Acro / Calcium Question

[Isoprene]

I have a 55 gallon about 1 year old. Its doing well with the coral / fish I have stocked so far I only have a possum wrasse and a bumblebee goby (other fish died little more than a month ago). I have 2 acro frags I got from a local friend that a growing slowly but surely, now that I have LED's they are growing pretty good! They have polyps extension and are coloring up a bit more than when they were first introduced. As I increase my photo period (acclimating tank from T5's) the color becomes more and more intense.

The frags started out about 1.5 inches and are around 3 - 3.5 and its been about 2 months. I am new to acros. I am dosing magnesium now and then to keep it up around 1380 - 1400 and my calcium has held constant with 5% weekly water change.

My question is should I add more acros? I have zoas, palys, lps, sps (2 montipora), and 2 acro frags. I want to grow everything out but now that my acros are coloring up I am falling in love with them. I am worried I don't have a way to sustain my calcium in such a small tank if I add more acros with just water changes. I DO NOT want a calcium reactor. I don't have an auto top off, and don't want to buy one if i don't have to. I don't dose anything but Mg now and then to keep it steady and I don't plan on upgrading tanks for another year maybe 1.5 years.

Can I add more or should I leave it be with the ones I have? Any thoughts comments would be really appreciated..thanks.

 

[Downbeach]

What are your Ca and Alk readings now? Obviously as your demand changes, you may need to do some type of supplementing, usually Ca and Alk. Your Mg should stay within recommended ranges with just your water changes.
I would get your salinity right first, since when you do your WC's, is where much of your Ca, Mg and Alk is added. Use a calibrated refractometer for this.
Once your parameters are within acceptable ranges, i.e. Ca = 380 to 450, Alk = 7 to 11 dKH, Mg = 1200 to 1400, you could just add some kalk to your top off water. Start with 1 tsp. per gallon and watch your demand, you can go to 2 tsp. without any problems. This will also help keep your pH up. If you find that this is not enough to keep up with a growing demand, then you would have to consider going to a two part solution.

 

[Isoprene]

My calcium is about 400 and my alkalinity is good at 8.9, my salinity is 1.025 to 1.026 it has held constant for the past 2 months. My calcium has never dropped, the only thing that has dropped is my magnesium.

Sorry what is Kalk water is that the stuff brightwell sells? Brightwell Aquatics - Kalk+2

Im super worried to dose this stuff, I have zero experience with dosing it?

 

[chort55]

FWIW dosing isnt a big deal on a smaller tank. I maintain calcium and alk in my 14g that has ~20 acros w/ two part, and water changes.

I've dosed my 180 as well but that gets expensive and harder then a reactor for sure.

 

[Downbeach]

Those numbers look fine. What salt mix are you using? It doesn't appear to me that you need to dose anything, including the Mg. What test kit are you using to test your: Ca, Mg and Alk? What are you using to check for PO4?
Using kalk will not go too far in raising your Ca and Alk, more used to maintain them between water changes. I would just get some Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime, instead of paying for some expensive "marine" formula.


Here is an article:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[Isoprene]

I am using Reef Crystals from Instant Ocean and I am dosing using bright wells Mg powder. I go to my LFS to test for all of my parameters twice a week, its literally 1 block away. He uses the API test kits for NO4, PO4, Alk, Ca, Ph and a calibrated refract for salt. He uses a different brand Mg test kit but I cant remember the name it come sin a larger black box though.

@ chort, holy heck 20 acros in a 14 gallon?! Maybe I am over estimating how much of the trace elements these guys use? If I maintain frequent small water changes and dose using the above method I should be fine to acro up?