Aquaforest Guide

Anirban · May 14, 2017

landlubber said:
hello @Anirban
just wanted to give you the heads up that i just finished my 2 weeks fluccanozole medication period and i'm very impressed with the difference it made. there is still some remaining green hair algae in the tank but i'd say 95% of what was there is gone. one interesting thing i found about using it was before treatment the problematic algae would kill off the snails that ate it but after a week into treatment it was as if the snails all sensed the danger in eating it disappeared and they went back to mowing it down safely.
the treatment required no skimmer for a while and due to that i stopped carbon dosing for that time as well. both of these along with the die off of all the algae and lack of water changes really raised my nutrient levels (nitrate 25ppm and phosphate 0.08ppm) but i feel the worst is behind me.
i imagine by the end of this week i'll have a better grip on things and perhaps at least will have my phosphates where i like them at 0.04ppm and probably a couple of weeks for the nitrates to sit between 2 and 5 ppm.

Once you are done we can work with how to lower the NO3 with water change.

landlubber · May 25, 2017

Anirban said:
Once you are done we can work with how to lower the NO3 with water change.

well @Anirban it was a bumpy road but i feel my system is at a point that i can say we've achieved balance.
the fluccanozole treatment went over very smoothly and while the result of its effectiveness was apparent a week after implementing the dose it was a full month before it really took hold. the high nutrient condition left behind by the die-off uncovered the next problem to deal with... dinoflaggellates. much of my rock was covered in a thin brown film that my cuc would feed on at their peril but with the skimmer, activated carbon and moderated feeding it is receding to it currently being only on my substrate and thinning by the day as well.
all in all over this time i lost all 22 acropora, a few montipora, a couple of euphillia and a maxima clam. among the survivors were all of my zoas/palys, my yuma and florida riccordia.
feeling confident with the water being chemically stable for over a month and nutrients within reason i visited my lfs and picked up a couple of hardier new frags to test the system, a stylophora and a digitata. i'm happy to report that they'll be through their first week here tomorrow and both are showing great polyp extension and no signs of stress.
i've thanked you many times through this but you deserve another one for both setting my system straight and educating me along the way. my coral losses were inevitable but i'm not focusing on that as my was shown that there is a way to out-compete the issues and have an enjoyable tank again.
cheers to you and the aquaforest team!

Anirban · May 25, 2017

landlubber said:
well @Anirban it was a bumpy road but i feel my system is at a point that i can say we've achieved balance.
the fluccanozole treatment went over very smoothly and while the result of its effectiveness was apparent a week after implementing the dose it was a full month before it really took hold. the high nutrient condition left behind by the die-off uncovered the next problem to deal with... dinoflaggellates. much of my rock was covered in a thin brown film that my cuc would feed on at their peril but with the skimmer, activated carbon and moderated feeding it is receding to it currently being only on my substrate and thinning by the day as well.
all in all over this time i lost all 22 acropora, a few montipora, a couple of euphillia and a maxima clam. among the survivors were all of my zoas/palys, my yuma and florida riccordia.
feeling confident with the water being chemically stable for over a month and nutrients within reason i visited my lfs and picked up a couple of hardier new frags to test the system, a stylophora and a digitata. i'm happy to report that they'll be through their first week here tomorrow and both are showing great polyp extension and no signs of stress.
i've thanked you many times through this but you deserve another one for both setting my system straight and educating me along the way. my coral losses were inevitable but i'm not focusing on that as my was shown that there is a way to out-compete the issues and have an enjoyable tank again.
cheers to you and the aquaforest team!

