Maintaining Calcium levels

[blenny boy]

Will the product "reef builder - Seachem" raise and maintain the calcium level in my tank? The info given on the container is not clear (to me) on this point...
Until now I have been adding calcium daily via a liquid (seems to work).
Why bother with Kalkswasser when the reef builder additive works?

 

[reefj13]

Reef builder alone will only add enough calcium for a lightly stocked tank. I a more heavily stocked tank you would need to use Reef Advantage also.
Kalkwasser does more than the Reef builder though. Kalwasser is calcium hydroxide. This means when added to your tank in stray ions bond with your phosphates and eliminate them. Basically kalkwasser maintains calcium, alkalinity and also helps eliminate phosphates wich lead to algae blooms. No other form of calcium can do that.

 

[zackt]

I never knew that about kalkwasser, REEFJ13.
It explains a lot, though.

 

[nm reef]

Basically for the reasons stated above I dose with sea chem reef builder and advantage on a rotating basis and also dose kalk nightly.........been working well for me....calcium 400-450 ppm..alkalinity 3.5-4.0 meg/l....and zero phosphates.........ph stays around 8.2-8.3 all readings stable

 

[blenny boy]

Thanks for the info...
The suggestion seems to be that it is best to add Kalkwasser (if I do this do I still need to add reef builder and advantage?)
It may be a little while before I set up a Kalk. drip, can I get away with the reef builder and advantage for a couple months?

 

[burnnspy]

Actually Reef builder will not add a measureable amount of calcium nor will Kalkwasser remove phosphates.
Reef builder is excellent in adding alkalinity without affecting pH, I highly recommend it.
Kalkwasser causes phosphates to precipitate out of solution for a short time allowing an efficient skimmer to remove phosphates while it is suspended.
BurnNSpy

 

[blenny boy]

If reef builder does not increase calcium will reef advantage? (basically I am looking for a way to avoid Kalk. as it sounds complicated)

 

[fish]

You can do it the natural way. You can add some new aragonite to the tank. When it breaks down it will emit Calcium and trace elements to the water.
Fish

 

[slash7]

Originally posted by blenny boy:
<STRONG>If reef builder does not increase calcium will reef advantage? (basically I am looking for a way to avoid Kalk. as it sounds complicated)</STRONG>
Kalwasser isn't at all complicated, but it is a bit more work than other methods. To make it, add 1-2 teaspoons of calcium hydroxide per gallon of fresh water (preferably RO), let is settle for several hours and then siphon off the clear liquid that remains and leave the precipitate behind. Drip or dose this clear liquid into your sump slowly. Some people only add it at night to help eliminate the dark cycle pH swing. I add it 24/7 to replace all evaporated water. You MUST however, add it very slowly as it has a pH of 12+ and can really throw your pH out of whack if added quickly. As I said, it's a bit more work than some other methods, but IMHO nothing spurs coralline growth like kalkwasser. HTH

 

[zackt]

I'll put my hand in the air to that one. Not only does kalk promote coralline growth, it also nulls the growth of other, more pest like algae. At least in my tank it does.
Zack

 

[blenny boy]

What about only using reef advantage to keep up calcium?