Couple Dosing questions and such

[EMUreef]

Alright well i've had "nano" tanks since i started saltwater. and have always bought salt that had everything i needed in it, like calcium

with my new 90g tank being set up

What should i dose? should i just stick to salt that has everything i need in it?

would it be smart to invest in a carbon reactor?

If i have a fuge, would i really need a to run phosban/GFO?

Is there anything i should consider dosing?

[Sir Patrick]

Going to think a little on this one. There are so many ways to go about things these days. There are so many possibilities right now, that werent available, or tested well. a couple years ago.

[EMUreef]

Going to think a little on this one. There are so many ways to go about things these days. There are so many possibilities right now, that werent available, or tested well. a couple years ago.

i know there are just so many things out there, that you need to ensure coral growth and survival.

maintaining water quality, i have no idea where to start.

[RedfordReefer]

Dosing minerals depends on the load your corals have. Let me rephrase that.. LPS, SPS use calcium along with other minerals. If you aren't doing water changes with GREAT frequency, they will suck all the minerals they need out of the water. Thus creating the necessity to dose. Salt has all the necessary minerals, but not enough to sustain an infinite number of corals indefinitely.

For me, I have a lot of hard corals. Stuff that really sucks up the Calcium in a hurry. (My clam is giant). I am going to get a calcium reactor when I can afford one. Right now, I dose Calcium every other day at 2 tablespoons of the seachem stuff.

With a fuge, you will have macro algae (I assume) that will suck up some of the waste nutrients.. I run mine on reverse lighting, to help keep the pH in balance. I have never ran carbon, nor any phosban, and I have very minimal algae on my glass. my CuC is amazing. 3 turbos, 5 nasarrius, 20 blue leg hermits, 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, 1 spiny urchin, 2 florida fighting conchs, 1 brown brittle star, 1 sand sifting star, 10 Cerith snails, and 10 margarita snails. They all work their little butts off to help me not have to clean so much.

[Sir Patrick]

For calc and alk- I would recomend randys DIY 2 part, or bulk reef supplies DIY 2 part.

Would look into kent tech-m for magnesium- just because of it being tried and true, with the added benefit of algea (bryopsis in particular) submission capabilities.

[ReeferRob]

The only reason you would need or want to run phosban or GFO is if you use tap water or have really old live rock that has bound up phosphates in the rock that is leaching and causing algea issues.

I personally go with the BRS method and dose 25 mL of alk and calc daily to assist in coral growth. The BRS method includes magnesium as well to help keep all params in line.

Carbon I feel is a must. It is not necessary to run it in one of those fancy reactors either. Placing a bag of carbon in the sump near the return pump works just fine. Not only will it absorb any of the funky stuff released from the corals and fish, but it can help to improve the clarity of the water and over all smell of the tank. In addition to any unwanted chemicals that may be introduced into the tank. For example house hold cleaning products, hair spray, and air fresheners that can travel through the air.

[stunreefer]

Three things to "dose" in between water changes are Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium. Ca and Alk being the main two (generally everyday), Mag is generally only once or twice a month. To maintain these levels you can use 2-part (or similar), Ca Rx, or Kalkwasser Rx... or combinations of the above.

However, as mentioned this is only if necessary. It will depend on the type of coral you want to keep and the rate they're growing. You might be able to get away with just water changes - I do. My corals are super slow growing (non-photosynthetic) so water changes are sufficient. In previous tanks I've always had to dose to keep up with demand.

Carbon does not have to be ran in a reactor, but it can be.

The necessity to use GFO in conjunction with a refigium is heavily based on bioload, maintenance you perform, and the phosphate level in your aquarium.

You just need to come over and Rachel can moderate the visit ;)

[AZDesertRat]

You only dose if frequent testing shows you have a demand for something and it is in fact needed.

Usually in the beginning, at least until you start stocking lots of LPS and SPS corals, a good salt mix and water changes are sufficient. This allows you to set a baseline and start monitoring the big three to see if you have a demand. Persoanlly I hate dosing and can't wait to get my calcium reactor reapaired and operational again. Until then though I am using the Bulk Reef 3 part mixes.

I run both carbon and GFO 24/7 to be safe. You know the old saying, and ounce of prevention is worth ....... cheap insurance is what I consider it.

[ReeferRob]

You only dose if frequent testing shows you have a demand for something and it is in fact needed.

Usually in the beginning, at least until you start stocking lots of LPS and SPS corals, a good salt mix and water changes are sufficient. This allows you to set a baseline and start monitoring the big three to see if you have a demand. Persoanlly I hate dosing and can't wait to get my calcium reactor reapaired and operational again. Until then though I am using the Bulk Reef 3 part mixes.

I run both carbon and GFO 24/7 to be safe. You know the old saying, and ounce of prevention is worth ....... cheap insurance is what I consider it.

I've heard of people running GFO to long or running too much of it and having adverse side effects. Are you not worried of this or is it truly not possible. The reason I ask is because I know you are a master of water purification and quality.

