So before I add a ton of stock to my tank...

[Wade]

How fast do the calcium levels change after the new stock is added? I'm getting ready to go to my first frag swap on the 21st and I'm sure I'll come home with lots of goodies. I've got a 2-part system installed and ready to go and plan to check my parameters daily, but was just curious how much of a change I'll see right off the bat? I currently have 4 small stony corals and will probably be adding another 6 to 8 from the frag swap. They'll be small I'm sure so i'm not expecting to see a big change, but I just want to be prepared since this will be the first time I'll so much stock in my tank. Any tips to pass along?

[subsea]

Enjoy the ride.

Patrick

[Bpb]

Overnight change? Not likely, but once they get acclimated to your light, water, and flow, the ones that are happy will likely take off and start growing quick and then the change will be sudden. For my tank that's usually a couple months after adding new sps

[SChrisEV]

There are a ton of variables that need to be known to answer this, tank size (I assume 72 gal based on your profile details), but how big of a sump?, how often do you or do you plan to do water changed? What salt mix do you use? what filteration do you have?... I'm sure there are a lot more...

That said, when I started my tank 92g, + 32g sump running about 110g of total water volume for the first 4 to 6 months I was keeping up with coral needs just with water changed about every 4 week of 10%. This supported 5 or 6 SPS, 4 or 5 LPS few zoes, and some shrooms. I did not add them all at once it was over a period of time. Then with growth I found my Ca was dropping faster than I was replacing it with a water change. I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt mix, have a skimmer, run GFO and carbon.

[+brian.srock]

I find that calcium doesn't drop fast but alk will drop by .5 overnight sometimes. Nothing to be really worried about if you plan on dosing or water changes. With a bunch of new frags I would run some carbon since all the new frags will be pretty pissed off after you dip them.

[Neon Reefer]

Wade

I beleive you have a very mature tank if memory serves me correct, so barring any sort of new coraline growth spurt, i doubbt you will see any noticible initial change in a 75 G with an increase from 4 to a total of 10 small frags in either Ca or Alk. Negligible change in Ca at any rate. I would expect weekly testing to suffice for a while. If you start to see a drop on the weekly testing after the initial acclimation process then just calculare the change and bump up your 2 part as needed to remain in balance.

Andre'

[Sascha D.]

I wouldn't even worry about calcium until you get a healthy stock of corals and/or shelled inverts. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the only real side effect of low calcium is slowed growth of calcified inverts. Your average reefkeeper won't even dose calcium, unless they are trying to keep a full stock of sps.

[Wade]

Thanks all. @SChris: I use Reef Crystals and do weekly to 10 day water changes at 10%. I've got a 20g sump and check my parameters weekly so by all accounts I should be ok for a while. I'm really looking forward to the frag swap. Should be good times:)