Help: weekly reef additives & top offs

[scuba-raru]

:thinking: I had a question regarding weekly aditives. I just started keeping some corals (mushrooms/zoo's/GSP's) I have been adding Kent Trace Elements (purlple stuff) once a week. Is this enough or should I add Calcium/Strontonim/supplements as well.
Also, when you do top offs (I have to do about 1gal every 2-3 days) do you just pour the water in or do you have to make some sort of drip? So far ive beenpouring it in and mt stock hasnt complained...
Any help would be apreciated!!
Thanks

 

[jmick]

I would not put any of those chemicals in my tank because they aren't necessary and it's easy to over dose. Instead, I'd do bi-weekly 15-20% water changes.
The only additive I dose with is Kalk.

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by scuba-Raru
:thinking: I had a question regarding weekly aditives. I just started keeping some corals (mushrooms/zoo's/GSP's) I have been adding Kent Trace Elements (purlple stuff) once a week. Is this enough or should I add Calcium/Strontonim/supplements as well.
Also, when you do top offs (I have to do about 1gal every 2-3 days) do you just pour the water in or do you have to make some sort of drip? So far ive beenpouring it in and mt stock hasnt complained...
Any help would be apreciated!!
Thanks
I don't know about others, but I have several tanks and as an experiment of sorts, I used Kent Essential Elements in one tank and compared all the tanks. It seemed to me Essential Elements does make the corals better looking. So, after several months of observing and experiencing no problems I started dosing all the tanks with Essential Elements and they all look really nice.
As for calcium, yes it has to be checked and if not within normal parameters you should be adding it. Because I have been using Purple Up to help with the correline algae development I have been testing more due to the possibility of overdosing the tanks.
Many people will use Kalawasser, but I don't use it because the tanks seem to stay stable with my current methods. There are more educated people on this board, and I'm sure they will chime in on this issue. I'm interested in reading what others have to say as well.
People seem to do water top-offs with just slowly pouring it in. However, I have been dripping my top offs for over a year and it seems that the temperature stays more stable.
Now, with that comment I probably should explain why I do it this way. My house is 70% windows and hate to run the air conditioner or heater. I live on an acreage and love to have my windows (over 30 windows) and patio doors (4 of them) open throughout the warm season. Temperature fluctuations in the house are the norm, but my tank still stays about 80 - 81 degrees all year.
Hope this gives you one perspective.
Denise M.

 

[scuba-raru]

Thank you Merredeth, very thorough

. My tank isnt very big (30gal) so really the temp issue on the top offs is negligable. I'm confused about Kalkwasser, i've never used it and dont know where to begin, I have to do more research on it.
What type of test kit do I need for calcium? suggestions
btw, You must go NUTS cleaning those windows :scared: !!!...or your housekeeper must go nuts hahaha
Denise, water changes are a great cure for many ills I do about 1 a month and it keeps things nice and healthy
Thanks for the input guys

 

[scuba-raru]

DUH...just caught myself....actually temp changes would impact a smaller tank more quickly...in any case, its not really and issue here in Miami A/C is kicking and keeps my tank cool all the time

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by scuba-Raru
Thank you Merredeth, very thorough

. My tank isnt very big (30gal) so really the temp issue on the top offs is negligable.
Glad you caught that on the next message you wrote about this. I go to Florida each winter and absolutely love the weather, so I'm thinking it probably would be just as much of an issue there as it is in Iowa.
Originally Posted by scuba-Raru
What type of test kit do I need for calcium? suggestions
Calcium tests. There is many tests out there. Some seem to be more accurate than others if you were to poll people here online. I use the Hagen brand and am happy with the results and price. I haven't read about anyone saying they are inaccurate or why they don't like them. The price is right and the results seem to be accurate. I say that because the tanks seem to be flourishing.
Originally Posted by scuba-Raru
btw, You must go NUTS cleaning those windows :scared: !!!...or your housekeeper must go nuts hahaha
I think both the cleaning lady my husband go more nuts about the windows than I do. I never could do windows up to my husband's high standards (forget the kids even coming close either) and handed the cornstarch and water bottle to him years ago and never looked back. My cleaning lady has not fared any better so I finally told her to do the same thing I did - tell him to do it himself. Everyone is a lot happier now that we gave the chore to Mr. Perfectionist.

As for water changes, I'm a firm believer in doing water changes. I do one weekly and make it about 10% on each tank. It gets to be a major chore - especially since I do a drip into each tank. I like doing tank maintenance so it really isn't a big yank - just don't ask me to clean mirrors, glass or anything reflective and I'm happy.

Denise M.