Ohh sorry to hear about the loss. I was guessing that. But glad that you are now free from those. Now just maintain the balance and you will be good. Hope the component balance is working out well. Let the tank sit for a month and then start adding new frags. Good luck and thanks for your kind words. I try my best to help other fellow reefers and they don't need to be AF users but if they are its easier for me.

traxxonwaxx99 · Jun 9, 2017

Hi I wanted to ask a few questions because I am currently using the Aquaforest 3 part balling method. However, I'm experiencing some issues trying to create the proper solutions. Just to summarize what I'm using:

Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt (my NaCl Free Salt)
Aquaforest Components Strong (additives to each solution for trace elements)
BRS Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
BRS Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate
BRS Sodium Carbonate

Right away you notice that there is a fundamental difference in the Ca, Mg, Alk, products that I'm using than from the instructions on Aquaforest. I chose these because Sodium Carbonate will help with raising and maintaining higher pH levels. Ca product is Dihydrate and Mg is Hexahydrate because I have 5 gallon buckets of them and I did not want to throw them away.

So I tried to compensate for the difference in purity but I'm not sure if its correct. I've experience extreme precipitation in the solution on the Reef Mineral Salt container. Here is how I'm mixing my 3L Stock Solutions:

Solution 1
150g Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
30g Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong A
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong B

Solution 2
240g Sodium Carbonate
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong C

Solution 3
240g Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt
15ml Aquaforest Component K

Can someone from Aquaforest please let me know how this looks and correct me if I'm not using the right amounts? I would like to know if this is ionically balanced at equal dosages and if the saturations are correct. Thanks so much for helping!

tangerine3486 · Aug 3, 2017

Question about the components 1, 2, 3,

Ca-400
Alk-7.8
Mg 1460

My Mg seems high to me vs my Ca and Alk which seem low. Does that sound right? I'm assuming do not add just component 1 and 2 without 3, correct?

Joe252 · Sep 13, 2017

Aquaforest said:
On our webside aquaforest.eu You Can find Our Aquaforest Guide -

Guide explains direction of setting up and running reef aquariums using the individual Aquaforest
products.

I cannot find the answer to my problem - I was dosing in separate parts of different concentrations for everything including iodine and strontium , I decided to take a leap of faith and try the equal dosing of the Mag,KH,,Ca2, and reef mineral salt in conjunction with strong a,b,cand k - mixed in this concentration...
Solution .....

Solution 1

150g Calcium Chloride Dihydrate

30g Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong A

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong B

Solution 2

240g Sodium Carbonate

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong C

Solution 3

240g Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt

15ml Aquaforest Component K

so long story short , my perrameters have gone from perfect to almost too low KH and Ca2 with Mag at 1530! - its been a steady trend so its going to continue , I was told to allow for levels to stabilize but if it goes any longer im gonna have problems ...
what do I do ?? if im supposed to dose equal right ? so if I crank up all three to bring up CA2 and KH my magnesium will go thru the roof more than it already is , and there is no way to lower the dosing ...

can I just adjust my first solution with less magnesium then increase dosing without increasing magnesium levels ?

Solution 1

150g Calcium Chloride Dihydrate

15g Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate <- drop Magnesium Chloride from 30 G in 3L to 15 for now ?

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong A

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong B

Joe252 · Sep 13, 2017

I cannot find the answer to my problem - I was dosing in separate parts of different concentrations for everything including iodine and strontium , I decided to take a leap of faith and try the equal dosing of the Mag,KH,,Ca2, and reef mineral salt in conjunction with strong a,b,cand k - mixed in this concentration...
Solution .....
Mixing in 3L

Solution 1
150g Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
30g Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong A
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong B
Solution 2
240g Sodium Carbonate
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong C
Solution 3
240g Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt
15ml Aquaforest Component K

so long story short , my perrameters have gone from perfect to almost too low KH and Ca2 with Mag at 1530! - its been a steady trend so its going to continue , I was told to allow for levels to stabilize but if it goes any longer im gonna have problems ...
what do I do ?? if im supposed to dose equal right ? so if I crank up all three to bring up CA2 and KH my magnesium will go thru the roof more than it already is , and there is no way to lower the dosing ...

can I just adjust my first solution with less magnesium then increase dosing without increasing magnesium levels ?
Again Mixing 3L

Solution 1
150g Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
15g Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate <- drop Magnesium Chloride from 30 G in 3L to 15 for now ?
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong A
15ml Aquaforest Components Strong B

Aquaforest · Sep 13, 2017

If you are using Calcium Chloride Dihydrate it's not efficient as CaCl2 Aquaforest.
Because your balance is not correct if your are using your solutions in equal proportions - not because you are dosing too much magnesium but because you are dosing not enought calcium.

