Do you dose or just do water changes poll
- Thread starter CRW Reef
- Start date
Just been doing water changes...though not enough for my volume. 
I'm paying for it too I think. I'm too lazy to start researching right now. How do you figure out how much kalk or what not to dose per the water volume? I'd like to start adding kalk to my top off RO water....just don't know at what dose.
I'm paying for it too I think. I'm too lazy to start researching right now. How do you figure out how much kalk or what not to dose per the water volume? I'd like to start adding kalk to my top off RO water....just don't know at what dose.
Both.
Weekly water changes of 20% is pretty much the norm when I start a new tank, and that wasn't enough to keep my alk within range with sps in the tank. I now do 15% weekly changes and run an autodoser...I prefer weekly changes to keep nutrients in check in my small tank.
Evan, this calculator should help if you haven't tried it yet.
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html
If you can go a couple days without kalk in your top off...just measure your alk and Ca levels, figure out how much the tank is consuming, then plug in the numbers to figure out how much kalk you should be adding. You can also keep adding kalk, figure out how much that should effect the levels, and still do the math....just a bit more complicated to calculate.
Weekly water changes of 20% is pretty much the norm when I start a new tank, and that wasn't enough to keep my alk within range with sps in the tank. I now do 15% weekly changes and run an autodoser...I prefer weekly changes to keep nutrients in check in my small tank.
Evan, this calculator should help if you haven't tried it yet.
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html
If you can go a couple days without kalk in your top off...just measure your alk and Ca levels, figure out how much the tank is consuming, then plug in the numbers to figure out how much kalk you should be adding. You can also keep adding kalk, figure out how much that should effect the levels, and still do the math....just a bit more complicated to calculate.
I have a 22g AIO with no skimmer currently - Softies,Zoas and LPS, 2 Black Ocellaris & 1 Flame Hawk - I do a 5g water change every week on Sunday using Red Sea Coral Pro Salt. I dose 5ml (1 cap) of Brightwells A&B ( Calcium/Alk) every other day. Occasionally I'll dose B-Ionic Mag if I can't keep my levels to a satisfactory level.
If I skip a water change or extend it out a few days, I always pay for it so I'm pretty diligent. I've used Kalk before but its such a dirty process in an AIO so manual dosing is better for me + water changes))
If I skip a water change or extend it out a few days, I always pay for it so I'm pretty diligent. I've used Kalk before but its such a dirty process in an AIO so manual dosing is better for me + water changes
))Hmmmmm isn't changing water enough to keep params normal/par the same as dosing? I wise man once told me" what guy or thing have you seen testing ocean water, putting plastic pellets in reefs and dumping giant buckets of chemicals in the water?"
Lol well I must be the exception to the rule of that" no dosing, no growing" because I have a ton of growth and happy corals.
But I guess in the end, the old wise man's saying of "what works for me may not work for you" trumps all
Lol well I must be the exception to the rule of that" no dosing, no growing" because I have a ton of growth and happy corals.
But I guess in the end, the old wise man's saying of "what works for me may not work for you" trumps all
Not even close. Ive said it before and I will say it again, there is not a salt in the world that can keep up with a growing reef.
Lets be real conservative here. Lets say your alk consumption is only 1/4 of a point per day. That is a 1.75dKH drop per week. Lets say you have a 100 gallon system. Lets say your alk is 9 at the beginning of the week, by the end of the week your alk will be 7.25. Lets say your salt is 10dKH. A 50% water change will only bring your alk back up to 8.6.
Keep in mind a 1/4 is LOW. The average growing mixed reef consumes 1-2dKH PER DAY.
Your wise man is a fool. The ocean is one of the most stable environments in the world. Trying to recreate that environment requires care and attention, including testing the water to adjust when necessary. In regards to dumping buckets of chemicals in the water; it is a known fact that stony corals require bicarbonate (alkalinity) and calcium carbonate to build their skeletons (I am grossly oversimplifying this). During this process magnesium (along with other elements) are removed from the water column. In order for the coral to sufficiently grow these basic elements must be present in the water at certain concentrations. This is FACT
http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/biochemistry-2/how-reefs-grow
As these elements are depleted in a closed system it is up to us to replace them. So the buckets of chemicals is a pure fail saying by someone who has no understanding of marine life and its requirements.
You are no exception. Your reef is mainly zoas, softies and LPS. Granted LPS require KH/CA/MG to grow, they just take it out of the water column much slower than SPS. The corals you have also prefer "dirtier" water and are much more forgiving than SPS, difficult and expert corals. I guarantee you that if you had even half of your corals as SPS you would understand the need for maintaining parameters.
