2 part doseing

[marlinmero]

i was thinking about starting to dose. i been doin kalkwasser for a few months. but i have gotten a lot of sps in the last 2 months and i think its time to step up. my clacium is always good but i have never checked for magnesium. what do you guys think about doseing? should i test for magnesium before i start doseing?

 

[Chichas01]

test for anything you are considreing dosing for.

 

[mcoomer]

About the only thing I test for anymore is calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and salinity. I do that regularly now that I've got several SPS in the tank. Occasionally, I'll test for phosphates and nitrates but only if I see an uptick in algae in the tank.

As for dosing, I've recently started dosing BRS two part. I run a couple of Drew's Dosers using my RKE and it works great. I'm still fiddling with the timing to get to the proper levels but once I get that dialed in I'll just need to top off the jugs. The great thing about dosing is that it allows you to maintain consistent water parameters. Rather than dosing large amounts every week or two I'm now doing smaller amounts throughout the day.

Mike

 

[returnofsid]

I agree with Mike. Test Alk, Ca, Mg and Salinity and don't dose for anything you aren't testing. By the way, Magnesium and Alkalinity are just as important, if not more so, than Calcium. All 3 effect one another, so if one is off, it will make it impossible to keep the other 2 stable. Also, if one is off, it effects the corals ability to utilize the others.

You only mention testing for Ca. Have you also never tested for Alk? Very important.

 

[roblou]

yeah, before you start dosing alk & ca, you want to test alk, ca & mg. once you know where you stand on alk, ca & mg, you'll want to dose each to get them up to the proper levels:

calcium - between 380 and 450 ppm
alkalinity - between 2.5 and 4 meq/L (7-11 dKH)
magnesium - between 1300 and 1500 ppm

then, on a frequent basis (daily if you can do it) you'll want to test alk & ca to determine where each stand. when starting out on dosing, I highly recommend you keep a log of your test results. IME, alk & ca can be dosed regularly (ie daily) to maintain a consistent level. mg can be dosed less frequently as it doesn't get consumed nearly as fast as alk & ca. after testing for a couple of weeks, you should start to see a trend in how much alk & ca your tank is consuming. then, your dosing schedule should become pretty clear. when you add more corals and/or fish, then you might see your consumption rate increase.

here are a couple of good websites for reference on dosing:

Randy's Do-It-Yourself 2-part dosing: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

Reef Chemistry Calculator: http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

hth & good luck!

Rob

 

[marlinmero]

i test for calcium once a month or so. and i have ckecked alk a few times and its always good. but i have never tested for magnesium. i was going to test before i started doseing for sure. but i was wondering if i should test before i order the stuff to see if i even need to dose. im pretty sure i need to. but i was going to order everything from BRS all at once. but didnt want to order the two part and end up not needing it

 

[roblou]

Hmm, your experience is different than mine then. I dose alk & ca both on a daily basis. Mg I dose much less frequently, probably about once every 2 months or so.

alk is always the parameter I can see fluctuating more than either ca & mg. ca does deplete, but it's harder for me to see via tests than alk. If your tank is stocked like in your avatar pic, I would think you should be seeing alk consumption also. what brand test are you using?

I think you would definitely be safe ordering all 3 parts from BRS at once. You should use all of them...at least that's been my experience...

 

[marlinmero]

my avatar pic is old. i have twice as much in there now. i drip kalwasser now. and maybe i just been lucky and when i do test it comes out the same. idk. i have cheap test kits right now API but im ordering a ELOS magnesium test kit with the 2 part

 

[tcduongxx]

Check out this site for good and cheap dosing product.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/

 

[marlinmero]

thats where i just ordered everythig from yesterday