Seachem reef advantage calcium, i'll effects....

[Redemptioner]

I use this product widely in my customers tanks, it is strong and in bulk. But after a customer added this product (at half the rec. dose) to his 290gal reef tank all the catalaphyllia started to close up instantly. The next day they were all mooossh. I can only see that other elemental lvls were at a crital point already and the dose simply tipped the balance or something....anways got any ideas?

ash

 

[2poor2reef]

I've used this product exclusively over the last several years with no ill effects. I do make sure my alk and ph are in correct ranges before adding any calcium supplement. Like you intimated, I would suspect that alk was low before the addition and that the lack of buffer caused a sudden and sever ph drop. But that is just a guess.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

If the NaCO3 was not completely dissolved, it will kill some of the corals it come in contact with as we add it into the tank. I have this happen to a few of the head of my Frogspawn.
Just make sure that it completely dissolve and you should not have a problem

 

[Redemptioner]

I did a few tests in at uni, when the product is in high concentration(in solution) it will form simple carbonic acid both when in strong solution and at the surface of most soft corals esp. in the Euphyllia family which have a unstable steroid food signature on the surface which readily breaks up when it comes into contact with the solution to form even greater quantities of carbonic acid.

Problem solved, don't add much when the Ca+ are already high

Ash

 

[Anemone]

What exactly is an "unstable steroid food signature on the surface?"

Kevin