What the Heck are we balling about??
 

After various emails and calls about the balling method I thought I would re post this amazing concept.

So to start what the heck is the Balling light method?.

The Balling light method has been used in Europe now for quite some years and has been developed to create a more easy balling system, and 80% of German reefers now employ this method over the calcium reactor.

WHY?? Well it is a heck of a lot cheaper than a calcium reactor and does so much more than the old one trick poney better known as the calcium reactor can ever do - please read on.

The balling system.

So we all (or most of us) have a calcium reactor what does this do? Well not a lot really other than add DKH (carbonate hardness) to your water and of course a level of calcium, but never to the degree a system really needs, its deployment of these crucial elements is also very crude and difficult to balance.

So the Balling method goes a whole lot further and has been said once established a lot easier to use and maintain in terms of cost and efficiency. This method does not just add calcium at an average rate over time but also adds all the mineral trace elements your system could need, once you have calculated your systems draw requirements on the minerals. So you are adding all the mineral nutrients in a controlled manner not just dosing DKH.

This then goes one step further, the minerals used in the balling method are lab pure, so you only get what you require, no hitch hiker minerals not required. This also eliminates the needs for CO2 bottles, regulators, drip feeders etc etc, all you need is a 3-4 buckets and a 3 stage dosing station, and of course the balling salts.

Here is a copied part of the manual that explains a bit more

The classic balling-method is meanwhile one of the most popular methods for providing your reef-tank with calcium. Fauna have adjusted this method to today's needs and have created the balling-lightmethod. Balling-light works without calculating and the need for wasteful gram-precise mixing of chemicals.

For this method, you need four different chemicals. We will not confuse you with exact chemical formulas, but show you a simple but effective way of providing your animals with calcium and other minerals.

Balling-light means adding the needed minerals like calcium, magnesium and
carbonates separately and to the exact requirement of your tank. For that, three different solutions are prepared and added to the tank. As the requirement of each tank is different, it has to be tested in the course
of a week to work out what your system requires.

Instruction:

You need three solutions in three separate 10-liter (2,5 gallons) containers:

1. can:
2 kilogram Calcium Chloride-Dihydrate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water

2. can:
2 kilogram Magnesium Chloride-Hexahydrate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water
250 gram Magnesium Sulfate-Heptahydrate

3. can:
500 gram sodium hydrogen carbonate in 5 liter reverse-osmosis water
Now, all three cans can be connected to a GHL ProfiLux dosing station with built in controller or if you have a ProfiLux computer then just the 3 station doser.

Each solution has to be dosed according to the size of the tank. At the beginning, CA, MG and alkalinity have to be checked daily.and the dosing quantity has to be adjusted at the controller. The ProfiLux dosing station controller is very suitable for that, as each channel can be adjusted individually and the solutions can be dosed twice a day at 5 minutes intervals.
You can do this also by hand.

After two weeks, ones personal need will be detected and adjusted. The quantities in each can can now be calculated and varied by you. Through Balling-light a small quantity of sodium chloride will arise in your tank.

To avoid accumulation it should be compensated by periodical water change
(10% each week). Also, always check the salinity of your water and adjust it if necessary. Essential trace elements needed for the growth of corals can be dosed automatically. Therefore we have developed the Ultra Trace B solutions. Add to can 1 (to the Calcium Chloride-Dihydrate) 25ml of the strontiumcomplex and 25ml of the heavy-metall-complex. To can 2 (to the magnesium) you add 25ml of the Iodine-Fluorine Complex.

And that is it.

So if you are interested in taking up the modern method of mineralization for your reef tank and providing your corals with the exact required minerals for growth and colour, all salts, dosers are available at all our dealers, please check out our web site for your closest.

But please support CanReef sponsors progressive reef and and ocean aquatics who carry these lines.

So this is basically Randy's 2-part system from Reef Central where you can use driveway de-icer (CaCl2), Epsom salts (MgSO4), and baked baking soda?

Absolutely not totally different, for starters there are 4 parts to this and the salts used a extremely pure

if you use road way salt expect to get this in your tank.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...rect/salts.jpg

Would you risk the bucket on the left in your tank?

With the Fauna Balling salts they are gurarranteed pure, no bromine added, no ammonia no heavy metals, you get exactly what you tank requires, not bad deposits. There are so many stories of browned out tanks when trying to do things cheaply, we all love bargains but at what risk.

Here is faunas own statment

Dear Reefers

Many people ask us about our Balling light System and why we developed it. Also what is the difference to the classical Balling System and the well known 2 Part System with the use of DIY Salts.

Reef tanks need a stable chemical base and in the last years the kind of reef tanks chanced with low grade salts are well lit and strong current tanks with a wide variety of SPS and LPS Corals, this is an expensive chance to try and save on cheap salts.

