2 Part Dosing Advice or Kalk Reactor or.....

revhtree · Dec 28, 2018

So with my SPS frags taking off, I have a ton of them, I need to really get a plan together for maintaining calcium and alkalinity. In the past I used 2 part but EVERY TIME I ended up dosing way too much and calcifying my sand bed. I already have the DOS system ready to go.

How can I keep this from happening again? Tips?

Should I start with a a Kalk reactor instead?

Thank you!

Crabs McJones · Dec 28, 2018

Following along Rev, i'm about to start dosing my two part with an Apex dos so im interested to hear others thoughts

I've been doing it manually every morning and every evening, so man this'll be a load off to let the dos take over and do it for me lol. Going to start lower than what i've been dosing just incase. Right now i'm at around 75 ML a day, I was going to start at 65 ML and test to see how well it keeps up

Crabs McJones · Dec 28, 2018

revhtree said:
So with my SPS frags taking off, I have a ton of them, I need to really get a plan together for maintaining calcium and alkalinity. In the past I used 2 part but EVERY TIME I ended up dosing way too much and calcifying my sand bed. I already have the DOS system ready to go.

How can I keep this from happening again? Tips?

Should I start with a a Kalk reactor instead?

Thank you!

BTW I think we need a FTS shot of this for Full Tank Shot Friday

MaiReef · Dec 28, 2018

following. Currently, I use a Kalk stirrer from two little fishes and that seems to work well on my ATO, but what if I add more sps? I do not want that issue.

ihavecrabs · Dec 28, 2018

revhtree said:
So with my SPS frags taking off, I have a ton of them, I need to really get a plan together for maintaining calcium and alkalinity. In the past I used 2 part but EVERY TIME I ended up dosing way too much and calcifying my sand bed. I already have the DOS system ready to go.

How can I keep this from happening again? Tips?

Should I start with a a Kalk reactor instead?

Thank you!

It'll take a lot of kalk (eventually) to keep up once they start taking off.

I swapped over to ATI Essentials a few months back and I honestly wouldn't go back to any other option (unless I decided to go with a Calrx). Plus they just swapped it over to a 2 part rather than 3 part with their new ATI Essentials Pro. Might be worth looking into!

garbled · Dec 28, 2018

I've always felt like kalk is the best possible method, but it has limits. You can only dose so much kalk, because you only evaporate so much water per day. Eventually you reach a point where the tank outstrips the evaporation, and there is nothing to be done about it. (well, you can go crazy and spike kalk with vinegar, but that has it's own set of issues)

IMHO, that is where 2-part comes in. You keep running the kalk at max, and then run 2-part to handle the excess.

My personal solution, because crazy, is kalk, then CaRx, then if that's not enough (good lord) 2-part.

Reefinny · Dec 28, 2018

garbled said:
I've always felt like kalk is the best possible method, but it has limits. You can only dose so much kalk, because you only evaporate so much water per day. Eventually you reach a point where the tank outstrips the evaporation, and there is nothing to be done about it. (well, you can go crazy and spike kalk with vinegar, but that has it's own set of issues)

IMHO, that is where 2-part comes in. You keep running the kalk at max, and then run 2-part to handle the excess.

My personal solution, because crazy, is kalk, then CaRx, then if that's not enough (good lord) 2-part.

I have the same issue I have a kalk reactor I have a huge calcium reactor and I still find myself dosing a little 2 part to keep up with demand.

Picard's Lionfish · Dec 28, 2018

My question is at what point would you switch from 2 part to CAlrx? My spa un my display are starting to take off and want to head off before that need arises. I am at 75 ml per day and holding at 7dkh.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 28, 2018

Picard's Lionfish said:
My question is at what point would you switch from 2 part to CAlrx? My spa un my display are starting to take off and want to head off before that need arises. I am at 75 ml per day and holding at 7dkh.

I would not assume there is a point without a specific reason. Are you asking based on cost or something else?

garbled · Dec 28, 2018

IMHO you should just start up front with kalk/CaRx. 2-part is like crack, you need a little at first, and then your demands get bigger and bigger, and you have to start dosing it like mad. Don't wait until you are dumping gallons a day in, just assume up front that your corals will do well, take over your tank, and aim for that. Look at where you want the tank to be, growth-wise in 1-2 years, and plan for that. If it's minimal or slow-growing stuff, sure, just plan for 2-part. If you have just added 50 frags, well, your consumption will increase soon, so, maybe you want to save a little $ over time and have the reactors running right off the bat. It gives you a bit of time to become comfortable with how they work before you have a full-blown dependency on them too.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 28, 2018

revhtree said:
So with my SPS frags taking off, I have a ton of them, I need to really get a plan together for maintaining calcium and alkalinity. In the past I used 2 part but EVERY TIME I ended up dosing way too much and calcifying my sand bed. I already have the DOS system ready to go.

How can I keep this from happening again? Tips?

Should I start with a a Kalk reactor instead?

Thank you!

If precipitation is the concern, limewater/kalkwasser or a DIY two part using hydroxide would be the worst choice since they give the highest pH, and high pH drives precipitation.

If precipitation is the biggest concern, the lowest pH and hence lowest precipitation potential (all other things the same) probably comes from a CaCO3/CO2 reactor, then a bicarbonate-based two part, then a carbonate based two part, then limewater or a hydroxide based two part.

If you already have dosing pumps, I'd use a bicarbonate based two part and spread the alk dosing out as much as possible.

Picard's Lionfish · Dec 28, 2018

Cost is not really a factor. I'm still a noob when it comes to growing sps. I currently tilt have about 40 sps frags in a 240 gallon tank that are starting to take off. I am ramping up on the 2 part as demand calls for it. I am just curious as to when people made the switch. I really dont mind the 2 part. I just do not know what to expect a year from now. I use the DOS with their containers. I know I dont want to be refilling frequently.

ihavecrabs · Dec 29, 2018

Reefinny said:
I have the same issue I have a kalk reactor I have a huge calcium reactor and I still find myself dosing a little 2 part to keep up with demand.

I want your problem... haha.

saltyhog · Dec 29, 2018

One of my life goals is have so much rapidly growing SPS that 2 part is impracticable.

Randy hit on the way to avoid precipitation. I also divide my total dose in to 24 doses and dose alk at the top of the hour, calcium at the bottom. I dose in to a high flow area (return chamber).

Mal11224 · Dec 29, 2018

At the moment, I use a 2 part dosing method. Dosing equal amounts of both @ 50 ml a day. I dose 8 times a day for Both and each 2 part dose is an hour apart. I have found the most success this way with SPS corals. Also helps to have an accurate doser. My Alk and calcium are pretty steady. I dose into the sump. Never tried any other method.

Chilli · Dec 29, 2018

i mix my stuff by myself. NaHCO3 (alk) and CaCl2 (Ca) and split the daily portion in 16 steps -direkt in RP pump intake in the sump- by my doser. runs stable and the sps are looking well.

SPS247 · Dec 29, 2018

Following. Great question
I'm planning on going to a bigger tank this year. I was wondering which is more cost effective in the long wrong? I've had great success in my 35g SPS dominant tank dosing 2-part for 9+yr spread out in a 24hour cycle following Randys recipe. (Thank you Randy!)It's seems straight forward and simple out of all the options. The most I had to dose was 32ml at its peak consumption.