Do you Dose or Just change you water?

[NickSc]

I'm curious on how many reefers dose their reef tanks vs just changing the water. I'm assuming some do both. Let's get this debate going!

 

[PeterC99]

Definitely both water changes and dosing!

All depends on your aquarium’s consumption and stability of parameters.

 

[NickSc]

I've been thinking about doing a 2 part dose with water changes. I think my tank may benefit from it. Fyi this is a picture of my tank. I'm still trying to get rid of the hair alage. My heater broke on the on position and it's taking forever to get this tank recovered.

 

[Schraufabagel]

I currently manually dose between longer water changes. But I try to do a water change every other week

 

[MaxTremors]

I dose two part and kalk saturated vinegar daily and do weekly water changes.

 

[WVNed]

I do both every day. 1% AWC

 

[Gtinnel]

I dose 2 part and I do water changes. There is no way any reasonable water changes would keep up with alk/cal demand.
I'm getting ready to start dosing trace elements but I haven't yet. For the last few years I've just hoped that my AWC replenishes my trace elements, sinceI've been to cheap to send off a water sample to be tested.

 

[landlubber]

i find my salt has elevated levels of the parameters i measure so i just heat the nsw and exchange it. however, i admit i am ignorant to the trace elements that are lacking and could be missing out on something. who knows.

 

[NickSc]

I'm doing the same now.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I have a small tank, 20g long, and I was doing just water changes to keep alk/calcium where I wanted, but with only 4 fish, I don't have much bioload, so I quickly bottomed out nitrate and phosphate to 0. Which now I'm dealing with dinos from that. For now I stopped waterchanges and am dosing no4 and po3, and dosing for alk or calcium as needed.

I definitely think every tank is just too different to put a catch all solution to. Some can get away with just waterchanges, some you can't. Some can change no water and just dose. Some you can't. Finding out what works for you and your tank is the fun part

 

[Arego]

Kalk in ATO and every 50g of top off water used a 50g water change follows.

 

[Zach B]

My dos changes out about 1.5% of water per day and my brs dosers dose the alk and ca to get everything as stable as possible

 

[LuizW13]

I used to just do water changes, until late last week when I caught my dkh at 5.8. So, know I'm manually dosing All For Reef until I get my hands on the mythical Versa pump.

 

[NickSc]

I would to see pictures of tanks and if they dose or not.

 

[shakacuz]

i only dose. weekly water tests to see what elements i am missing and then just monitor the tank by eye.

0 water changes since i set up the tank. under blues and the under orange filter. this is as of sunday (orange filter).

 

[Duncan62]

I would to see pictures of tanks and if they dose or not.

 

[Duncan62]

No changes in 3 years for this one.

 

[muzikalmatt]

You really only need to dose if your water changes can't keep up with the depletion of minor and major elements in your tank. I started dosing 2-part manually once my tank was consuming more than 1 dKH of alkalinity in a week. I think the corals have appreciated the added stability.

 

[Tofer]

I do both weekly water changes and dose All for Reef .