Reef supplements
15 posts • Page 1 of 2
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blueshoes2208 - Posts: 1077
- Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:01 pm
Reef supplements
what brand of supplements do i need to start using since I am going to jump into corals. I guess i would need a calcium and strontium but what do i do about foods as well, not really quite sure what corals eat. Oh and what do you guys feed your anthias, i have 2 female squamis and a male. They nibble at mysis shrimp but thats just about it.
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newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
I usually use Kent products. I have liquid calcium, magnesium, trace elements, coral-vite, purple up, and Ph buffer. It depends on what kind of corals your keeping. I don't have any SPS's, but zoanthids, torch, hammer, mushrooms, star polyps, frogspawn, leathers, toadstools, and a few others.
You could try brine shrimp on your anthias. They mysis may be too big.
You could try brine shrimp on your anthias. They mysis may be too big.
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blueshoes2208 - Posts: 1077
- Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:01 pm
oh yeah needa try somethin, i feed my clown and angel flaked and pellet foods and the anthias dont touch it and they occassionally nibble at the mysis
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newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
Oh yeah, depending on what kinds of corals you keep. Some eat phytoplankton, rotofilers, oyster eggs, etc. It depends what kinds of species your wanting to keep.
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fihsboy - Posts: 1837
- Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:20 pm
I use Oceans Blend. Its not a popular brand anywhere but here in the southeast. Its a small company that makes it, but my corraline growth is insane.
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schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
I was using Brightwells 2 part calcium and alkalinty before I started using Kalkwasser in the auto topoff and I still use it every once in a while to make slight adjustments. B-Ionic is just as good.
I test the magnesium but I have never had to dose as Oceanic salt mixes up at a nice 1330ppm and has never dropped lower than 1300.
Remember, never dose any supplements that you can't or don't test for.
I was curious about Strontium, as well and I asked my LFS owner a few weeks ago about it. Let me just say, he is a major SPS geek and has one of the best looking SPS tanks I have ever seen, even compared to tank of the month winners at Reef Central. Anyway, when I asked him about strontium test kits and supplements, he laughed and said, "I have both and will sell them to you, if you insist, but why?"
I don't feed my corals at all. My fish feed my corals with their poopy. The only corals that really need to be "fed" are non-photosynthetic corals. Photosynthetic corals primary food comes from Zooxanthellae algae that lives in the tissue of the coral. I have read that some corals can benefit from supplemental foods but it is absolutely not a necessity.
I test the magnesium but I have never had to dose as Oceanic salt mixes up at a nice 1330ppm and has never dropped lower than 1300.
Remember, never dose any supplements that you can't or don't test for.
I was curious about Strontium, as well and I asked my LFS owner a few weeks ago about it. Let me just say, he is a major SPS geek and has one of the best looking SPS tanks I have ever seen, even compared to tank of the month winners at Reef Central. Anyway, when I asked him about strontium test kits and supplements, he laughed and said, "I have both and will sell them to you, if you insist, but why?"
I don't feed my corals at all. My fish feed my corals with their poopy. The only corals that really need to be "fed" are non-photosynthetic corals. Photosynthetic corals primary food comes from Zooxanthellae algae that lives in the tissue of the coral. I have read that some corals can benefit from supplemental foods but it is absolutely not a necessity.
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fihsboy - Posts: 1837
- Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:20 pm
DUDE! Thats why my lfs always tells me. Hes like just let nature happen....it will. Fish eat....fish digest.....fish poop. I do like to feed live brine shrimp though. You should try it out man! Its like coral crack.
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schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
Yeah, before I started my first reef tank, I would stress over being proactive in maintaining corals and especially SPS coral because they are, supposedly, so "difficult" to keep. Most everything any coral needs, is in a good reef grade salt mix.
The best advice I ever got was to leave the tank alone. A big part of a tank maturing is the aquarist maturing as well. Don't constantly stick your hands in the tank and move things around and disrupt things. Dave, my LFS owner said, "have another interest or hobby. Keeping a reef tank, for someone who is only interested in the tank, is 1000 times more unbearable than watching and waiting for water to boil."
I feed my fish a variety. Nori, mysis, cyclopseeze and occasionally formula 1&2 pellet, when I'm too lazy to thaw out the frozen food.
The best advice I ever got was to leave the tank alone. A big part of a tank maturing is the aquarist maturing as well. Don't constantly stick your hands in the tank and move things around and disrupt things. Dave, my LFS owner said, "have another interest or hobby. Keeping a reef tank, for someone who is only interested in the tank, is 1000 times more unbearable than watching and waiting for water to boil."
I feed my fish a variety. Nori, mysis, cyclopseeze and occasionally formula 1&2 pellet, when I'm too lazy to thaw out the frozen food.
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blueshoes2208 - Posts: 1077
- Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:01 pm
ok so after reading all this information strontium is not necessary? Sounding like i need to upgrade my salt mix. I guess i need to look into kalkwasser... umm Nori?? dont know what that is, cyclopsqueeze im guessing is in a bottle you add a teaspoon or so to the tank everyday?? So just a guess but polyps and xenias would be non photosynthetic?? I would guess thats why they have things to reach out and grab stuff out of the water. Slowly but surely ill get this stuff down, until then ill need u guys 24/7
