Calcium,Strontium? HELP!!?

[cafero702]

OK i have a 140 and about 8 corals still trying to fill up my tank they all are doing great except my GSP wont open

I have never tested my calcium i am going to my LFS tomorrow to get a test kit.
What should my calcium be reading?
What is ideal for a reef tank?
They have a "Seachem" Calcium Maintaner drops/liquid you put in your tank would anyone recommend this?
Also what is Strontium?
they also have a "Seachem" Stronium Raiser is this neccesary?
And also a Iodide Rasier is this also good???
Anything else i need to be testing for or putting in my tank regulelary to maintain a succeful Reef Tank?
Please help ive had Fish only tanks for about 2 years now just start getting into Reef. Pretty cluless in some areas

 

[cafero702]

O i also have Power compacts 2 12000k daylight and 2 True Blue actinics
All 4 96watts is this good ? i am pretty much only trying for soft corals and maybe some LPS

 

[king_neptune]

for a 140 no. for a 14 ya.
they are hungry.
do you dose?
or do you have a calcium reactor?

 

[king_neptune]

to elaborate they are getting energy from the PC not the actinics.
To further elaborate you want WAY WAY more light for corals than you are providing. if you don't want/cant to go MH, then at least 150wx4 PC/VHO
not 2x96.
The reasoning is your tank is too deep for the light to penetrate. And 2 lights isnt enough anyways really. Not if you want them to pop with color.
Iodine is good. not sure about strontium...never heard about it.
Do a search function for the calcium charts I cant remember off hand what all the levels are supposed to be.

 

[rlablan]

I have a strontonium solution that I dose for Zoanthids, people say it is unnecessary but I have been doing it every week for just a few weeks and now the zoas i have are popping with color. I don't think it can hurt. I don't really know much about it though, to tell the truth.

 

[shrimpy brains]

Get the calcium test kit. I would'nt worry about a doser, unless you add so many corals, that you can't maintain your levels. (400-500 mg/L)
As far as other supplements are concerned, IMO these all get replaced in sufficient amounts with regular w/c's and you shouldn't dose anything you don't test for. (I don't think they make a strontium test kit)

 

[cafero702]

OK ive got my calcium tester and calcium "reef builder" i am going to do it tonite.
But do you guys think i need diffrent lights? stronger then PC'sall together they are 384 watts is this not enough??
And if anyone has a good suggestion on buying likes (like a good website besides looking on ----) PM me i know u cant post other websites

 

[meowzer]

I think you need to get at least T5-HO lights. What corals do you have?
Don't add any calcium builder yet...have you tested it yet?

 

[kaingers]

+1 you should not dose for something you do not test for. They make strontium test kits that retail for $50+. Your GSP may be in shock from moving? They should be fine under your current lights.
You should test your PH and alkalinity in addition to calcium in a reef tank.
If you are doing regular water changes your calcium shouldn't be that far off.

 

[cafero702]

Yes i do regular waterchanges i have never tested calcium before i sort of got into the reef game and i forgot about it. Every coral is doing great i have
Large Colt coral
Kenya tree
many polyp colonies
yellow leather
Xenia
2 toadstools
GSP but it hasnt opened yet

purple Mushrooms
The GSP i acclimated it for about an hour i moved it to the very top and in front of a powerhead so it has a little bit of flow on it. I was gonna give it another couple days then move it to a diffrent spot Do you think it will make a diffrence???
I went to myLFS today and bought a calcium tester and a reef builder. Its mostly a calcium maintaner from what i understand i waqnt my calcium from 400-500 right?? but try to keep it close to the same reading all the time???
but for all my corals my lights are ok??
I plan on upgrading them soon since ive seen so many nice tanks(on this site)
my corals all look great but none of them spreading

 

[loopy101]

just test your calcium level. with regular water changes you wont need to add anything to your tank.when i first started in saltwater tanks i heard you needed to have this and that to dose your tank... but after reading many many threads here all these bottels i bought way back when are just sitting on the shelf collecting dust.

 

[meowzer]

LOL...I have a box of the same dusty bottles.....money that could have been spent on something better

 

[jackri]

Not sure why this hasn't been addressed but none of those corals need calcium. None of those softies build a skeleton that requires calcium.
If you are doing water changes you don't need to dose anything. My star polyps go through times they won't open, other times they do. I wouldn't start to worry unless its been a few days and if they haven't lighting may be the issue.

 

[cafero702]

Originally Posted by jackri
http:///forum/post/3100161
Not sure why this hasn't been addressed but none of those corals need calcium. None of those softies build a skeleton that requires calcium.
If you are doing water changes you don't need to dose anything. My star polyps go through times they won't open, other times they do. I wouldn't start to worry unless its been a few days and if they haven't lighting may be the issue.
Well its been about 4 days they havent opened at all i have them at the highest point in my tank with just ebough flow not too much but not to little.
Im not giving up on them yet if they dont open tomorrow i am going to move them into a diffrent spot

 

[jackri]

My advice.... QUIT moving them lol....
They sound irritated and just need to be left alone. When I first got my toadstool with PC lighting it really never full opened until 6 months later when I put in halides and t-5s and knew what a toadstool should look like. GSP's should be fine up high under PC's and just leave them be for awhile. As long as there isn't too much flow on them they should eventually come out and may take quite awhile. The only way to really tell if they are dying is if the purple is receding IMO.

 

[kaingers]

Your corals might not need the calcium, but your inverts do.
+1 leave the GSP alone!
All of your corals would appreciate a phytoplankton supplement, but not necessary.

 

[cafero702]

Well i am putting in "reef builder" it has calcium, stronium, Magnesium, and Potassium in it.It also helps maintain my PH. All these are good for a reef tank right??

 

[jackri]

Not necessarily... since you're adding and have no idea what your current levels are. With what is in your tank -- normal water changes are more than enough and the more you add the more you're going to throw chemicals that may not need to be in there in potentially hazardous proportions.
Nothing in your tank from what I've read needs that. I keep clams, sps, GSP, LPS, softies, inverts, starfish, crabs, fish, etc, etc, etc, etc and the only thing I dose is a limewater drip for topoff water for calcium and alk for my sps and clams.
PATIENCE! lol