[ReeferRob]

While on the topic, I have a question..........what times of the day are you guys dosing your BRS 2 part. Can it be more beneficial to dose at different times of the day? And dose the element themselves at different times of the day or together staggered?

[AZDesertRat]

I run such a small amount of GFO I am not worried about problems. I don't know what problems it could pose anyway, have you heard anything in particular? I do know it is effective at removing arsenic III and V, phosphates, silicates, lead, cadmium, chromium, molybdenum and antimony. I don't think it has much effect on anything else and does not affect pH is small doses.

[ReeferRob]

I run such a small amount of GFO I am not worried about problems. I don't know what problems it could pose anyway, have you heard anything in particular? I do know it is effective at removing arsenic III and V, phosphates, silicates, lead, cadmium, chromium, molybdenum and antimony. I don't think it has much effect on anything else and does not affect pH is small doses.


Thanks for the great info.

I guess now that I think about it, I've heard of only one person causing a complete crash of a 200 gallon system by using too much GFO. But then again that same person I believe has successfully crashed his tank 2 or 3 different times.
I do know that certain amounts of phosphates are necessary for coral growth and coloration and just cautious to strip the tank completely of this.
Also I know SunnyX a very successful SPS keeper will only run his GFO reactor for a day or so just after a water change and that is all.

[stunreefer]

I've heard of people running GFO to long or running too much of it and having adverse side effects. Are you not worried of this or is it truly not possible.
Too long, not so much (it will just "fill up"), too much, yes. You can drop PO4 too fast and bleach/kill/harm coral. This can be caused by too fast of flow though a reactor as well.

While on the topic, I have a question..........what times of the day are you guys dosing your BRS 2 part. Can it be more beneficial to dose at different times of the day? And dose the element themselves at different times of the day or together staggered?
It's best to dose small amounts throughout the day (never Ca and Alk at same time though), but this is only practical with an automated doser. When I dosed by hand I would do 1/2 of the Alk dose when I woke up, followed by 1/2 the Ca dose before I left the house (after shower, brushing teeth, etc. - in other words a half hour later or so). When I got home I would do the other 1/2 of the Alk dose, followed by the Ca a half hour later or so.

Make sure to always dose in a high flow area (in the sump if possible to prevent contact with coral).

[ReeferRob]

Too long, not so much (it will just "fill up"), too much, yes. You can drop PO4 too fast and bleach/kill/harm coral. This can be caused by too fast of flow though a reactor as well.

It's best to dose small amounts throughout the day (never Ca and Alk at same time though), but this is only practical with an automated doser. When I dosed by hand I would do 1/2 of the Alk dose when I woke up, followed by 1/2 the Ca dose before I left the house (after shower, brushing teeth, etc. - in other words a half hour later or so). When I got home I would do the other 1/2 of the Alk dose, followed by the Ca a half hour later or so.

Make sure to always dose in a high flow area (in the sump if possible to prevent contact with coral).

Cool got it thanks.

I normally dose the Alk really slowly practically dripping it in a high flow area over a number of minutes. Then wait about 5 and do the calc the same way.

Im gonna try splitting it in half morning and night light you suggested. Thanks!

[stunreefer]

I've done it that way too Rob, and saw no ill effects. I figured if I can promote more stability, then why not right? (Just have to remember to do it, lol)

I'll tell ya what, once I went to a doser there was nothing nicer - like the first time you run an ATO. If you plan on running 2-part long term I would look into one. Bubble Magnus has been getting great reviews and they seem to be decently priced too.

[AZDesertRat]

Manually dosing in my 100G SPS dominated reef is getting really old. I can't wait to get my calcium reactor back in operating condition, its almost set it and forget it once its dialed in correctly.

[Manoj's Reef]

Great Inputs guys awesome....

I have been dosing for about 1.5 years and I find it more easier compared to reactor, but then its just a personal preference.

I dose two times in a day to keep the alk in a stable range. Mine states between 3.0 - 3.3 . One dosing 12 noon, second dosing 12 midnight.

My ratio of coral to water is high and hence my consumption is relatively high, I dose about 150ml of alk and 150ml calcium in 24 hrs .

Like everybody has eluded the chemicals should be put in the high flow area. I dose alk first and then 15 min break and then calcium . Currently my calcium stays at 430.

I run GFO 24*7*365 , phosphates are introduced into the system in various ways, eg: water and food. Hence running phosphates in proper quantities is always good. Currently my phosphates stay at between 0.03-0.07 , my target is to keep it between 0.00 - .04

However, phosphates are required for corals to grow hence you need to have some phosphates in the water column. Also rapid decrease of phosphates will cause bleaching and coral death.

Also excessive use of GFO will nuke the tank. Hence depending on your volume start with very little and then slowly go up.

Hope it help.:thumbsup:

[Manoj's Reef]

Also I know SunnyX a very successful SPS keeper will only run his GFO reactor for a day or so just after a water change and that is all.

Rob, the reason Sonny doesnt run his gfo continuously is because he has a bacteria driven system. The bacteria takes care of it.

For the bacterial system to be effective the phosphates have to be in a low range, he accomplishes that by running gfo for some time and then the bacteria takes care of the rest.