Do you add calcium or not?

[TinaPerry]

I have been recommended to add calcium and then another says no....
I have a new 50 gallon tank and it only 10 days old with new live rock.....

Anyone?????????

[ReefXpert]

That depends. Get a testing kit (I think that the cheapest is at Paradise Aquarium for $20) and find out how much Cal you have in your tank first.

[TinaPerry]

I did test and it is hard to understand the directions on how to read the results.....

[Bass Master]

If you are going to keep corals then you should add/make sure your cal is at least 400-500ppm. If you don't have a calcium reactor then you will have to dose calcium. IMO, even if you dont have a reef (corals) you should still keep the cal at 4-500ppm. The more you learn about keeping your water chemistry in check, the better off you'll be in the long run.

[lanxang]

I don't see why you would need to if there isn't anything in there but live rock. I think you should let your tank cycle first before you add calc. My tank has been up for about 3 months and all I do is waterchange and that was enough.

What brand of salt are you using?

[Jus Reefin]

My suggestion is to test it and test it again. Myself I have not added any Calc. in over 3 months. I do Bi weekly WG and it keeps my levels at 450ppm

[RasBobre]

Natural seawater's calcium levels are 400-410 pppm.

Even if you do not have any corals you should keep your calcium level at 400.

Your live rock will start producing coraline algae. Your phosphate levels will be lower, your Ph higher and the overall health of your tank will be much greater with the addition of a calcium/alkalinity buffer.

High calcium levels, an efficient skimmer, good lighting with your live rock, equals a healthy tank, in my opinion.

I use B-Ionic's two part buffer system in my smaller tanks.

[user48953]

If your tank is only 10 days old with new LR, forget adding calcium/alk.. i'd be more concerned about watching the nitrogen cycle at this point..

once the tank is done cycling and your last major water change, measure your alkalinity and calcium.. this will give you an indication of your base line levels as to what your RO and salt mix will provide..

from there, determine what type of corals (SPS, LPS, softies, etc.) will be in your tank, measure regularly (more at the beginning, b/c you'll probably be stocking new corals), and dose to raise your ALK (9-10 dKH) and Calcium (slightly above 400ppm) accordingly..

if you have a money tree in your backyard, the commercial 2-part products are great; esp. SeaChem.. if your broke like me and want high calcium demanding corals (SPS), then consider making a DIY 2-part additives.. it will save your wallet some pain..

[likuidbudderfly]

what would i need to knwo in order to make my own 2-part additive?

[sagitariuscbc]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

shawn!~)

[user48953]

This is the DIY 2-part (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/chem.htm) recipe that i use..

[likuidbudderfly]

hey thanks i will check it out.....

[robertloop]

That article on home made 2-part additives is freaking epic. Check out the table on the values after using it for a year.. Even the mag stayed in check. Hmm Probably have to dose trace elements though as 2-part companies claim they have trace built in to thier products where baking soda and epsom salt probably doesnt have as much (if any) trace elements. BTW I am a huge B-Ionic fan. Marinedepot.com ( I love that site) has killer prices on it. You can get 64 ounce sets of it for like 13 bucks! Thats alot cheaper than LFS 32 oz size! After shipping you are out about the cost of 32 oz size but you get double the product.

Not in any way affiliated with ANY reef product company BTW :)

[user48953]

FME, all 6-7 months of dosing only the DIY 2-part.. all my corals look great; espically SPS's.. before i used it, i was using Kalkwasser (Seachem at first, then Missippi Lime), ReefBuffer, Turbo Calcium, Strontium, and the occasional Iron (for caulerpa)..

needless to say, it costed me a fortune.. now i just dose the DIY 2-part about 20oz of each part 3 times a week and perform a 5g water change every week.. all the $$ i saved on additives the last 6 months is paying for my Ca Reactor! :D

[brentp]

TinaPerry, I know it is probably confusing with the conflicting opinions. The truth is that not adding calcium at this point would not be too big a deal. I would not worry about it until you are finished cycling the tank. With no creatures using up calcium and alkalinity it will be easy for you to maintain the correct levels though. I would recommend using a two part additive to keep them at natural seawater levels. A calcium reactor isn't necessary unless you decide to keep a lot of SPS corals. Even then you can get by with the two part additive, it just gets to be a hassle. If you tell us which test kit you are using we can help you with the instructions.

[waterdevil1]

NO do not add anything to your tank ontil it as had time to cycle!!
If you have a med. to sugar fine sand in your tank it will add some CA for your live rock.
Do not Add.

[thereefgeek]

Originally posted by waterdevil1
NO do not add anything to your tank ontil it as had time to cycle!!
If you have a med. to sugar fine sand in your tank it will add some CA for your live rock.
Do not Add.

I have to agree. An empty tank isn't going to need anything for quite a while. As you start adding livestock regular water changes will suffice. As you get further into debt, er I mean further into this hobby, adding calcium based organisims like SPS & LPS corals, then start to worry about your calcium levels by testing and adding only as needed (i.e. as the animals start to consume it). Going nuts with supliments can lead to problems down the road like cementing your sand together. All bottled and prepackaged additives should be used with extreme care so as not to O.D. Take your time adding fish and corals. Start with the soft corals like shrooms or leathers. As the tank matures and you begin to understand why your tank does what it does, you might start getting interested in the so-called "intermediate to advanced" animals. The most important thing to know is that there is NO SUCH THING as instant gratification in this hobby. Every action has an equal and sometimes negative reaction, and if the kid at the LFS swears you need to add this or that to your tank every other day, be sure to ask what it does and why. Better yet, come out to a few of our meetings and hang out and chat with some of the members in our club. You'll get far better advice from people who've already made these mistakes and learned from them than from someone trying to sell you something you might not need.

[waterdevil1]

Hey Rich when did jen take this picture of you ?!!!

[thereefgeek]

:lol: