Calcium or balanced Calcium supplement

[W Churchill]

I've been using Tropic Marin balanced calcium supplement from the beginning but always keep some Salifert Calcium on hand in case I need to add calcium without raising the alkalinity (I also keep some buffer on hand just in case as well)

For ages now I haven't needed to add the Salifert calcium or the buffer as the balanced supplement has kept things, well, balanced.

This however does leave a residue on the floor of my marisys (bit like a sump) which unfortunately creates a snow storm in the tank when I delve into the marisys to clean the filter medium. My corals don't visibly appear to be too upset by this, but I guess they likely are.

So I'm wondering whether to swap from a balanced supplement to calcium and buffer in separate supplements. I do have a regular routine with what I do and am able to keep my calcium levels to +/- 5 ppm at all times and my alkalinity to +/- 1 dKM.

I just wondered what you guys do and which you think is best and even if the two part supplement route is preferred whether it's now worth abandoning what has become a very efficient method of maintaining correct levels.

Oh I change 5% of my water every third day which I guess helps stability quite a bit.

 

[cheeks69]

This however does leave a residue on the floor of my marisys (bit like a sump) which unfortunately creates a snow storm in the tank when I delve into the marisys to clean the filter medium. My corals don't visibly appear to be too upset by this, but I guess they likely are.

I make my own 2 part supplement using RHF's formula and although I have had issues in the past with massive amounts of precipitation due to low Magnesium levels I've never had any residue in the sump. At what levels do you keep your cal/alk/mag ?

 

[W Churchill]

I make my own 2 part supplement using RHF's formula and although I have had issues in the past with massive amounts of precipitation due to low Magnesium levels I've never had any residue in the sump. At what levels do you keep your cal/alk/mag ?

Firstly, I don't test my magnesium all that often, I always get the same OK result and never have precipitation anywhere else (if it is precipitation-but what else can it be-I can't actually see it on the bottom of the marisys, but presume that's where it is.). However I'm going to test it now for curiosity.

I've always maintained calcium at 405 (never varies between 400-405) but was thinking of increasing this (hence why I'm now considering my routine) as until today the tank was all soft corals, but today I added 4 hard corals.

I also add granular (Tropic Marin) strontium and trace supplements into the marisys, could these be causing the residue. I'd also wondered if I could be adding the calcium supplement to fast, as I say no precipitation issues in the tank itself.

I have a high concentration of corals, 36 species in 200 ltrs, I don't have many gaps so I add calcium regularly (3-4 scoops every other day-always test before adding)

I may be exaggerating when I said a snow storm but disturbing the filter medium in the marisys does cause some residue to be pushed out from the marisys outlet.