The Classic Balling Method was developed 20 years ago where the sea salts used were not good quality and the reef tanks were mainly with fish and soft corals, much has changed since then. Fauna Marin therefore searched for new very clean salts and other mixes to increase the growth and stability of the modern reef tanks with SPS and LPS Corals

Reefers ask why our salts are more expensive and why should we pay such prices when we can source cheaper. I hope this demonstration provides the reason why (see above photo). Like you see here impure salts included a lot of industrial trace elements, Ammonia or other chemicals produce brown corals, or at best little colour and worst pests like Cyano bacteria.

FM salts are free from anything that can give such results as shown here and are produced with the exact trace elements required for success with SPS and LPS Corals. The Balling light salts have less Crystal water and a higher purity then other salts on the market so you need less of them to get stable results and a stable PH Level.

Together with the ULTRA TRACE B Elements you will get the best coral growth possible

And that’s without any Calcium reactor

All these new systems,... sounds like a lot of work and space requirements.
Where would i hide 3 buckets?! My wife complains about small 5lb Co2 bottle!
On top of that, if could do 10% weekly water change i don't need any dosing, my small calc reactor does good job maintaining good levels.
My SPS growth rate is good the way it is and if i get more, then i will have to frag and the after fraging colonies look ugly especially when you brake them.
Add to total cost ridiculously priced super expensive controllers
I think I'll stay with my set up

OK so let me see if this is right, buying a pro-flux controller, 3 stage dosing pump, containers, and the different chemicals is cheaper than getting a Ca reactor... Either your getting ripped off on your Ca reactor or your getting stuff for real cheap.

also if you have a very low evaporation setup the balling method might not be able to put enough stuff in to maintain levels, a Ca reactor is a recirculating system so no water is added.

Also how do the trace elements come into play, a Ca reactor will also put trace elements back into the water as they are also bound in the media. I didn't see anything in the balling explanation that covers that.

Steve

Hiya

You dont need a profiLux controller. the dosing pumps systems come with controller built in at $474. If you already have a Profilux then the price drops to $352.00

So what do you need for a calcium reactor

Calcium reactor.
CO2 bottle
Regulator
Means of flow control (often a dosing pump)
pH regulator if you want to get the most out of it

For a good calcium reactor set up that is worth its $$ you will pay more then this for sure.

Balling method -

Salts
Dosing pump unit.

In reagrds to evaporation, minerals do not evaporate, and the system is designed to only put in exactly what the sytem requires, this is the huge difference.

Calcium reactor type mineral supplementation is based on guess work as to what minerals are in the media to be released, further more you then have to add kalk to do the job properly and magnesium and trace elements. it starts to get a bit messy.

Now looking at the balling method.

3 containers (we can show you a fab neat unit that has been developed in the USA) each container already having exactly the right amount of minerals, all you need to do is work out the draw that your system has on these minerals, you can then only if you feel the need add further trace elements to boost colour.

This system is not new, it has been around for years in Europe and is proven to be THE most effect way to supplement a reef system thats why so many people in Europe use it. Simple affordable and extremely accurate in dosing.

To give you an idea how people are seeing this as the way forward, we shipped two weeks ago to the USA 30 dosing pump systems and 300Kg of salt, the supply is now on back order for the USA. This has really caught on now and we hope this side of the border will see the true benefits also ;)

I agree 100% it is hard to shake off tried and widely used concepts, but sometimes it's worth looking at a different angle and wander why something like this is so popular? Is it better? Proof seems to be in its popularity and results that it provides and the actual concept makes sense.

You can do the 2 part or the Balling method as cheaply or as expensively as you like. When I started, I used 3 Aqualifter pumps and 3 timers. Peristaltic pumps offered way more accuracy, and the Profilux controller takes care of my whole tank.

The last time I adjusted my dosing amounts was in May. Since then CA and kH levels have stayed virtually unchanged. I spend 10 minutes of hard labor filling a 20l and a 10l jug with water and chemicals every few weeks.

I've never owned a calcium reactor, so I don't know how 3 peristaltic pumps and 3 plastic jugs (milk jugs for a small tank) would compare to the price of one.

I add less than 300ml to a 180G tank daily.

The only trace element I add is Iodine, but I'm curious to see if the Fauna Marin for the Balling Method trace elements would make any difference, if anyone in the Lower Mainland ever starts carrying them.

Progressive reef has them and so does ocean aquatics.

Your synopsis is great.

It is true as quite rightly put, this method is not about what salts you buy (well it is in regards to purity) but about the method itself. I guess as the distributor this message can easily get lost.

The only thing I would add is make sure you get pure product and that is why we push the fauna salts - purity, you can even use these salts for your chosen two part.

I'll be installing this kind of dosing system on a clients tank in the next few weeks. I will also be switching out my Ca reactor for this kind of system, to me it just makes more sense. Even when my Ca reactor is working flawlessly it does not match my systems requirements perfectly, still always have to correct levels manually, plus I find a Ca reactor always needs constant attention to keep the flow rate of water and CO2 constant. Why not have a system that simply doses exactly what you need everyday automatically and requires less attention and maintenance?

Looking forward to this system, thanks!