Dosing/heating/water mixing question

[Marty1971]

Hello all,
Well, I am a returing Saltwater keeper. Getting back into the hobby I love and miss. I am getting a new 180 gallon tank made by CFI (48x34x25). Have a few questions though. I plan to be real patient, don't want to do everything at once. Once the tank is set up, Mid/End of April, I plan just to add live sand (3/4 to 1 inch deep max) and about 100-120 lbs of live rock. Then I will let the tank cycle. Obviously I will do test till it complete. Again, not going to rush it. Also need to be wise on money, does not grow on tree's for me.

The first question is on dosing, when do you start? Obviously I won't have a corals or fish in it at first. I have been reading the articles on the site, very useful. I want to get the automated dosing unit, but trying to hold off to save money. I think I should be okay because there won't be much in tank using up the useful elements and such. This okay, or does dosing need to start at start?

Second question, What size of heaters for the 180 (220-230 including the sump)? One 300w heater okay, obviously I want another as backup but one should be good to head it up or should I get a 500W?

Last question, I am setting up my RO/DI unit for making my water. Now, I know when I mix the salt. it needs to be mixing (powerhead) and be up too tempature to get accurate readings and to desolve correctly. The question is, once it's settled and to the correct salinity after a few days of mixing, do I need to keep it heated and stired the whole time till I use it? I want it to age for a week or two prior to use. The reason I am asking is I don't have enough heaters and powerheads for my 4 trash cans to make my the 180+ (more like 220 with sump) and don't want to have to purchase excess items for no reason. I am trying to save money. What I plan to do is, fill one of my 44 gallon trash cans up (new), heat it, circulate it then mix it, once it's to salinity, let it settle for two days, then remove the pump/heater to the next batch of water. Obviously, I will need to heat it back up prior to putting into my tank? Now, once I have the intial water into the tank, it won't be a problem, because I plan to only have 2 of my 44 gallon cans used for my water changes and water station for evaporation. That sound okay, or do I have to the water heated and mixed the whole time the water is made?


Thanks, I know this is a long post with a few questions, trying to put out what I am thinking, so nobody is confused.

David

 

[mcoomer]

As you guessed, there's no need to dose while your tank is cycling. In fact, when I was running a fish only tank I didn't dose anything other than a buffer to keep pH at appropriate levels. Consistent water changes will take care of the rest. I do recommend that if you're going to dose that you use an automated setup. Begin saving your pennies now while you don't need a dosing setup and when you're ready to keep corals and start a dosing regimen you can pickup a couple of dosers from Bulk Reef Supply (only an example; many choices out there) and a couple digital timers to control them.

For heaters, I'd recommend a couple 300W units on a Ranco controller. I'm a big believer in titanium tubes on an external controller. I'm also a big believer in bigger is better so I use 500W tubes but 300's will work.

Finally, you shouldn't have any trouble mixing saltwater, pulling the powerhead and heater after it's mixed, and then mixing and heating it again prior to use. Just be certain to cover it with a lid while it sits or evaporation will raise the salinity. Assuming that you're using empty salt buckets you should be able to seal them up nicely with the lid that comes with it. For the initial tank fill, I wouldn't worry about what temp it's at. Put it in and let it circulate. In fact, I'd leave the heaters off initially and let it warm up to room temp on it's own. Once it's there plug the heaters in and let them finish the job. Save yourself a few bucks on electricity. If you're using fully cured LR then disregard this as very cold water won't do your rock any favors.

Mike

 

[Marty1971]

Thanks my friend.

 

[NWDiver]

Yep, Mike nailed it