which additives?

[timsedwards]

Hi guys,
Well I have seen so many different products on the market, mainly from Kent, and I dont know what to add! At the moment I have no corals but that should change in the next month or so.
What additives should I/Could I add? Aside from Calcium (will deal with that issue another time), should I add things like Coral-Accel, Essential Elements, Iodine? How about Phytoplankton?
Appreciate all your help!
Tim

 

[bang guy]

I am a confirmed minimalist so please keep that in mind.
Once you have a coral load in your reef I suggest balanced additions of Calcium and Carbonate. Kalkwasser, a calcium reactor, B-Ionic, whatever as long as it maintains Calcium and Alkalinity without excessive use of Borate.
In addition I recomment regular frequent water changes with a high quality salt.
Phytoplankton is great, but I consider it a food and not an additive.
I do not recommend any other additives unless you are targeting a specific problem.
I would never use an additive that doesn't accurately list the ingredients.

 

[timsedwards]

OK great thanks for your help. I will address the calcium issue separately, because I do not know whether to add Kents calcium and measure the calcium levels, or add Kalkwasser mix. Is Kalkwasser mix available just as a mix for you to add or is it just in the actual mixing machines? I am a tad confused over this issue
All the best,
Tim.

 

[quazi]

You can buy kalk at a LFS or mail order. It is just Calcium Hydroxide. It can be had as "pickling lime" in the US. I have no idea if such a thing exists in the UK . You need to mix it, 1 teaspoon to a gallon of makeup water, then drip it into your tank, preferable over night, as the pH for kalk is high, and your tank wants to lower its pH over night. I use a simple water jug with a spigot and drip it into my overflow. I use a teaspoon of vinegar to mix with the kalk to make it dissolve completely and to add other beneficial chemical reactions. This is highly controversial, but tried and true by me and others
Look here for more kalk info!

 

[timsedwards]

Thanks I will have a look at it tonight! How do you drip it in rather than pouring? Another point just by the by, everytime I do a top up of water my royal gramma seems a little stressed and what looks like ich, but it will be gone the next day until the following week or so? It is right temp and dechlorinated, any ideas?
Thanks,
Tim.

 

[quazi]

I just drip using the spigot set to "drip" (meaning I just pull it out far enough to start it dripping.) There are plenty of other way to make a dripping "machine." Some people use a medical drip bag (IV type), others buy kalk drip kits, etc. You are just dripping water laced with kalk into yur tank. It is easy to be inventive here, maybe
As for the stress of the RG, it may be pH or other water factors. Dripping in water will greatly reduce that stress.
Cheers!

 

[timsedwards]

Hi there,
OK that does sound good.Now I hvea to look for a way of dripping.....what is a spigot?
Thanks,
Tim.

 

[kracker]

I use oceans blend.