How to make reg salt good for reef

I have alot of instant ocean salt left and was wondering, do I jist use kalk to raise all the stuff I need or is there something else I have to use

 

no, using kalk will drastically increase your pH. i used to use IO salt and I had to buffer it with 3 part additives, Calcium Alk and Mag individually, i used to have it all figured out down to the ounces of what had to be added. there is an article out on the internet by Dr. Rand Holmes Farly that will tell you exactly how to calculate what you have to add to make the parameters you are looking for...you can add the chemicals dry or you can make super saturated solutions you add by volume...

you can get the stuff you need anywhere local, but you can also order it from places like bulkreef supply...

calcium chloride, will raise your calcium - commonly sold as ice melter or concrete winter additive (dow flakes)
baking soda will raise your alkalinity - commonly sold in super market as baking soda
magnesium sulphate will raise you magnesium - commonly sold in all pharmacies as epsom salts (non scented)

 

If anyone can help me with figuring out the doseing for it. That would be nice

 

1) Regular Instant Ocean along with routine water changes is all you need unless you have several SPS corals; that's all I use for my reef tank.

2) If you do, in fact, need to dose elements, the only right way is to get a quality reef test kit, test your water and add what you need as you need it. Every tank is different, so your test kit is the only thing that can say what, how much and how often you need to dose for yours.

 

Ok I only plan on having Lps right now. Easy to care for ones at that to till I have learned more.

 

Then IO is all you need and water changes.

If you decide to get clams down the road or begin to have an over abundance of coralline algae then you may decide to use 2 part.

Until you have some idea of your tanks utilization I would not even worry about dosing. Look at your coral growth and health and go from there.

Less is really more sometimes in this hobby.

 

Agree, and any great reef tanks, even with more corals, still use IO. It is fine, having elevated Ca and Alk isn't necessary. Even IO is higher than the ocean, so, fine really...

 

here is a link that will help you calculate how to manipulate your water chemistry...simply add in your values and hit calculate...
'Reef Chemistry Calculator FV' i believe you flash player for this (which 99% of computers have)

and this page here makes an excellent read for those interested in a synopsis of marine biology:
Seawater: Composition

i agree you should not have to manipulate the IO salt for some LPS, but once the tank is established the LPS corals will consume as much if not more calcium then SPS corals...however this would make the addition of Kalk and excellent idea, if a kalk solution is unable to keep up with the demand then it would be necessary to supplement with 2 and 3 part additives...

i would first mix and test a batch of fresh IO salt you have...

personally i never got much over 300ppm for calcium and 7dkh for alk, and never over 1100ppm for magnesium at a SG of 35ppt....those levels are all considerably lower then the average ocean anywhere(with exception to alk which is fine) i also never got a pH over 7.9...so to me buffering the fresh mix with 3 part was not by choice, but necessity...perhaps i had a bad pail i dont know...once my fresh salt was at more desirable levels i would perform my water changes; and top off with kalk solution when needed between changes...