Dosing for beginners

[Reeza]

Hey all, I'm pretty new to the reef keeping world, and have done my end of research. But curious from people that have kept and are keeping reef what do I need to dose. Where are good places to get the chemicals I need? Finally what is a good dosing system to look into? (pros and cons please)

 

[Justfebreezeit]

If you are keeping stony corals you will need to dose eventually. 2-part. Calcium and Alkalinity, magnesium if you get to a rapid point of consumption. A standard doser works for this. Most brands are workable. Good places to get the chemicals are Bulkreefsupply.com and Marinedepot.com, or you can DIY your own from a few threads @Randy Holmes-Farley has posted on here.

If your tank is larger and you plan on an sps dominant tank I'd recommend a calcium reactor. The amount of 2 part needed for larger systems gets to be ridiculous.

 

[Crabs McJones]

What size tank and what types of corals are you keeping? Depended on your demand, alot of reefers rely on weekly water changes to replenish elements. There is also Kalkwasser to replace calcium and alkalinity, or 2 part dosing to replace calcium and alkalinity. And calcium reactors. If you're doing weekly water changes you shouldn't have to worry about minor or trace elements, but calcium and alkalinity and magnesium are the three big ones you should keep track of and suppliment if needed

 

[kswan]

I'm a little over a year in to my first reef. I opted to start simple and am doing 10% weekly water changes plus adding saturated kalkwasser via a dosing pump. For me it is very low maintenance with good stability. So far softies, LPS and SPS are looking good and growing. I purchased the pump and kalk from BRS.

 

[Blaine C]

The first step is regular testing of your parameters for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium to form a base line of what your system is consuming. Then you can dose manually based on the needs of each element, eventually you may find that a doser may be required to keep up and help to keep the levels more consistent.

 

[Mikedawg]

Hey all, I'm pretty new to the reef keeping world, and have done my end of research. But curious from people that have kept and are keeping reef what do I need to dose. Where are good places to get the chemicals I need? Finally what is a good dosing system to look into? (pros and cons please)

When water parameters indicate that you need to supplement regular water changes, you might want to consider adding Kalkwasser to your ATO system for Alk and CA. This is probably the easiest, cheapest way to raise their values and maintain stability. Of course, you can also consider two part dosing (actually three additives) and more exotic approaches. I would start simple and see if your concerns are met.

BRS and Marine Depot have some great videos on this subject, btw.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

Asking "what needs to be dosed" is a loaded question, as it comes down to what your tank is using. If your tank is burning through alkalinity then that is what you need.

Most everyone here will agree that keeping stable parameters is the most important thing to do. So decide what Calcium, Alkalinity, and Magnesium levels you would like to maintain then start with a salt that mixes as close to those levels as possible, then dose to replace coral uptake between water changes as needed.

If you're looking for brand recommendations, I personally prefer Red Sea products as I have found them to be more consistent than others from bottle-to-bottle and salt batches are also very consistent parameter-wise.

I also recommend, if you find yourself needing to dose calcium, also dose trace minerals as they are absorbed in direct relation to calcium uptake by corals.

Not saying you have to use Red Sea, but I have found their recipes come in handy for new reefers as they can help you decide what your tank may need (but it doesn't mean it has to be treated like the Bible or something). Reef Care Recipes

 

[Cory]

Here is the simplest way of saying it:

Your baking soda, magnesium and calcium levels will decline. You will need to test baking soda (alkalinity), magnesium and calcium and add them back.