Seachem products perplexing

[RGS88]

I've found some of the SeaChem products/additives to be perplexing and confusing, especially around their Calcium and Alkalinity products. I'm setting up a new reef tank and am wondering what additives I should be purchasing and keeping on hand or adding on a regular basis. (I happen to be a fan of Seachem products, unless someone tells me otherwise). Seachem has several calcium products which kind of seem to do the same things, but each a little different... and thus the confusion. They have Reef Calcium, Reef Complete, Reef Fusion System, Reef Advantage Calcium, etc. Then for Alkalinity products they have Reef Buffer (which also raises Alkalinity), Reef Fusion System, Reef Builder, Reef Carbonate. Then Seachem has the Reef Fusion System (1 and 2) which is suppose to raise Calcium and Alkalinity. So can someone shed some light on what I should be using in what will become my new reef tank? Should I use the Fusion System 1 & 2, as opposed to separate Calcium/Alkalinity additives... and if so, which particular additives? Also should I be considering purchasing other products like Reef Magnesium, Reef Complete, Reef Builder, Reef Plus, Reef Trace or are some (or all) of these overkill?

[Myka]

First things first, how big is your tank and what corals do you keep in it?

The Reef Calcium is liquid. Reef Complete is also liquid, and includes a bit of magnesium and strontium as well. Reef Advantage is the dry version of Reef Complete (my pick of the bunch for calcium).

Reef Buffer is sodium carbonate and will raise pH. Reef Builder is sodium bicarbonate and won't raise pH. I would pick the latter.

Reef Fusion is a 2-part additive. It just makes dosing easy because you use equal amounts of each. Part 1 is calcium and some other minerals, part 2 is carbonates (for alkalinity).

[e46er]

I (along with most people) buy bulk chemicals because they do the same thing and are much much cheeper

for calcium i use dow flake which is calcium chloride
for alk i use baking soda which has been baked for an hour at 400 degrees in my doser for slight adjustments i just use reg baking soda without baking
and for Mg i use mag flake which is a combination of magnesium chloride epsom salts


heres a good link to read http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#4

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by Myka

Reef Buffer is sodium carbonate and will raise pH. Reef Builder is sodium bicarbonate and won't raise pH. I would pick the latter.

Am i nuts for thinking Reef Buffer has borate in it as well? I seem to remember reef buffer raising both pH and the tank's total alkalinity, but giving most of the bump via borate alkalinity, and not carbonate alkalinity. Ask me to cite my sources with confidence and I'm afraid I'd have a hard time, though I think it might have come with some of the information on the Seachem 'Reef Status' alkalinity test kit.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

Am i nuts for thinking Reef Buffer has borate in it as well? I seem to remember reef buffer raising both pH and the tank's total alkalinity, but giving most of the bump via borate alkalinity, and not carbonate alkalinity. Ask me to cite my sources with confidence and I'm afraid I'd have a hard time, though I think it might have come with some of the information on the Seachem 'Reef Status' alkalinity test kit.

That's possible. I have used SeaChem Reef Buffer in the past with good results long term. I prefer Kent Turbo Calcium to any of the SeaChem calcium products.