Details
TheReef® supplies a broad range of dry chemical salts suitable for use in freshwater and marine aquaria. These pure food or pharmaceutical grade salts require a little preparation but can be an economical alternative to commercial liquid additives.
The Balling Method / 3-part method
Hans-Wermer Balling in Germany and Randy Holmes-Farley in the USA independently developed similar recipes for supplementing calcium and carbonates using basic chemical salts, and subsequently extended their approaches to cover a reef aquarium's magnesium requirements as well. You can download an information leaflet on a simplified version of these methods here [pdf]. TheReef® supplies the following pure chemical salts for use with these methods:
Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3)
Calcium Chloride dihydrate (CaCl2.2H2O)
Magnesium Chloride hexahydrate (MgCl2.6H2O)
Magnesium Sulphate heptahydrate (MgSO4.7H2O)
Available in 1kg, 2kg and 4kg sizes only.
Kalkwasser
A solution of Calcium Hydroxide - often referred to by its German name of 'Kalkwasser' (Limewater) - is an economical and well established method for maintaining calcium and alkalinity levels in marine aquaria. Kalkwasser is a balanced additive that adds both calcium and carbonates in the same proportions as these ions are taken up by stony corals. TheReef® supplies the following pure chemical salts for use with this method:
Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2)