Supplements??

[c1ownfish]

Ok.. So I am in the process of making my FOwLR 75g into a reef tank... I am getting ready to make a order for more fish stuff from dr. foster and smith and I was wondering what supplements you used in your reef tanks... I have been using calcium and Marie traces from seachem... So I was wondering what else I should get and start using... Also what tests do I need to be running and do you have any suggest on the maker?? I have been doing PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Calcium...

Thanks!
Malia

[Reefdude5]

Hi Malia, i assume you have proper lighting? I have had great success with Ca additive by Seachem. I would also highly reccomend getting some sort of alkalinity buffer, like "Reef Builder" by seachem to keep the ph and alk up! If you intend to keep tons of soft corals, i would get some iodine supplement, but with regular water changes its not really neccessary and if you do use it use conservitivly. I would also add Kalkwasser to your top-off, you may know about it, but its very usefull!

I would test for ph(a must), Ammonia(only neccessary in beggining during cycle) Nitrite(same as Ammonia) Nitrate(a must), Ca(a must), phosphate(very usefull for determining level of dissolved organics=predicting algae problems), and Alkalinity(a must)

[cyberchef]

Actually most of the hobbiest level phosphate test kits only test for dissol;ved phosphates in the water column. These are taken up so quickly that they usually don't give a reading unless they are extremely high. Its the phosphates that are tied up in the SB that are the problem.