randy's 2 part

[biecacka]

hey i have been thinking of dosing randys 2 part and had a few questions. can the parts be dosed at the same time, can they be mixed? i have a softy lps tank so dont need a lot of calcium but for the time being i am using lime. maybe lime will be enough not sure.
corey

[buy_baff]

Kalk is probably enough if you don't have sps.

[biecacka]

yeah i have like 2 little colonies?? no big deal.

[HighlandReefer]

can the parts be dosed at the same time, can they be mixed?

The 2 part (calcium part and alk part) should not be dosed at the same time and can't be mixed together since this can cause calcium carbonate precipitation.

I agree that kalk water may be plenty for your situation & is the most economical way of supplying alk and calcium (you also get an added pH boost from kalk water if your tank pH is on the low side. You do need to be careful in how much kalk water you add or allow to be added at one time into your tank water. Too much can raise your pH too high. ;)

Randy provides more details regarding the use of kalk water in this article:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

[Squidhead9]

Here is a really basic two part question. If a kalk reactor is meeting my tank's needs for calcium and alk with an occasional mg supplement, is there any benefit to be obtained by switching to two part. My ph fluctuates between 8-8.2 during a 24 hour cylce with my kalk reactor running at its current level.

My assumption is that two part become beneficial when the kalk reactor can't keep up but otherwise won't add anything. I'm looking for input on whethere that assumption is correct, or if there are benefits to be obtained now from two part.

On a related question, is there any benefit to any of the balling methods over two part with occasional mg supplement.

[HighlandReefer]

I see no need for two-part in your situation, unless your kalk reactor does not meet your alk demand. Switching to Two-part will not raise your pH as much as the kalk reactor if it is run properly.

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"On a related question, is there any benefit to any of the balling methods over two part with occasional mg supplement."

To be fair, you need to compare the Balling method to all of Randy's articles he has published in the link noted above in the Chemistry Forum. Two-Part dosing using Randy's Do-It-Yourself Supplements is just part of Randy's methods. Many of the two methods are very similar.

IMHO, Randy's Methods supply much more detail and go further into the subjects at hand. Randy's Methods also provide many alternatives to Two-Part Dosing and explains the differences.

[bertoni]

The Balling method includes dosing of trace elements, but it's not clear that such doses are helpful, since there are many source of trace elements, including food and impurities in the two-parts. Tanks that get regular water changes don't seem to need trace element dosing.