Dosing calcium and other additives ...

bobbyg220 · May 6, 2019

So Bin out of the hobby for a while just trying to knowledge myself again especially how much everything has evolved..I used to dose kalkwasser and also would add my Kent marine supplements(just found one of my old orders) I used to get phytoplex..purple tech...iodide...trace elements and zoo plankton my question is I forget if I’m dosing kalkwasser there obviously is no need for any other calcium supplements right? Also are all of those supplements necessary? I remember it all worked for my old system so never changed it up..any input would be appreciated

Dr. Reef · May 6, 2019

Personally I dont dose anything that I cannot test and keep records for and to make sure the element is within acceptable levels.
Kalk will supplement alk and cal.

Reefs and Geeks · May 7, 2019

Agreed, only add things you can test for and know are deficient. kalk is a good option for supplementing Ca and Alk but can only keep up with so much demand. If you have enough stony corals, you may need to switch to 2 part or a calcium reactor. Those can always be implemented later though. I'd never start a new system with them unless I knew I had a need.

for the most part, if you do regular water changes, you won't have a need to dose any trace elements. You're just as likely to over dose as you are to have a low level, so water changes are key to keep everything right where it should be. Calcium, Alk, and Mag are the only common exception due to their fast rate of consumption from coral or coraline algae.