We recommend to use Aquaforest:
Calcium: http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/calcium/

And other thing....

Solution 3:
If you are using 240g Reef Mineral Salts its 3 times more than recommened.
It should be 25g/L so in 3 liters it should be 75g
http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/reef-mineral-salt/

Reef Mineral Salt contains Magnesium - maybe that's why your magnesium is rising.
http://aquaforest.eu/en/how-reef-mineral-salt-works/

Here is video how to prepare Balling Method using Aquaforest products:

Regards,
Aquaforest

traxxonwaxx99 · Sep 13, 2017

Joe252 said:
I cannot find the answer to my problem - I was dosing in separate parts of different concentrations for everything including iodine and strontium , I decided to take a leap of faith and try the equal dosing of the Mag,KH,,Ca2, and reef mineral salt in conjunction with strong a,b,cand k - mixed in this concentration...
Solution .....
Mixing in 3L

Solution 1

150g Calcium Chloride Dihydrate

30g Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong A

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong B

Solution 2

240g Sodium Carbonate

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong C

Solution 3

240g Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt

15ml Aquaforest Component K

so long story short , my perrameters have gone from perfect to almost too low KH and Ca2 with Mag at 1530! - its been a steady trend so its going to continue , I was told to allow for levels to stabilize but if it goes any longer im gonna have problems ...
what do I do ?? if im supposed to dose equal right ? so if I crank up all three to bring up CA2 and KH my magnesium will go thru the roof more than it already is , and there is no way to lower the dosing ...

can I just adjust my first solution with less magnesium then increase dosing without increasing magnesium levels ?
Again Mixing 3L

Solution 1

150g Calcium Chloride Dihydrate

15g Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate <- drop Magnesium Chloride from 30 G in 3L to 15 for now ?

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong A

15ml Aquaforest Components Strong B

Yes I noticed that too, Solution 3 should only be 75g. I was originally using different BRS Calcium and Magnesium but ultimately I just switched to AF. It's not that much more expensive and they run anhydrous which changes the concentrations. I am however still using BRS soda ash because the KH buffer for AF does not help raise pH but I read that it doesn't change the alkalinity between the 2 types of Sodium Carbonate & Bicarbonate. My Ca & Mg do run a little high with the 3 part Balling though. I'm at 6.8dkh with Ca 453 and Mg at 1463.

Nemeziz_ZA · Sep 14, 2017

Good Day,

I have setup a new reef tank that I intend to run as a mixed reef with LPS and SPS, your Aquaforest products have me curious. Ive seen many tanks using your products and Im sure everyone agrees that they look amazing. Im sure there are many dedicated reefers behind the scense keeping those tanks happy too.

My question comes in about the effectiveness and or efficiency of using your products on a large reef tank.

A little bit about my system and its filtration.

Tank dimensions are 3.2m x 1.0m x 800mm
running 2 sumps, 2mx700x450

Water volume is +-3,500L (+-900 Gal)

Filtration and chemical equipment is as follows

Live Rock
20kg Matrix media
Phos media Reactor
NP pellet reactor (Outlet feeds into Skimmer)
ATB Skimmer
UV - I generally run this for a month after introducing any new livestock to the system
Ozone
CARX
Kalk RO Topup
Carbon in media bags

System managed via Profilux 4
Doser - 4 channel (unused at this point)

The build should be complete in the following two weeks and I intend to have it filled and scaped by the 2nd October 2017.

So with that information, which products should I be considering based on the type of inhabitants I wish to keep and the filtration and related equipment I have?
is it financially efficient to run the Aquaforest range at this scale of water volume?

I suspect it would be:
Marine Reef Salt
Bio S
Phos Minus 100ml/100L
Carbon 100ml/100L

I removed the probiotic salt as I noted in your documentation that its not advised with NP pellets and UV

Looking forward to hearing from you and any advice or input you prepared to offer.

