Do you need a Dosing Pump

[Pete polyp]

How stable its it going to be if you're doing weekly water changes? What is the difference between dosing once a week to doing a once a week water change? If you want "stable" there's nothing better than a calcium reactor, and coming in second would be a doser. It at least can be set to have multiple doses per day to help keep everything spot on.

 

[Zippy]

I had a packed 55 with sps, dosing 2 part manually and Ro/di water top off. Tank was great but it's a pain....especially of you go away. I now have a 120 with an ato and doser. All I can say is pure heaven, my week long vacation requires no lists for anyone. All I say is how much and the number of times to feed a day. So much better.

 

[tyler1503]

I believe the only time a hobbiest should have any sort of reactor or doser is when water changes are not a viable option, for instance when they're going away from the tank for a while, or water changes have to be performed so often it's just wasting water and/or money.
I believe the people who don't NEED one, yet have one running, are just lazy. That's not to be confused with people who have one AND need one.

 

[danielbui23]

I have a silly question

I know this reef chemistry but how helpful would this be in a fowlr situation? Just curious.

 

[sawdonkey]

I believe the only time a hobbiest should have any sort of reactor or doser is when water changes are not a viable option, for instance when they're going away from the tank for a while, or water changes have to be performed so often it's just wasting water and/or money.
I believe the people who don't NEED one, yet have one running, are just lazy. That's not to be confused with people who have one AND need one.

One man's lazy is another man's smart. I could probably get away with no reactors if I did a 45 gallon water chance every weekend. Guess what....I don't want to do that. It's expensive and time consuming. Instead, I can run a biopellet and gfo reactors and do water changes every month and enjoy my tank the rest if the time. So, I don't necessarily NEED reactors, but they make everything easier and let me enjoy the hobby rather than make it a chore.

 

[tyler1503]

One man's lazy is another man's smart. I could probably get away with no reactors if I did a 45 gallon water chance every weekend. Guess what....I don't want to do that. It's expensive and time consuming. Instead, I can run a biopellet and gfo reactors and do water changes every month and enjoy my tank the rest if the time. So, I don't necessarily NEED reactors, but they make everything easier and let me enjoy the hobby rather than make it a chore.

45 gallons is a lot. Getting close to almost half my water volume. To me, that size water change is not economically viable (I personally would leave the hobby if I had to do that. It would cost me almost $40 a week for water changes when we're talking about that much water), so in my eyes that doesn't come down to laziness, but resourcefulness. You've found an issue (too many large water changes) and come up with a cheaper, easier solution.
I was referring to the people who want to add a bunch of reactors to nanos or calcium reactors to fowlrs etc. People who can do a 10 minute 5 gallon or less water change a week and have the exact same results.

 

[ReefMadScientist]

If you can dose once a week you must be having next to no growth!

Gotta love the forums. Everyone knows what your tank is doing besides you.

I am sure you won't respond but here is my "so called" growth.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/general-sps-discussion/160750-my-sps-growth-love-my-hydras.html

 

[Pete polyp]

Gotta love the forums. Everyone knows what your tank is doing besides you.

I am sure you won't respond but here is my "so called" growth.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/general-sps-discussion/160750-my-sps-growth-love-my-hydras.html

Yeah, I was told just because I didn't have to do water changes to lower nitrates that I wasn't feeding enough for anything to survive.... Guess I need to bump up my 4-6 times daily to 10-12.....

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Yeah, I was told just because I didn't have to do water changes to lower nitrates that I wasn't feeding enough for anything to survive.... Guess I need to bump up my 4-6 times daily to 10-12.....

LOL!!!

Exactly. Didn't you know you NEEDED to do water changes to lower nitrates because people on this forum said so!? Geez you should learn Your poor fish are probably dying all the time.

 

[Pete polyp]

LOL!!!

Exactly. Didn't you know you NEEDED to do water changes to lower nitrates because people on this forum said so!? Geez you should learn Your poor fish are probably dying all the time.

You forgot to mention the 120+ different corals, breeding populations (starfish, chiton, snails) 15 hermit crabs etc. I was also told my 29 was lightly stocked with all of that and 3 fish.... Go figure

 

[tyler1503]

Hahaha entertaining stuff!

 

[Flame Hawkfish]

Thanks for all the comments so far!

 

[chrisfraser05]

I think the answer is yes, Stability is key imo.
You may well get by on topping up levels over the week or bi weekly, But it has got to be better to not let them drop.
Awaiting my abuse

My thoughts exactly

 

[hart24601]

Going back to the OP, no, you do not need dosing pumps, but you have to be willing to add Ca and Alk every single day if not multiple times a day once you get a decent stock and growth of stony corals. If you have fish only, or soft coral majority then you don't need to worry about it, but I don't know any mature reef tanks with large stony coral that can only get Ca and Alk levels replenished with water changes only or even weekly manual dosing. I don't have any crazy huge coral colonies but do have a 5 inch and 9 inch clam and my 65 drops about 1dkh/day and keeps increasing as the coral grow from frags to colonies. By the time your system is sucking up .5-1dkh/day I don't know how you could go a week between dosing or just do water changes. A member of my reef club loses 2dkh/day in his 220, that would be a lot of water changes!

 

[pacmann117]

Water changes for trace, and a doser for cal and alk is an easy road to success. Calcium reactors are sweet on high demand tanks.

 

[Foxy]

What would be the best route for a 50 gallon low boy frag tank and sump for an ATO? The jaebo DP-4? IF so, how much would you guys say and how often.
Thanks