i went to my home depot to get these items for the recipe to make it and the guy says that the calcium is seasonal. is this true? is there somewhere else i can get it?
yes, both are made from items that are regularly used as concrete de-icers.. so obviously you are not as likely to find these items in the summer where its warm
if i dose this stuff in a 125 with two or three clams and a few corals with calcium needs will this be enough to avoid using a calcium reactor. i would rather do it myself if i can. please advise.
if i dose this stuff in a 125 with two or three clams and a few corals with calcium needs will this be enough to avoid using a calcium reactor. i would rather do it myself if i can. please advise.
Should not be a problem, just keep on top of the dosing. A calcium reactor (if done properly, which isn't always easy) leads to more stable levels, but I dose my Ca and Alk additives once a day or every other day and have no trouble keeping levels in range. (I do have a fairly light load of corals though).
The Boston Reefers (Home of Randy Holmes-Farley) had a meeting dedicated to this topic.. coupled with a group buy for the required recipe components.. fun fun fun...with a twist of chemist
What do you guys think of pelletized calcium cloride and magnesium chloride? I've seen these two types as the ingredients in ice-melt at Wal-mart and a chain here in the mid-west called Meijers (automotive sections in each store). The product had "Heat" in the name.
My biggest concern is that there is some other ingredient in there that could have adverse effect on the tank. I know Dow Flake and Mag Flakes have been used by others with success but getting my hands on it is frustrating - even now with the onset of winter and the freezing temperatures.
__________________ Hobby Experience: 5 yr freshwater, Saltwater since 10/2003 Current Tanks: #1. 75g, 10g refugium, 16g Lifereef sump w/ Lifereef VS2-24 w/ EHEIM 1262, mag 7 return, 6x54w T5, MJ1200 - modded, AC Jr., SP 3000 (Niveaumat)for top off, corals since 2/2006 #2. 20g RR, 10g sump, 250W -10k MH, Mag 5 return. Up since 2/2007 #3. 4g Finnex NANO, 18W PC, HOB filter used as refugium, Minijet 404 for circulation. Up since 6/2007
What do you guys think of pelletized calcium cloride and magnesium chloride? I've seen these two types as the ingredients in ice-melt at Wal-mart and a chain here in the mid-west called Meijers (automotive sections in each store). The product had "Heat" in the name.
My biggest concern is that there is some other ingredient in there that could have adverse effect on the tank. I know Dow Flake and Mag Flakes have been used by others with success but getting my hands on it is frustrating - even now with the onset of winter and the freezing temperatures.
I might be overly cautious, but I would not put anything in my tank that could have dangerous levels of trace elements. I would stick with the products that Dr Randy Holmes-Farley has listed ingredients. It just doesn't seem worth saving a few dollars to possibly nuke my tank or even lose a few fish or corals.
I might be overly cautious, but I would not put anything in my tank that could have dangerous levels of trace elements. I would stick with the products that Dr Randy Holmes-Farley has listed ingredients. It just doesn't seem worth saving a few dollars to possibly nuke my tank or even lose a few fish or corals.
Brian
yes, one of the reasons these products were recommended is because of there high quality... you need to be very cafe to know exactly whats going into your system..
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I use the Randy-Holmes reciepe and it seems to work great, I also occasionally at least once a week run a 2 gallon jug of kalkwasser as a drip(thanks to Robs video).
you don't need to stock up to much for the summer as 1 gallon of each of the stuff seems to be lasting pretty good on my 125g, and it did not take too much of the calcium choloride flake to make it, baking soda is always around and I just found a place in ontario that carries mag pellets that works fine for the magnesium dosing.
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Tank Type: Mixed Reef
Display: 125G (140lbs LR, 3" Sandbed(175lbs))
Sump: 20G (2" sb)(cheato) & 8G subsump (6"sb)(10lbs LR)
Skimmer: ER RS-135 and saline solutions unit
Return: remote fuge with mag pump
Overflow: Lifereef
Heater: black strealth
Phosphate Reactor: bag of GFO
running Carbon Media 24/7
RO: Costco
Salt: IO
Light: 72" 3x175 MH and 2 60" VH)
Sump Light: 7x12
macsturm i have the same size tank so i should ask you do you know if there is an online store for the magnesium as well. i thought i could find these things in the dc area but apparently not. i will have to order these things. also i dont drip kalk so would i need to do this as a supplement in order to keep calcium levels at proper levels or is it a trial and error issue.
to order online BrianPlankis posted this a few post up, In Canada there I was not able to find it online and shipping from the States with duties and customs would not make it worth while for me, but I was able to find it locally in my city at various hardware stores.
I do both, the Randy-Holmes reciepe and Kalk, Randy-Holmes also does Kalk in his tanks, but on top of the main reason of Kalk being Calcium it also maintains and elevates your PH levels which is an important thing. I personally only use Kalk once a week as a don't have a lot of corals right now and the two part additive maintains my Calcium level fairly consistantly.
I am a newbie and this is my first tank and I am at about 6 months right now and touch wood things are going
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