other than a calcium reactor...

[bigmoe21]

hello,
i have a 29g with two hang on back filters and a bak pak...my question is other than a calcium reactor whats the best way to add calcium...currently i put b-ionic in the morning and ive just started adding liquid reactor at night...could i add more b-ionic? like midday? i dont have a test for calcium but will probably get one on friday i just want to know if there is a serious threat from adding more b-ionic.
its just that i can tell the difference when i add it because my trumpets and brain swell up quick. so, adding it in the morning doesnt seem to be cutting it because its like they suck it up right away and they need more...oh and do i turn off everything when i add it?
hard corals currently are about 3" of green slimer, 4-5" diameter open brain, fox coral, lots of trumpets and a hammer and little torch, and some sort of monti..other corals are 2 leathers, 4 ricordeas and some gsp
thanks
..and i know i need a test kit for it but my question is once i get it would it be bad to add b-ionic more than once a day or is there another alternative, other than a calcium reactor? thanks again

[Beretta]

I know of no threat of adding more b-ionic throughout the day. In fact, it's probably better to spread it out, as you'll reduce big swings in your paramaters.

[apedroza]

I generally add more than the recommended dose of B-ionic but only because my tank is mostly sps dominated. I do however only add once a day, usually when the lights are off. Adding it more than once a day could cause a ****e in your pH. Also you always want to add B-ionic in heavy flow to prevent it from precipitating out. I would wait til I get the test kits to determine if you need to even add more.

[tony]

does everyone dose b-ionic daily?

i do every other day on my 30

[JimD]

does everyone dose b-ionic daily?

i do every other day on my 30

I dose according to test results and demand, usually once daily in the am. Once I get the levels where I want them I let a kalk reactor take care of the rest. In my opinin, any sps dominated tank under 75 gallons can be maintained with a kalk reactor alone with occasional additions of B-ionic.

[alton]

Bigmoe what is your calcium level? I have always been able to control levels in small tanks with weekly water changes.

[bigmoe21]

not sure i dont have the test kit yet..i usually do a water change a week of 3g yesterday i did one of 5g

[bigmoe21]

idk what it is? time of day? before they were looking skinny..now they look like this i dont get it

[bigmoe21]

[staylor]

You can drip kalk at night if your Ca and alk levels are low but you really need to test for both, and while you are at it test for magnesium. Low Mg can cause Ca/Alk/pH issues even if you are dosing for the others. Kalk dripping is very easy and costs next to nothing if you use pickling lime. Doing it at night helps keep your pH up overnight while your lights are off. There was a good article and diagram in ReefKeeping Magazine a couple of years ago on how to do it. I can post a link for you if you want. Also, you want to make sure that you keep your pumps on while you are dosing to prevent burning your corals.

Scott