted to know.

I was also wondering if the Bionic expires? If so how long is it good for? Would keeping it in the fridge help it last longer?

I ask because I have a small tank, 12g and no sps or anything that would use up the elements quickly. I also am going to have to wait a while to use it I guess since I cant buy $40 worth of test kits anytime soon. THanks for the input.

[hanknmorgan]

Any thoughts on the useful life of the chemicals. Do they expire?