Should I use kalkwasser to grow my corals faster?

[joanropi17]

Hey, guys! I'm looking for an advise about kalkwasser?

I have a Biocube 32 gallon tank and I would like to grow my corals faster. My parameters are:

Salinity: 1,025
Nitrates: 1
Phosphate: 0
Calcium: 350
Magnesium: 1400
PH: 8.09
Temperature: 78°
Alkalinity: 8

I do water changes every week. I dose phytoplankton once a week. I also have a algae reactor.

I don't know what to do or what am I doing wrong.

I attached some pictures of tank

 

[Nate Chalk]

What light and par do you have on them

 

[Miami Reef]

Raise the nutrients if you want faster growth IMO. The phosphate might be too low if tested with an accurate kit.

You can dose kalkwasser which raises pH and Alk, but the alk above 8dKH needs higher nutrients.

 

[Nate Chalk]

How long has the tank been running

 

[joanropi17]

2 years running

 

[Nate Chalk]

2 years running

2 years? But all of those frags look brand new.

 

[joanropi17]

That's why I'm starting this conversation. The grow super super slow.

 

[Nate Chalk]

That's why I'm starting this conversation. The grow super super slow.

Those corals have been in the tank for 2 years? Seriously.

Just double confirming before diagnose

 

[joanropi17]

What light and par do you have on them

I'm using Radion XR15 G6. I recently installed this new light (5 months ago). Before that was Current USA LED lights.

 

[Nate Chalk]

350 calcium is pretty low and would reduce growth of hard skeleton structure.

Par may be low unless tested.

Nutrients are almost zero zero

Aim for 10-15 nitrates and 0.1-.15 phos

That's my guess

Kalkwasser won't fix any of those. Only to help maintain calcium and alk and ph

 

[joanropi17]

What light and par do you have on them

I'm using Radion XR15 G6. I recently installed this new light (5 months ago). Before that was Current USA Led

Those corals have been in the tank for 2 years? Seriously.

Just double confirming before diagnose

Those corals have been in the tank for 2 years? Seriously.

Just double confirming before diagnose

5 frags of those zoanthids have 2 years ans they are the same. The other ones have 8 and 6 months.

 

[joanropi17]

350 calcium is pretty low and would reduce growth of hard skeleton structure.

Par may be low unless tested.

Nutrients are almost zero zero

Aim for 10-15 nitrates and 0.1-.15 phos

That's my guess

Kalkwasser won't fix any of those. Only to help maintain calcium and alk and ph

What kind of nutrients you mean? I had a terrible tank with hair algae and don't want to habe that nightmare again.

 

[Nate Chalk]

What kind of nutrients you mean? I had a terrible tank with hair algae and don't want to habe that nightmare again.

Nutrients are nitrate and phosphates

 

[bobnicaragua]

I see a lot of small SPS frags. You can only dose the amount of kalk that your system consumes. So initially it won’t have much impact.

Kalkwasser is primarily used to replenish the calcium and alkalinity that SPS and LPS use to grow their skeletons. The PH bump is more of a positive side effect.

That being said, tanks tend to do well with kalkwasser. I’ve used it for years.

 

[oregoncoast]

Hey, guys! I'm looking for an advise about kalkwasser?

I have a Biocube 32 gallon tank and I would like to grow my corals faster. My parameters are:

Salinity: 1,025
Nitrates: 1
Phosphate: 0
Calcium: 350
Magnesium: 1400
PH: 8.09
Temperature: 78°
Alkalinity: 8

I do water changes every week. I dose phytoplankton once a week. I also have a algae reactor.

I don't know what to do or what am I doing wrong.

I attached some pictures of tank

Stop doing weekly water changes

 

[moretor1]

I would dose kalkwasser primarily to raise the calcium. You will see little to no growth with low calcium as corals will struggle to maintain their current skeleton

 

[Miami Reef]

I would dose kalkwasser primarily to raise the calcium. You will see little to no growth with low calcium as corals will struggle to maintain their current skeleton

Not good advice.

If you used kalkwasser to raise 350ppm calcium to 420ppm, the alkalinity will raise 10.8dKH. That will leave OP with alk over 18dKH.

You should dose kalkwasser to maintain alkalinity. If calcium is too low, specifically dose it with calcium chloride.

 

[moretor1]

Not good advice.

If you used kalkwasser to raise 350ppm calcium to 420ppm, the alkalinity will raise 10.8dKH. That will leave OP with alk over 18dKH.

You should dose kalkwasser to maintain alkalinity. If calcium is too low, specifically dose it with calcium chloride.

Dosing kalkwasser could be done to raise calcium but it should be done over long periods of time

You don't fix low calcium like that in a week but more like a month

I had nearly the exact same parameters calcium and alk wise and fixed it entirely with kalk over a period of about a month and a half. The highest I saw was around 10dkh

Your alkalinity will stabilize much faster than your calcium will drop

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

Not good advice.

If you used kalkwasser to raise 350ppm calcium to 420ppm, the alkalinity will raise 10.8dKH. That will leave OP with alk over 18dKH.

You should dose kalkwasser to maintain alkalinity. If calcium is too low, specifically dose it with calcium chloride.

Miami is right.

 

[Miami Reef]

Corals and calcification consume alk and Ca in a fixed ratio: 18-19ppm calcium and 2.8dKH.

You can’t consume alk without also consuming calcium unless you dose a mineral acid like hydrochloric acid which will tank the pH in the display.

It’s much easier to simply dose calcium chloride.