Thanks

Anirban · Sep 14, 2017

Nemeziz_ZA said:
Good Day,

I have setup a new reef tank that I intend to run as a mixed reef with LPS and SPS, your Aquaforest products have me curious. Ive seen many tanks using your products and Im sure everyone agrees that they look amazing. Im sure there are many dedicated reefers behind the scense keeping those tanks happy too.

My question comes in about the effectiveness and or efficiency of using your products on a large reef tank.

A little bit about my system and its filtration.

Tank dimensions are 3.2m x 1.0m x 800mm
running 2 sumps, 2mx700x450

Water volume is +-3,500L (+-900 Gal)

Filtration and chemical equipment is as follows

Live Rock
20kg Matrix media
Phos media Reactor
NP pellet reactor (Outlet feeds into Skimmer)
ATB Skimmer
UV - I generally run this for a month after introducing any new livestock to the system
Ozone
CARX
Kalk RO Topup
Carbon in media bags

System managed via Profilux 4
Doser - 4 channel (unused at this point)

The build should be complete in the following two weeks and I intend to have it filled and scaped by the 2nd October 2017.

So with that information, which products should I be considering based on the type of inhabitants I wish to keep and the filtration and related equipment I have?
is it financially efficient to run the Aquaforest range at this scale of water volume?

I suspect it would be:
Marine Reef Salt
Bio S
Phos Minus 100ml/100L
Carbon 100ml/100L

I removed the probiotic salt as I noted in your documentation that its not advised with NP pellets and UV

Looking forward to hearing from you and any advice or input you prepared to offer.

Thanks

Thats a nice big tank with an impressive list of equipment. To start with you can use the marine salt, BioS and NP Pro for cycling (14days). Then change Bio S with pro bio S. You don't need the carbon or GFO while cycling but after that you can start using them. As you are going to use Ca reactor then I would suggest to dose component ABCK to maintain mineral balance.

traxxonwaxx99 · Sep 14, 2017

Wow gorgeous tank, rimless at that size!! Who built that?

Looks like a dosing Pump will be used so I'm going to assume you will be dosing 3 part for your Ca & ALK. I would go with dry powder from AF, their Calcium Magnesium supplements as well as their Reef Mineral Salt and Components Strong ABCK. It's up to you if you want to use their DKH buffer as the 2nd part solution, I chose to go with Soda Ash because it increases pH rather than decreases it.

Nemeziz_ZA · Sep 15, 2017

Anirban said:
Thats a nice big tank with an impressive list of equipment. To start with you can use the marine salt, BioS and NP Pro for cycling (14days). Then change Bio S with pro bio S. You don't need the carbon or GFO while cycling but after that you can start using them. As you are going to use Ca reactor then I would suggest to dose component ABCK to maintain mineral balance.

Thanks for the compliment and input.

traxxonwaxx99 said:
Wow gorgeous tank, rimless at that size!! Who built that?

Looks like a dosing Pump will be used so I'm going to assume you will be dosing 3 part for your Ca & ALK. I would go with dry powder from AF, their Calcium Magnesium supplements as well as their Reef Mineral Salt and Components Strong ABCK. It's up to you if you want to use their DKH buffer as the 2nd part solution, I chose to go with Soda Ash because it increases pH rather than decreases it.

Thank you, the tank is resident here in Cape Town, sunny South Africa. The tank was built on site piece by piece by a fantastic experienced team who specialise in large installations. They equally happy using acrylic or glass, I chose glass as I have 2 young children who often have young friends over. So I was concerned about little hands and hotwheel cars leaving scratches all over the acrylic. (a real possibility)

The dry powder is definately more cost effective so I was already decided on that if I followed the Aquaforest route for dosing component 1,2,3 however Ill probably still put my CARX reactor online and be responsable for the main volume contributor to keep those levels in check. I however will dose A,B,C,K (strong) as they recomend with the mix of Component 1,2,3

Instructions:
Requires use of Aquaforest Dry Calcium, KH Buffer, Magnesium, and Reef Mineral Salt mixed into solutions.

