Additives??

I've used SeaChem Marine Buffer, Kent Marine pH Buffer and even SeaChem's Reef Buffer and SeaChems Reef Advantage Calcium in my FOWLR tanks when I've had low calcium and alkalinity or low pH. I've only used them on rare occasions because I usually do a larger water change instead, but these products have worked for me. The best thing to do however is find the root cause of the problem.

 

The only thing I would disagree with is only testing for PH amm nitrite and nitrate for a FOWLR. ALK directly effects PH...Ca and ALK also effect eachother. The only difference for a FOWLR is you wont have corals to factor into balance.

Treat it like a reef tank and you will have happy fishies And then when you finally decide to keep some corals (and you will...trust me!), you will already have the knowledge and good habits.

billpa

 

Oh...one more thing...when I say treat it like a reef tank...Im not suggesting striving for 450 ppm of Ca and a high alk...normal ocean parameters are acceptable.

billpa

 

A comment on Sand vs. Crushed Coral: Good sand (i.e. aragonite) actually is crushed coral...just crushed very small. And yes, aragonite or crushed coral will contribute to the PH stability of a tank, though they aren't required. What you don't want is silicate sand, which can add undesirable compounds to the water and encourage algae growth. (Most play sand from the home improvement store is silicate sand.)

 

There have been lots of articles written and discussions on the topic of silica based sand. Here is a good read on the topic. There are lots of people in the hobby that use silica based sand in their tanks and are quite pleased with the results.

Okay, I'll give a little on the buffering ability of aragonite. It is said that it begins to dissolve at a pH of 7.8, thus bringing the pH back up...believe it, or not...it's a personal choice in my opinion.

 

I agree, you should treat your FOWLR tank like a reef tank.

 

As well as Magnesium and Strontium. I use IO and consistantly test low on all three of these.

Anne