Aquaforest balling

[jsker]

See what you think of my reply to earlier posts, to see if you agree.

I have read them all

I would advise just to use the Aquaforest products. I would also advise mixing your own 1+2+3+ with the Aquaforest product and not experiment by trying to save money.

It is very simple to balance out the 1+2+3+

Here is some great information link on mixing your own 1+2+3+
Here is another thread about balancing link

 

[jsker]

Oh I found this also

 

[Beats001]

Oh I found this also

Seems to be some contradiction between advise from some people. It will be try it and see what works. The 2 school of thoughts as I see it are
1) Get CA, Mag and alk into AF recommended ranges. Based on KH consumption dose the equal amount of the 2 other component solutions. E.g. if I dose 48ml of the solution with alk in it then do the same for the other 2.
And my CA and Mag will stay the same.
2) add equal amounts of the 3 solutions based on Mag consumption, which will be very low in my case and match the other 2 solutions to this amount. And dose KH in addition, separately.

 

[jsker]

Number one is the correct method.

Seems to be some contradiction between advise from some people

It would seam that way.
I was messing around like everyone else and read @govals write up and the light went on and my dosing steady up. Just a heads up, still test after you get things set. Your parameters will change with growth. Also test when starting a new box of salt, it can very. This is with any brand of salt.

 

[Beats001]

Number one is the correct method.



It would seam that way.
I was messing around like everyone else and read @govals write up and the light went on and my dosing steady up. Just a heads up, still test after you get things set. Your parameters will change with growth. Also test when starting a new box of salt, it can very. This is with any brand of salt.

OK, I will try method 1 first. I'll keep this forum updated.
Thanks a lot.

 

[jsker]

OK, I will try method 1 first. I'll keep this forum updated.
Thanks a lot.

Give it a month, it takes time and please feel free to reach out.

 

[Beats001]

Give it a month, it takes time and please feel free to reach out.

Nice1

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I only have 3 smallish sps frags a few largish leathers, then zoas, toadstool. I think the fish use a lot of all it seems. I have no coralline. Tank is about 8 months old.

OK.
First, because of your confusion let me restate how the dosing simply works.

Calcifying organisms remove all the elements/salts (the major, minor & trace elements) from the water to form calcium carbonate structures. All these elements are in the Components 1,2 & 3.
The calcifying organisms remove these elements in various ratios, & Components 1,2 & 3 are mixed accordingly, so the mixed liquid amounts of each are added equally to your tank. e.g. if you need to dose 40ml/day of Component 2 to maintain alkalinity at say 8 dkh, then you should be adding 40ml of Component 1 & 3.

But in your case I don't see why you should be dosing anything at all (at this stage), or why your alkalinity should be falling ?
You shouldn't need to dose because it seems you have nothing in your tank that would use up any elements. You have no coralline algae growth, & only 3 small stony corals (your sps frags) which are unlikely to be growing much, if at all at this stage. If they are growing at all water changes should be sufficient to replenish the removed elements.

Hope that helps.

 

[Beats001]

OK.
First, because of your confusion let me restate how the dosing simply works.

Calcifying organisms remove all the elements/salts (the major, minor & trace elements) from the water to form calcium carbonate structures. All these elements are in the Components 1,2 & 3.
The calcifying organisms remove these elements in various ratios, & Components 1,2 & 3 are mixed accordingly, so the mixed liquid amounts of each are added equally to your tank. e.g. if you need to dose 40ml/day of Component 2 to maintain alkalinity at say 8 dkh, then you should be adding 40ml of Component 1 & 3.

But in your case I don't see why you should be dosing anything at all (at this stage), or why your alkalinity should be falling ?
You shouldn't need to dose because it seems you have nothing in your tank that would use up any elements. You have no coralline algae growth, & only 3 small stony corals (your sps frags) which are unlikely to be growing much, if at all at this stage. If they are growing at all water changes should be sufficient to replenish the removed elements.

Hope that helps.

I see what you are saying, however it is a fact that I need to dose 48ml of aqua forest KH buffer to keep my alk at 8dkh. If I don't things will die. I don't know why this is the case, I thought this was normal.
Maybe when I get CA and Mag down and start the balling of equal amounts it'll balance out. Maybe thats part of the problem with me having no coralline.