Component A - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of Calcium and Magnesium Aquaforest solution.
Component B - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of Calcium and Magnesium Aquaforest solution.
Component C - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of KH Buffer Aquaforest solution.
Component K - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of Reef Mineral Salt Aquaforest Solution.

for the initial setup using the reef salt as Anirban suggested with the supplement, Bio S and NP Pro for 2 weeks to cycle. Post cycle switch to Pro bio S, add carbon, GFO and dose Component ABCK (Strong).

My remaining question is, can I run the NP pelletes, UV and Ozone with the above consideration?

Is the plan I described above what you were suggesting? Did I misunderstand or miss anything?

Many thanks

rob safron · Sep 15, 2017

Looking for some opinions. I have a 120 gallon reef converting to mostly sps. I have been dosing vinegar for more than a year and it has worked like a charm. By definition I am running an ultra low nutrient system. Nitrate and phosphate are undetectable by Hanna. I do have to clean my glass every 2 days so I'm sure it's not truly ultra low, I feed pretty heavy. So I switched over to AF 1,2,3 as well as use some of the additives. I am now debating switching over to NP Pro instead of vinegar. My question would be if things are going well nutrient wise is it worth making that switch? Any benefit over simple vinegar? I also travel regularly and won't be able to dose the pro bios s on an every day basis, how critical is that?

Anirban · Sep 15, 2017

Nemeziz_ZA said:
Thanks for the compliment and input.

Thank you, the tank is resident here in Cape Town, sunny South Africa. The tank was built on site piece by piece by a fantastic experienced team who specialise in large installations. They equally happy using acrylic or glass, I chose glass as I have 2 young children who often have young friends over. So I was concerned about little hands and hotwheel cars leaving scratches all over the acrylic. (a real possibility)

The dry powder is definately more cost effective so I was already decided on that if I followed the Aquaforest route for dosing component 1,2,3 however Ill probably still put my CARX reactor online and be responsable for the main volume contributor to keep those levels in check. I however will dose A,B,C,K (strong) as they recomend with the mix of Component 1,2,3

Instructions:
Requires use of Aquaforest Dry Calcium, KH Buffer, Magnesium, and Reef Mineral Salt mixed into solutions.

Component A - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of Calcium and Magnesium Aquaforest solution.
Component B - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of Calcium and Magnesium Aquaforest solution.
Component C - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of KH Buffer Aquaforest solution.
Component K - Add 5 mL to 1000 mL of Reef Mineral Salt Aquaforest Solution.

for the initial setup using the reef salt as Anirban suggested with the supplement, Bio S and NP Pro for 2 weeks to cycle. Post cycle switch to Pro bio S, add carbon, GFO and dose Component ABCK (Strong).

My remaining question is, can I run the NP pelletes, UV and Ozone with the above consideration?

Is the plan I described above what you were suggesting? Did I misunderstand or miss anything?

Many thanks

First let me clear one thing, if you run Ca reactor then you only need to dose component ABCK. You don't need to dose component 123.
Second, pellets don't work well with probiotic methods so I will suggest you to avoid that. you can use UV and ozone but switch UV off when you dose those bacteria like bio S or Pro bio S.

Anirban · Sep 15, 2017

rob safron said:
Looking for some opinions. I have a 120 gallon reef converting to mostly sps. I have been dosing vinegar for more than a year and it has worked like a charm. By definition I am running an ultra low nutrient system. Nitrate and phosphate are undetectable by Hanna. I do have to clean my glass every 2 days so I'm sure it's not truly ultra low, I feed pretty heavy. So I switched over to AF 1,2,3 as well as use some of the additives. I am now debating switching over to NP Pro instead of vinegar. My question would be if things are going well nutrient wise is it worth making that switch? Any benefit over simple vinegar? I also travel regularly and won't be able to dose the pro bios s on an every day basis, how critical is that?

I am one of those people who believe that don't fix stuff until its broken. So, if something is working for you then don't change it. But in case if you want to change then there is a NP Pro doser compatible version available which is diluted and can be dosed through a dosing pump. You can use that.

