Adding SPS to tank

[abrink]

I have had SPS in my tanks before but I never dosed or did anything outside of normal water changes- things seemed fine.

I am adding:

jedi mind trick

starbust cap

toxic green tort

 

Anyone want to give any suggestions/advice or general dosing information that may be useful?

Thanks!

[matt]

How big is your tank, what salt do you normally use, and what is your normal water change schedule? At some point you will need to dose, but proportion matters

[Jason Rhoads]

If you are testing weekly you should start to get a feel for how much calcium and carbonate your system is using. Once you establish the usage rate you can determine what would be the best method for meeting your individual needs. 

From your post I would guess that kalkwasser would be a good first supplement to use. 

[abrink]

14g cube with MH lighting.  I used to have a 55 and a 75 that I had SPS in but I want to add 2-3 SPS corals to this smaller tank and see how it goes. Do not currently have supp's or testing kits for Calcium or Alk

[Jason Rhoads]

With that tank, and those corals I doubt you will need to add anything for a bit. I would get the calcium and carbonate hardness test kits asap. That is really the only way to know if you need to add anything at all. It is completely feasible that you will be able to meet demand through water changes alone. 

[s2nhle]

With that tank, and those corals I doubt you will need to add anything for a bit. I would get the calcium and carbonate hardness test kits asap. That is really the only way to know if you need to add anything at all. It is completely feasible that you will be able to meet demand through water changes alone. 

+1 beside cal and alk test kit You also need the magnesium test kit also.

[abrink]

So to start I can rely on water changes.  But I need to work on getting testing kits for Mag, Alk and Calcium?

[AlanM]

Bulk reef supply sells all three in a package called Red Sea Reef Foundations Pro for 50 bucks. All titration tests and pretty easy to use. Some of the sponsors here probably have them too.

[Jason Rhoads]

I advocate not only getting the tests, but tracking your results over time. That way you have a record of changes (calcium, carbonate, etc... usage) that you can use to establish what you need to add and in what quantity. Since I have started keeping track my dosing has been much more exact and effective. 

[gmerek2]

at this point I don't think you will have much calcium and magnesium demand since your corals are probably small and have little demand just like my tank. Plus there are water changes to help keep it in check. It's nice to keep an eye on the levels though . I bust out beer, music and my test kits twice a month. Alkalinity will be the main one to watch in our new sps tanks that should be done more often than twice a month.

[trockafella]

at this point I don't think you will have much calcium and magnesium demand since your corals are probably small and have little demand just like my tank. Plus there are water changes to help keep it in check. It's nice to keep an eye on the levels though . I bust out beer, music and my test kits twice a month. Alkalinity will be the main one to watch in our new sps tanks that should be done more often than twice a month.

The demand for corals may not be there yet, but the demand for getting to the perfect equilibrium is always there. Test now and get things perfect, then maintain it. Stability might be the single most important factor in maintaining healthy corals.

[Der ABT]

hannah alk checker is GREAT.

 

look into dripping Kalk or doing it thru your top off. i ran a tank for a LONG time this way

[abrink]

What supplements should I use for Alk, Calcium and Magnesium?  Is there a buffer that covers all three?

[BowieReefer84]

What supplements should I use for Alk, Calcium and Magnesium?  Is there a buffer that covers all three?

BRS or B-Ionic.

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/esv-b-ionic-calcium-buffer-system.html

and

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/esv-b-ionic-magnesium.html

 

OR

Kalk and Magnesium

http://aquarium.bulkreefsupply.com/search?w=kalkwasser

[YHSublime]

The demand for corals may not be there yet, but the demand for getting to the perfect equilibrium is always there. Test now and get things perfect, then maintain it. Stability might be the single most important factor in maintaining healthy corals.

 

+1 ( x Infinity)

 

I have a 150 gallon with a large amount of SPS. It all does fine, and it did fine in my system half that size as well, but I will have to start dosing calc and alk soon. Either from the growth, or the addition of more SPS. In order to do that, like mentioned above, you need to start getting that balance in play, and maintain that balance.