What Additives Do You Use for Your Reef?

[Genix]

simple enough question. what do you add as far as calcium, trace elements, and the like?

 

[macman7010]

Two Little Fishies A&B buffer for calcium and alkalinity - Kent Essential Elements for trace elements - Kent Iodine - Kent Super Buffer for ph - Red Sea Strot. - Kent Magnesium - Photo and Zoo plex - I test for all the above levels except of course the photo and zooplex

 

[rayjay]

I use limewater for calcium and don't use trace elements.
Trace elements all come from the food I feed to my tanks and I do water changes to try to keep trace levels down closer to NSW levels but probably never get them that low. Water changes merely replace water laeden with higher trace elements (and nutrients) and replace them with water of lower levels of trace and nutrient.
This has worked fine for me for over 11 years and I see nothing written anywhere that would persuade me to do otherwise.
My tanks total 850g plus sumps, and range from 20g up to 90g and all tanks are treated the same way except FOWLR tanks which get less limewater.

 

[seaham358]

I only use Bionic 2 part system and do regular water changes.

 

[driftfc]

all i use is a ph buffer and cal max

 

[Brodie]

I use:
Seachem Ph Buffer
Seachem Ca
Kent Alk
Purple Up
Coraline Stimulator
Kent Iodine
Ionic-B
Phytoplankton

I think that's about it...

 

[lando]

Trace elements are one of the biggest scams in the industry. If you do regular water changes (like a good aquarist should) then dosing trace elements is not needed and is a waste of money. Depending on your source water a Ph buffer may be needed and depending on what animals you keep a CA/ALK additive may be required. Keep in mind that adding some trace elements, iodine in particular, can be very dangerous to a tank. It is very easy to over-dose some of these products. Do your tank a favor and stop spending money on additives and get some more LR instead. It will have a far greater benefit.

 

[MT79]

Do your tank a favor and stop spending money on additives and get some more LR instead.

Ca/Alk (via B-Ionic) and regular PWC's for the rest.

 

[flanque]

I just use a KH, CA and PH buffer along with water top-ups every two days of the week. I change my filter pads every month and do a salt water change every month.