VJV · Oct 1, 2017

@Anirban, @Aquaforest. Hi, my reef tank is about 1 year old (but all rock inside is about 4 years old). It is a 600 litre peninsula tank plus 125 litre sump. I am now doing the Fauna Marin Balling Light (and have always used TM Pro Reef salt). I have always had zero NO3 and almost undetectable PO4 (last reading was 0,009) and my acros always struggle with colour. Typically they will pale out in 1 month, than struggle for another 1 or 2 months and finally die. I believe I have too little nutrients in my system and am considering switching to Aquaforest products.

My question is, given how nutrient poor my tank is, I am thinking I would only start using the Probiotic salt but no additions of Pro Bio S nor NP Pro, not to starve it even more. I would also start dosing AF Aminomix, AF Vitality, AF Energy and AF Build to get some nutrition in my corals. If at some point I see a rise in Nutrients I would start dosing Pro Bio S and NP Pro.

Also, I have relatively few corals in the tank. 4 montiporas, one Acro Tenuis (small), one Seriatopora Caliendrum (large), one Stylophora Milka (Medium) one Styplophora pink. Also have several acans, elegance coral, Euphylia, Hammer, Lobophylia. As such, instead of 1 drop per 100L I was planning to start with just 1 drop per 400L, twice a week.

Please let me know if you think this approach is correct.

Kind regards

Vasco

Anirban · Oct 1, 2017

VJV said:
@Anirban, @Aquaforest. Hi, my reef tank is about 1 year old (but all rock inside is about 4 years old). It is a 600 litre peninsula tank plus 125 litre sump. I am now doing the Fauna Marin Balling Light (and have always used TM Pro Reef salt). I have always had zero NO3 and almost undetectable PO4 (last reading was 0,009) and my acros always struggle with colour. Typically they will pale out in 1 month, than struggle for another 1 or 2 months and finally die. I believe I have too little nutrients in my system and am considering switching to Aquaforest products.

My question is, given how nutrient poor my tank is, I am thinking I would only start using the Probiotic salt but no additions of Pro Bio S nor NP Pro, not to starve it even more. I would also start dosing AF Aminomix, AF Vitality, AF Energy and AF Build to get some nutrition in my corals. If at some point I see a rise in Nutrients I would start dosing Pro Bio S and NP Pro.

Also, I have relatively few corals in the tank. 4 montiporas, one Acro Tenuis (small), one Seriatopora Caliendrum (large), one Stylophora Milka (Medium) one Styplophora pink. Also have several acans, elegance coral, Euphylia, Hammer, Lobophylia. As such, instead of 1 drop per 100L I was planning to start with just 1 drop per 400L, twice a week.

Please let me know if you think this approach is correct.

Kind regards

Vasco

Looks like a fine idea. I will first slowly change the salt and wait for few weeks. Then start the ABEV program slowly.

VJV · Oct 5, 2017

Anirban said:
Looks like a fine idea. I will first slowly change the salt and wait for few weeks. Then start the ABEV program slowly.

Thanks! Another question: I am currently dosing Fauna Marin Balling Light and I dose 44ml of ALK, 9ml of Calcium and 6ml of Magnesium. I would like to switch to component 1+2+3+ but the problem is that my tank consumes much more Alk than Calcium and Magnesium. At times it does not even consume Mag at all. I understand that 1+2+3+ are meant to be dosed at the same amount each but is it a problem to dose different amounts?

Anirban · Oct 5, 2017

VJV said:
Thanks! Another question: I am currently dosing Fauna Marin Balling Light and I dose 44ml of ALK, 9ml of Calcium and 6ml of Magnesium. I would like to switch to component 1+2+3+ but the problem is that my tank consumes much more Alk than Calcium and Magnesium. At times it does not even consume Mag at all. I understand that 1+2+3+ are meant to be dosed at the same amount each but is it a problem to dose different amounts?

I know people who dose unequal components including myself. But I think you can do that for a shorter time period but eventually you have to balance all of them out otherwise it will create an imbalance in the system. This 3 components are not just regular Alk, Ca and Mg they also have other major and minor elements too.