Do i have to dose?

[discostew]

Hey all. 45g Tank is almost done cycling. Plan on having fish only for a few months and then adding only soft corals. Using natural sea water as my base. I want to keep it simple. Will i need to dose alk for hardy softies like gsp, Xenia, some leather? If so should i start doing so before my fish?

current measurements
Ph 7.6
Alk 7
Ammonia 0
Nitrates…up. (Still cycling)
Sg 1.025
Don’t have calc/phos measured.

 

[Jekyl]

Parameters dictate dosing. Track Parameters between water changes and decide for yourself.

 

[discostew]

Parameters dictate dosing. Track Parameters between water changes and decide for yourself.

Thanks. I guess more specifically can those listed above or something like a bta tolerate alk in The 7s?

 

[Jekyl]

Thanks. I guess more specifically can those listed above or something like a bta tolerate alk in The 7s?

You will have the answer to your original question before you should get a BTA. You should really wait the better part of a year before trying to get one. By then you will have a firm handle on the needs of your tank. Depending on salt mix and water change schedule you may or may not need to dose.

 

[discostew]

You will have the answer to your original question before you should get a BTA. You should really wait the better part of a year before trying to get one. By then you will have a firm handle on the needs of your tank. Depending on salt mix and water change schedule you may or may not need to dose.

I don’t plan on a bta for at least a year. Using natural sea water as it’s cheaper and more available. Plan on 10% weekly but will see how the params do with water changes but i don’t see the all changing much if the base water is consistently all of 7 to start off with.

 

[Jekyl]

I don’t plan on a bta for at least a year. Using natural sea water as it’s cheaper and more available. Plan on 10% weekly but will see how the params do with water changes but i don’t see the all changing much if the base water is consistently all of 7 to start off with.

Nitrification, coraline and coral consumption are a few of the things that will reduce alkalinity. Generally 7 is the low end of where most feel comfortable. Simple baking soda can be used for dosing alkalinity. May be best to get yourself accustomed to using it or another product.

 

[discostew]

Nitrification, coraline and coral consumption are a few of the things that will reduce alkalinity. Generally 7 is the low end of where most feel comfortable. Simple baking soda can be used for dosing alkalinity. May be best to get yourself accustomed to using it or another product.

Understood. That’s what i was looking at as a source. And maybe shoot for 8 as my goal.

 

[ColoredRock]

Using natural sea water

Are you getting it at scripps?... I use to also... I stopped using it when it was rainy or stormy.. even tho the intake is way out there it always seamed like I had algae issues come about when the weather was bad. Randy has a post somewhere with the parameters from scripps.

 

[discostew]

Are you getting it at scripps?... I use to also... I stopped using it when it was rainy or stormy.. even tho the intake is way out there it always seamed like I had algae issues come about when the weather was bad. Randy has a post somewhere with the parameters from scripps.

Yea. I live in san Clemente but work enough i. Sd. The water is no longer at scripps and is filtered at the noaa fishery.

 

[ColoredRock]

...is filtered at the noaa fishery.

Is the tap still at the pier? or a different location now?

 

[discostew]

Hose is at the fishery parking lot.

 

[Kiwi reefer]

Dosing a small new tank shouldnt be needed untill your water changes no longer meet the consumption

In a small tank like that i would look at All for Reef liquid keeps thing easy for you

 

[ectoaesthetics]

Reading what you have above I honestly think the primary user of calc and alk in your system will be the coralline algae. There is a decent chance water changes could totally cut it at 10-20%. As the tank matures it will probably need more rather than less… which will most likely have an inverse relationship with your desire or willingness to preform water changes. If your coralline grows like a weed you might need to invest in an auto water changer IF the 20% changes can keep up with the demand. Although it might be a lot cheaper to buy two dosing pumps …dosing is a headache. And the learning curve is real. Don’t ever dose one without the other (something most people now know but most didn’t years back). I think not dosing is one of the sweetest benefits of a softie tank.

I used to live in SD and miss having access to that water!!! Now I live in Monterey where the aquarium used to have something similar but they no longer have it. So now I mix.

Be careful with the GSP!!! It’s like mint in the garden… fun and wonder until it takes over the whole yard. I highly recommend putting it on an island.

Have fun.

 

[PatW]

From what I have heard, you will not need to dose unless you have hard corals. Even with hard corals, I bet water changes would handle the issue unless you have growing SPS corals.

Now that is only counting Ca, Mg, and ALK, You might have to dose P04 and NO3 depending on your nutrient export situation.

For a small tank, most issues can be handled by a good old fashioned brute force series of large water changes.

 

[mfinn]

Hey all. 45g Tank is almost done cycling. Plan on having fish only for a few months and then adding only soft corals. Using natural sea water as my base. I want to keep it simple. Will i need to dose alk for hardy softies like gsp, Xenia, some leather? If so should i start doing so before my fish?

current measurements
Ph 7.6
Alk 7
Ammonia 0
Nitrates…up. (Still cycling)
Sg 1.025
Don’t have calc/phos measured.

With a softy tank you really don't have to add anything. My advice is to just do regular water changes.
After my cycle on all my softy tanks was over, I stopped testing completely

 

[discostew]

Thank you for your responses

 

[discostew]

One more question. Water changes are okay. I won’t get a nem for a long time, but when i do and i only have softies, they don’t really have alk/calc/mg requirements right? Mainly stability and adequate food?

 

[TnFishwater98]

One more question. Water changes are okay. I won’t get a nem for a long time, but when i do and i only have softies, they don’t really have alk/calc/mg requirements right? Mainly stability and adequate food?

The thing about putting corals in your tank before a BTA is that more than likely your BTA will move around until it finds a good spot. It can injury/kill any coral it touches…

 

[NickHarris]

You will have the answer to your original question before you should get a BTA. You should really wait the better part of a year before trying to get one. By then you will have a firm handle on the needs of your tank. Depending on salt mix and water change schedule you may or may not need to dose.

That isnt true if you use live sand and rock you can get an rbta after a couple months i set up a 15 gallon nem and clown tank and i have 3 rbta and one gbta and they are thriving put them in at 4 months its been almost 7 now

 

[Jekyl]

That isnt true if you use live sand and rock you can get an rbta after a couple months i set up a 15 gallon nem and clown tank and i have 3 rbta and one gbta and they are thriving put them in at 4 months its been almost 7 now

We're not talking about using live rock. You're right tho.