new to Hard corals, info needed on supplementation

anyone?

 

If you have test kits I would try kalk in the auto top off up to I think it's 2 tsp per gallon of water. If that keeps your levels where you want them, then you don't have to worry about the other additives. Purple up is a waste of $ in my opinion. I would go either kalk or 2-part. I used 2-part for a good year on a 75 gallon sps tank with no issues.

 

howmuch 2part (b-ionic or c-balance) a year would you need for an 80gal? there will be more LPS and i few SPS(6 months after LPS). Can i dose kalk in Topoff along with 2part?

 

I suggest you make a decision on weather to dose via 2 part OR Kalk. No need for both simultaneously. Kalk can cause PH spikes so that must be monitored. The tanks element usage can be used as a deciding factor. Most hobbyists with even mild SPS populations find Kalk cannot keep up with the absorption/precipitation rate because you are limited by kalks saturation point and the inability to dose too often due to it's effect on PH.

Ditch the PurpleUp. Keep things simple...ie, Ca, Alk, Mg. Multiple products for the same elements will make things more difficult to keep stable.

I use B-ionic 2 part exclusively and have been since I began my tank. I go through approximately 3 gallons of Ca and Alk in a year. How much you will need will depend upon consumption rate. I'd rather have more than less though.

Lastly, make sure you run activated carbon ( if you don't already know this) once you add SPS. They don't like the sort of toxins that softies release.

 

Oh...Nice snake in your avatar!! I have two myself.

 

I wouldn't use the purple up, I would recommend topping off with kalk and if need be bumping it up with two part if the kalk can't keep up.

 

do do you sugggest the i only dose b-ionic in my 80gal? the dosage suggested on it is 1ml per 4gal dialy. does it keep up the parameters? does it also contain all the other elements like strontium, mag, melodium, boron, aminos, etc??

 

Read back to what many seasoned SPS keepers have suggested and you should make a educated decision because it is your tank, then once you have made a decision then i would dose according to how you test and what you can test for nothing else. Because my dosing and your dosing amounts can and be will completely different from tank to tank.

 

well i already have a JBL marine test lab that has all the kits but will be buyin hannah checker for cal and alk and mag(if they make 1). also i had used C-balance that had everything in it. Iv never used b-ionic as it was not available and on the only info i get online is tht its got all trace of natural sea water with cal and alk. im asking abt b-ionic coz ill have to spend 150$ to get it (will be buyin 2 sets of b-ionic)shipped to india, so dont wana take a chance. iv made diy cal, alk and mag keeping the parameters correct, still lost sps and seafan which survived when i was dosind sea balance.

 

I don't know the circumstances of your tank when you lost SPS but I will say this, Coral can be lost for numerous and at times unapparent reasons. Even longtime veterans will lose colonies from time to time.

Why are you so worried about the other elements? Especially if your not testing for them. For most of us, these are easily replaced by WC's.

This is right off the label of B-Ionic Calcium buffer system component No. 2 : "In addition to supplying highly concentrated calcium and carbonate alkalinity required for calcification, B-Ionic Calcium buffer system is also formulated to provide all other important major, minor, and trace elements in the proper ratios to duplicate the composition of synthetic seawater. "

That's good enough for me.