Chad I can guarantee you that if you took 30 minutes one day out of the week to test your water and strive to maintain proper parameters you would see even better results with your tank.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/4/chemistry
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php
Lets be real conservative here. Lets say your alk consumption is only 1/4 of a point per day. That is a 1.75dKH drop per week. Lets say you have a 100 gallon system. Lets say your alk is 9 at the beginning of the week, by the end of the week your alk will be 7.25. Lets say your salt is 10dKH. A 50% water change will only bring your alk back up to 8.6.
Keep in mind a 1/4 is LOW. The average growing mixed reef consumes 1-2dKH PER DAY.
Your wise man is a fool. The ocean is one of the most stable environments in the world. Trying to recreate that environment requires care and attention, including testing the water to adjust when necessary. In regards to dumping buckets of chemicals in the water; it is a known fact that stony corals require bicarbonate (alkalinity) and calcium carbonate to build their skeletons (I am grossly oversimplifying this). During this process magnesium (along with other elements) are removed from the water column. In order for the coral to sufficiently grow these basic elements must be present in the water at certain concentrations. This is FACT
http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/biochemistry-2/how-reefs-grow
As these elements are depleted in a closed system it is up to us to replace them. So the buckets of chemicals is a pure fail saying by someone who has no understanding of marine life and its requirements.
You are no exception. Your reef is mainly zoas, softies and LPS. Granted LPS require KH/CA/MG to grow, they just take it out of the water column much slower than SPS. The corals you have also prefer "dirtier" water and are much more forgiving than SPS, difficult and expert corals. I guarantee you that if you had even half of your corals as SPS you would understand the need for maintaining parameters.
Chad I can guarantee you that if you took 30 minutes one day out of the week to test your water and strive to maintain proper parameters you would see even better results with your tank.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/4/chemistry
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php
Ah the pseudo scientist/chemist chimes in finally, I've been waiting for you my friend
Kris are you saying that each and everyone of your maintenance clients is either manual dosing or is using dosing pumps? If not how come, considering
Wouldn't that make the tanks completely unbalanced and lopsided on their parameters? Are you just dosing large volumes of chemicals the one time you are there each week? Again doesnt that make the tank heavy the first part of the week and depleted at the end? Is it better to swing the params hard 1 time a week to get them from depletion to the correct levels?
Ah, while you maybe right I haven't stepped up to a full sps/"expert corals" tank, I do have 12+ dif sps in my tank and they are all doing fine with noticeable growth.
Again I do not claim to be scientist, a know it all, that my way will work for everyone, nor that my way is correct and others is incorrect . I'm just a hobbyist that enjoys having a reef that is user friendly for the time I have available to it. With that being said, I guess if I (me personally) had to do constant dosing, parameter watching, parameter chasing, have tank crashes due to overdosing and have to worry about my tanks chemistry everyday; I would just leave the hobby as worrying about all of that constantly would take the fun out of it for me.
But yes Im sure if I was really worried and cared to keep completely perfect and 100% stable parameters, my tank would soon become amazing and have even better growth and happiness like everyone else who doses
* disclaimer - none of my words above are to be considered "gold", "FACT", criticizing, argumentative, insulting and or rude. Just a hobbyist reefer, creating conversation and thought for others, be it for entertainment and or education
Kris are you saying that each and everyone of your maintenance clients is either manual dosing or is using dosing pumps? If not how come, considering
Wouldn't that make the tanks completely unbalanced and lopsided on their parameters? Are you just dosing large volumes of chemicals the one time you are there each week? Again doesnt that make the tank heavy the first part of the week and depleted at the end? Is it better to swing the params hard 1 time a week to get them from depletion to the correct levels?
Ah, while you maybe right I haven't stepped up to a full sps/"expert corals" tank, I do have 12+ dif sps in my tank and they are all doing fine with noticeable growth.
Again I do not claim to be scientist, a know it all, that my way will work for everyone, nor that my way is correct and others is incorrect . I'm just a hobbyist that enjoys having a reef that is user friendly for the time I have available to it. With that being said, I guess if I (me personally) had to do constant dosing, parameter watching, parameter chasing, have tank crashes due to overdosing and have to worry about my tanks chemistry everyday; I would just leave the hobby as worrying about all of that constantly would take the fun out of it for me.
But yes Im sure if I was really worried and cared to keep completely perfect and 100% stable parameters, my tank would soon become amazing and have even better growth and happiness like everyone else who doses
* disclaimer - none of my words above are to be considered "gold", "FACT", criticizing, argumentative, insulting and or rude. Just a hobbyist reefer, creating conversation and thought for others, be it for entertainment and or education