CHUBAKAH October 20, 2008 Share October 20, 2008 The "Balling method" is named after Hans-Werner Balling. It is a way to supplement your reef with calcium, sodium carbonate, magnesium, trace elements, and amino acids. There seems to be different versions of this method ranging from Balling Full, Balling Light, Balling Complete, to Balling Complete plus. Most of the information is in German but a few sites are translated into English. Heinz's Balling method Fauna Marin - Claude Schumacher's Balling Light Ralph Prehn's Balling method Happy Reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoozilla October 20, 2008 Share October 20, 2008 Great reading so far. Thank you for the links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 20, 2008 Share October 20, 2008 Very good read...good job Mark.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Reefer October 20, 2008 Share October 20, 2008 Thanks for the info & links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco October 20, 2008 Share October 20, 2008 What is good about adding copper sulfate to the system (linkn #1)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Reefer October 20, 2008 Share October 20, 2008 (edited) What is good about adding copper sulfate to the system (linkn #1)? Fluoride also? Edited October 20, 2008 by Highland Reefer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal October 20, 2008 Share October 20, 2008 As I understand it the basis of the system is adding calcium, bi-carbonate, magnesium, and various trace elements separately via dosing pumps at a rate designed to match consumption and maintain desired levels. As a method of maintaining calcium and alkalinity, it may be as good as any other, but nothing really ground-breaking as far as I can tell. You will still have to get reliable dosing equipment and test often to make sure things stay where you want them. Same as with a traditional Kalk / Ca Reactor system and/or manually dosing 2-part (although the latter doesn't require any expensive equipment - just a lot more labor). As the last two posts have implied, the questionable part seems to be the trace elements component of it. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=1432284. As far as I'm aware, the evidence to support the idea that corals need or benefit from additional trace element supplementation is still a bit thin. Personally, I follow the more cautious school of thought that if you can't test for it and/or don't know exactly what it does and does not do, then don't add it. I have always thought that I am probably adding a lot of those minerals to my reef in water changes but also the same way I supply minerals, amino acids, vitamins to my own body - in food. Others are willing to experiment a bit more, and depending on the tank may see a benefit from doing so. Anyway, my only point here is that debate over trace elements and other additives is certainly nothing new, as seen in all of the links posted by Randy Holmes-Farley in that thread. I am sure there are a lot of people out there with really nice tanks currently using the Balling method, or Zeovit, or Prodibio, or HGH, or Creatine, . . . . but it shouldn't necessarily be assumed that those tanks look the way they do because of those methods. After all, an awful lot of these folks had pretty nice looking tanks without doing any of those things: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/subject/totm.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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