Chemistry question

[Beverly]

Matt,

I don't have all the answers to your questions because I don't use C-balance and don't really know what it's supposed to do in your tank.

However, your alk is quite low and your Ca is a bit low. Keep alk between 8 and 11 dKH. Ca needs to be a little higher at about 400-425 ppm.

Kalk needs to be dripped slowly into the tank, not poured in slowly. I use the drip system on the left in the picture below for my three tanks:



Kalk delivers both alk and Ca to your system. Though it will not raise either alk or Ca, it will help maintain it. However, depending on your system's needs, you will probably find that you will also have to use additives to raise both alk and Ca.

If you have low alk, you must add an alk booster. I use a mixture of baked baking soda and baking soda to raise alk, however you can use a commercial product to do this. To raise Ca, I use Kent's Liquid Calcium.

Another important component of balanced reef chemistry is magnesium. Mg should be between 1280 to 1350 ppm. I use Kent's Tech-M Magnesium to raise Mg, and try to keep mine at about 1325 ppm.

SPS, LPS, calciferous macroalgaes, coralline algae need both Ca and Mg to grow properly. If either or both of these elements are low, your livestock will not be growing optimally.

I urge you to get alk, Ca and Mg test kits so you can test for them yourself. Keep a log book of when you test, what your test results are, and how much of each additive you use. Over time, you can see trends in the uptake of alk, Ca and Mg, and you can then test less often, but still add your additives based on the knowledge base in your log book.

For more information on reef chemistry, here is a list articles and calculators that you will hopefully find useful .....

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=19425