Best/necessary reef chemicals

[Jake_the_reefer]

So I am a few months into my reef tank and I've just added my first lps coral (neon candy cane) and I plan on adding more lps in the future. So my question is what are the best chemicals or additives for a lps reef tank? And when I mean additives and chemicals I mean for calcium, iodide, strontium and other vital elements. I use reef crystal salt and I know that this replenishes some vital elements but know that I might need boosts at some point. What chemicals and brands should i stock up on to keep my coral vibrant and happy?

 

[ScottR]

So I am a few months into my reef tank and I've just added my first lps coral (neon candy cane) and I plan on adding more lps in the future. So my question is what are the best chemicals or additives for a lps reef tank? And when I mean additives and chemicals I mean for calcium, iodide, strontium and other vital elements. I use reef crystal salt and I know that this replenishes some vital elements but know that I might need boosts at some point. What chemicals and brands should i stock up on to keep my coral vibrant and happy?

First and foremost, you must get a test kit for any chemical you plan on dosing. Don’t dose calcium, magnesium, etc without first checking levels. If you have only one LPS in your tank, you probably won’t need to dose at all. Even if you skip water changes for a month, I can guarantee that all of your levels will be ok. Especially with just a candy cane. A water change will replace all of those minerals. Iodide and strontium aren’t really important for dosing IMO. That’s another discussion.

I do recommend feeding it though. Something like reef chili, reef roids or even frozen foods small enough for it to eat. This will help it to become more colorful and vibrant.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

First and foremost, you must get a test kit for any chemical you plan on dosing. Don’t dose calcium, magnesium, etc without first checking levels. If you have only one LPS in your tank, you probably won’t need to dose at all. Even if you skip water changes for a month, I can guarantee that all of your levels will be ok. Especially with just a candy cane. A water change will replace all of those minerals. Iodide and strontium aren’t really important for dosing IMO. That’s another discussion.

I do recommend feeding it though. Something like reef chili, reef roids or even frozen foods small enough for it to eat. This will help it to become more colorful and vibrant.

It is just one lps right now I have 2 softies. And i have a reef testing kit coming in the mail. But thank you I was afraid I needed a test kit asap. I have the api marine kit but I am waiting for the reef kit.
Also since I got my frag from my lfs I was unsure when the last fed it so I put some marine cuisine in a syringe and it happily ate some of the brine shrimp/mysis in it. I plan on target feeding once a week.

 

[ScottR]

One LPS and a couple of softies won’t eat through calcium, mag and alk like a tank full of LPS and SPS. I have maybe about 20 LPS of various sizes and countless softies. I test my Ca and mag before and after water changes and it never gets low enough to even consider dosing. If I were to keep SPS corals, I would need to watch more closely.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Thanks a ton! I am super new to reefing this is my first reef nano reef tank.

Is a reef test kit necessary for my situation then? Or do I still need to test hardness and phosphorus

 

[ScottR]

Thanks a ton! I am super new to reefing this is my first reef nano reef tank.

Is a reef test kit necessary for my situation then? Or do I still need to test hardness and phosphorus

-Alkalinity/carbonate hardness (usually simply called “alk”)
-pH
-Nitrate (NO3)
-Assuming your tank has cycled, ammonia and nitrite are less important. But good to have for emergency situations.

If you can afford, calcium would be next. Magnesium after that. Phosphates (if you have an algae outbreak, this is good for testing).

API kits aren’t really recommended on this forum because some say they’re less accurate. I haven’t tried so don’t know. Salifert is generally recommended. Red Sea kits and hanna ($$$) are also highly recommended.

 

[ScottR]

Thanks a ton! I am super new to reefing this is my first reef nano reef tank.

Is a reef test kit necessary for my situation then? Or do I still need to test hardness and phosphorus

Btw. Welcome to reefing. The best advice I was given is to be patient. Nothing can be rushed. And if you run into problems, feel free to ask the kind folks here on R2R, they’re extremely helpful and have saved me countless times.