calcium supplements, something new??

uwscotch

uwscotch

Member
Hi all.
so calcium deficiency tends to be a problem in our reef tanks. Calcium reactors are good, but can affect pH, correct? Ca(OH)2 can be dripped, i.e. kalkwasser, downfall is safety of dripping, etc. Supplements can be added, but they are usually a chloride or sulfate solution ultimately over time increasing salinity and reducing alkalinity. Does anyone have thoughts on this. Calcium Acetate. It is not very stable, i.e. must make a fresh batch every two months. Filter sterilizing will prolong it if you have capabilities. It is availabe from chemical companies such as Sigma-aldrich, etc. My calculations would suggest a dose of a 10% w/v solution of 15 ml per 50 gallons once or twice a week. Very pure chemical is available, no contaminants such as chloride, etc. To go even farther, over time, tanks are depleted of magnesium. Magnesium Acetate is readily available as well. Why do people not use this. I think commercial companies do not market due to it's short shelf life of 5-6 weeks. Thoughts, feedback, should i give it a try?? Only concern is overdosing as with anything else. Unfortunately I will need to buy new test kits to experiment, unless anyone wants to sponsor the experiment and donate magnesium, alkalinity, calcium, chloride, and sulfate test kits.. Ha.Ha.
uwscotch
Immunologist/reefer
 
uwscotch

uwscotch

Member
Thanks for the offer. I may take you up on it, but i will see if anyone can offer advice willingly before I track someone down who could answer it. I do not want to bother anyone unless they want to come forward with a suggestion. I could post this somewhere where he may come across it I guess.
Thanks
 
jauringer

jauringer

Member
yeah thats what I meant, but I don't think I can mention other forums on this website. he is chemistry moderator on another board.
 
007

007

Active Member
I think that perhaps you have been slightly mislead in your assumptions. I could be wrong though but here goes . . .
A lot goes into the Ca/Alk/pH/Mag formula . . . . I mean a LOT.
For starters, you need a good salt to begin with and they usually contain a sufficient amount Ca and Alk. however as you mentioned it gets depleted . . . so we add buffers to compensate, even saturate to bring levels up and stabilize them. I think we agree up to this point, but here is where I get confused . . . how do these buffers raise salinity and deplete Alk over time? The alk I understand, but this is a result of a chemical reaction, not a direct result of poor additives.
Commercial additives work well for many people as do Ca reactors . . . and when used in conjunction with a kalk reactor, pH flucuations no longer become an issue, or not as big at least. As mentioned in another thread, the natural reefs undergo massive pH flucuations, daily, even hourly so it is a natural occurence. Granted it is not always desireable in a closed environment, but it does happen.
I do not know enough about Acetates to determine if they would be a good thing to utilize or not. Major concerns that I would have up front would be as already mentioned, shelf life.
About the mag issue, a reef tank, when properly maintained with regular partial waterchanges and a good salt can go months on end without the addition of magnesium. As long as Ca and Alk are maintained, mag should not really become an issuse.
Just my .02
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
uwscotch - That sounds very interesting but what do you propose to do about Carbonate? Calcium is useless without Carbonate.
That is the advantage of CaCO3 Reactors and Limewater... they add both elements in a perfectly balanced ratio.
 
007

007

Active Member
Yea thats kinda what I am saying . . . for example, if you test a freshly mixed batch of Reef Crystals Salt, it has a Ca level of around 400 and an alk of 4.0 meq/L . . . both very desirable levels in a reef tank.
However, as soon as you put the water into the tank, the Ca and Carbonates get consumed rather quickly thus reducing these levels . . . which is where the additives come in.
Make a little more sense?
 
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