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Dosing questions


Lind715

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Hey guys! This is my first saltwater tank, much less reef tank. My head is kind if spinning with all the different products you can use so I would like to hear from those with experience with mixed reef tanks what you use and how much.

I have a 32 Gallon Coralife Biocube LED. I have a mix of several types so far but I think I'm leaning more towards SPS and LPS corals. I do a water change every week so as I slowly added corals, the water change always replaced what was being used. Now, I'm seeing a slight pull on calcium so its time to think about dosing. I had bought Kent Marine Purple Tech to boost Coralline growth when I got the tank only to read the directions and know I couldn't use it just yet ?. I tried it last night, a small dose, and this stuff sucks. The cap leaks HORRIBLY when you shake it per directions and as soon as it went in, polyps that are ALWAYS out and happy, went in completely. They're back out now so I'm not too concerned but I need something my tank actually likes. 

Long story short, I would just like to know what people use who are SPS and LPS heavy in their tanks! Thank you!!!

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Personally with a smaller tank like yours I would go with the ESV ALK/CAL. You could hand dose until your corals started to grow and when you can’t keep up, I would look into a doser so it can do it for you. 

 

I used ESV a for years but once my 200 gallon took off, the cost was just too high. But with only 32 gallons it would be my best choice. 

 

Once you you figure out what your tank consumes daily, I would dose 1/2 in the am and then the other 1/2 in the pm. 

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You should have observed a larger decline in alkalinity than calcium (proportionate; a drop in calcium of 18ppm should have resulted in a drop in alkalinity of 2.8 dKh if not more in a young tank); if that didn't happen, my first inclination would be test error in regard to the calcium results. How long has the tank been up and running? Water changes alone are typically enough to keep the average reef tank at acceptable levels for the first six months (certainly not a rule, just typically happens). I use the BRS Pharma soda ash/calcium chloride two part with good results but prior to that was making my own with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (i.e. Randy's two part recipe) with good results as well. I think the vast majority of tanks are running on kalkwasser and/or two part; simple, effective, and inexpensive for smaller tanks. 

Edited by madweazl
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I agree with epleeds, ESV is a great product and it has some trace elements also. Lately I have been trying the new Tropic Marin All-For-Reef on my little tank (too expensive for a larger tank) and I really like it. I am quite lazy and just having to test alk (instead of alk, ca, & mg) was a big plus for me.

 

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/all-for-reef-tropic-marin.html

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I'm having one issue with using alk to determine if calcium is being used or if its the test that's wrong. I just started up the fuge basket in the back with some chaeto and where my pH and all were sitting a little lower (7.8-8 and around 7-8 dkh. The alk is harder to tell because I didnt start testing for it until I started adding corals), now pH is a perfect 8.3 and dkh started to be around 9 until I noticed the calcium drop from 420 to 400 and dkh drop to 8. Wierd thing is, I just did a water change, only tested calcium and its showing now as 380-400. I use the API tests so I really dont know what to think, if theres something wonky with the tests or if theres something going on with my water.

 

I also noticed after my water change that the one frag of granulosa I have in my frag rack while it acclimated to my light has what I assume is mucus. Not sure it it was the stress of the water change or if it's an indication of something else. Any ideas?

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What salt mix are you using? Depending on brand/type, it will have lower or higher amounts of elements that may or may not match your tanks current parameters. This is why it's typically recommended to use a salt that mixes up close to your target levels. For instance, Instant Ocean typically has a dKh of 10.5-11, calcium 400-425, and magnesium 1300 when I test it. If my tank had a dKh of 7 and I used the above salt to perform a water change, the alkalinity would go because of the elevated levels in the salt (what you may have observed after the water change). If my calcium were 415, it would remain roughly the same. Your acropora likely "slimed" because there was a significant different between the parameters of the water you mixed up in relation to the water in the tank. Also, the API test kits typically lack the resolution (accuracy) needed to track a change in parameters as small as you're trying to get. 

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Still curious as to how old your tank is. How long have you been tracking Alk/Calc? 

 

Reason I ask, is I have have a 22 gallon nano with over 30 different SPS growing out from frags, some mini colonies (but not a lot) and I am getting by on water changes. I'm literally dosing 3ml a day of each ESV 2 part B-Ionic. 

 

Every tank is obviously different, but I bet you probably don't need to start dosing yet. And I agree with Epleeds, ESV B-Ionic is a great solution for a small tank, it also adds magnesium, so one less dosing side to worry about. 

 

Also, I'm no expert, but that granny looks like it has some bite marks on it, do you dip?  

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  • 2 months later...

Get yourself some good, reliable test kits like Salifert.

Record N03, P04, Alk, Cal, Mg.

Dont worry about pH.

Miniature fuge is unlikely to alter pH, so is best used for growing pods.

Dont chase numbers- it’s stability that you are after. 

If you’re dosing by hand, then a gallon jug with an airline dripper and use of kalkwasser might be your best bet.

Theres a great article on Wamas about using KW to replace all of your top-off water.

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