I could perhaps get some of the aqua forest salt to get everything into whack. A few 10% changes could help.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I see what you are saying, however it is a fact that I need to dose 48ml of aqua forest KH buffer to keep my alk at 8dkh. .

Alk dropping but high Calcium/Magnesium

 

[reefwiser]

Balling is a balance system so you dose equal amounts.
Mixing the components is based on the manufacture of the “Balling “ components.
I dose to maintain 8 dkh which varies as corals grow. I use GHL KH Director now to do this anymore.

 

[jsker]

OK.
First, because of your confusion let me restate how the dosing simply works.

Calcifying organisms remove all the elements/salts (the major, minor & trace elements) from the water to form calcium carbonate structures. All these elements are in the Components 1,2 & 3.
The calcifying organisms remove these elements in various ratios, & Components 1,2 & 3 are mixed accordingly, so the mixed liquid amounts of each are added equally to your tank. e.g. if you need to dose 40ml/day of Component 2 to maintain alkalinity at say 8 dkh, then you should be adding 40ml of Component 1 & 3.

But in your case I don't see why you should be dosing anything at all (at this stage), or why your alkalinity should be falling ?
You shouldn't need to dose because it seems you have nothing in your tank that would use up any elements. You have no coralline algae growth, & only 3 small stony corals (your sps frags) which are unlikely to be growing much, if at all at this stage. If they are growing at all water changes should be sufficient to replenish the removed elements.

Hope that helps.

Please stop

 

[Reefing Madness]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Please stop

Can you be more specific?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Wait for Randy, he'll clear this up

 

[Beats001]

Balling is a balance system so you dose equal amounts.
Mixing the components is based on the manufacture of the “Balling “ components.
I dose to maintain 8 dkh which varies as corals grow. I use GHL KH Director now to do this anymore.

Seems like this is correct thing to do. Its what I will be trying first. Seeing is believing for me. Its what @jsker advises too

 

[reefwiser]

Randy does 2 part.

 

[jsker]

Seems like this is correct thing to do. Its what I will be trying first. Seeing is believing for me. Its what @jsker advises too

Yes @reefwiser nailed it.

It took me sometime to figure out how to dose the 1+2+3+. When Aquaforest first came to the US and there were very few using the product line and the Aquaforest website was very confusing. The Aquaforest site is more consumer friendly now. Starting with the 1+2+3+ and any dosing is the starting point. One can get all technical about it or one can just start dosing and adjust. With the premixed 1+2+3+ one doses 70% more then then the mix your own.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi,

I am struggling to understand the balling method, specifically the part where it is recommended to to add equal amounts of 1,2 and 3.

So currently I am dosing 48ml per day of the KH buffer.
I don't dose Mag nor Calcium currently. I have just been doing water changes to keep these up.

My Mag and CA, are used very slow. So that being said, if I was to dose 48ml of the other solutions, wouldn't my CA and Mag go through the roof?

I am confused by this.

Also is strong A and B proportionate to Calcium consumption?

Thanks in advance.

As a general rule, alkalinity always drops faster than calcium (on a percentage basis), and both drop far, far faster than magnesium.

But in properly designed two parts and balling, these differences are accounted for by the concentrations in the product, not by changing the dosing volumes of each part.

That said, I cannot say exactly about the AF 1,2,3 product.

In general, start off dosing equally unless the manufacturer states otherwise, then stick to alk dosing to maintain alk, and very slowly adjust calcium dosing to match long term calcium trends. Not daily changes which are mostly noise.

 

[Beats001]

Thanks Randy, I am waiting on my params to come down naturally for Cal and Mag. Then I will create the 3 balling solutions and dose equally based on my alk consumption. I understand the concept, at least at a high level with regard to the 3 solutions being necessary in equal amounts to balance the chemistry.

Based on what some people say, my Cal and Mag should balance. This is counter intuitive but seems to be what people report.
This contradicts what you say below, if I am not mistaken?

In general, start off dosing equally unless the manufacturer states otherwise, then stick to alk dosing to maintain alk, and very slowly adjust calcium dosing to match long term calcium trends. Not daily changes which are mostly noise.

Hans Balling himself reports that 2 part dosing will create an imbalance of chemistry, which can be solved by water changes. As I said in an earlier post, I will know soon enough when I try it out. The worst thing about this hobby is all the contradicting advice, one has to try for ones self to determine.