Dosing for sps

[Pappy]

Hey everyone I wanted to start a discussion thread regarding dosing for sps tanks. I've been considering the fauna balling method because it makes sense. I have a 120 fully stocked with now starting to mature frags. My mag is always at 1400 and just dropped and had to raise for the first time in a year. I currently am running kalk via ato through a tlf kalk stirrer and dosing ca chloride and sodium bicarbonate through a marine color dosing pump. I mix the 1 gallon jugs according to the brs site (2 1/2 cups ca and 1 1/8 cup of bicarbonate per 1 gallon). Currently dosing 30ml alk and 60 ca per day and parameters are stable at 9.2ish to 9.5ish via Hanna checkers. I do 25% wc every 2 weeks or so.

With all that said was reading up on this fauna balling method and it makes sense. Adding part 1+2 to ca and part 3 to alk. This evenly distributes trace elements as the coral grows. We've always believed that good wc schedule will replace trace BUT if it doesn't keep up with alk and ca then how do we know if it's keeping up with trace. Ever notice when we do wc's that tank goes nuts for first couple days and then normal (normal still epic in my case) for the next week and a half? I'm not a fan of dosing anything we can't test and normally only dose above and feed corals and fish heavily.

I would love to know what others peoples inputs and experience with dosing trace elements regularly is. Even if it's an opinion all welcome but if it's advice please explain personal experience and like everyone else I love pics too!!!

Thx for everyone's help and input!

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Following

 

[kacrocorals581]

I use balling long as your good at math and have good test kits its a great system a lot give up on it because they over think it. But a great system once its figured out

 

[Pappy]

I use balling long as your good at math and have good test kits its a great system a lot give up on it because they over think it. But a great system once its figured out

Thx when u say good at math...???
It says add 25ml to 4 liters (1 gallon of dosing). Pretty easy IMO. Do u think using the alk, ca from fauna are necessary or just the normal from brs sufficient?

 

[mcarroll]

I think you could be doing more with water changes (at least in theory) by doing weekly or even more-frequent changes.

I saw my best color and growth when I was doing daily 10% water changes using Reef Crystals.

It was short-term but a good experiment: 10% was 5 gallons. I can carry it in one bucket. I don't have to shut the system down. No 50' hoses to unreel. I can do the mixing, draining and filling all at once in about 10 minutes. No mixing buckets or barrels sitting around taking space. And that gave me a ~50% water change by the end of the week!

Even though my system is about twice the size now, I'm trying the same strategy again - just started Tuesday. It'll still give me 25%/week which is better than what I'm doing with large-batch water changes now.

I'm not sure I'd mess with trace elements outside of an "enhanced, simplified" water change schedule like this just because of the fact there's no way for me to test/verify.

The difference between two-part and balling light seems so minimal as so be unworthy of distinction. Seems like you're just adding some drops to your Ca part. Why do we not say "I'm using balling drops" or whatever instead of calling two part dosing by a whole new name?

(And if I'm missing something, have you found anyplace that gives a really clear description of the method that might clarify this better for me?)

My $0.02

-Matt

 

[kacrocorals581]

Thx when u say good at math...???
It says add 25ml to 4 liters (1 gallon of dosing). Pretty easy IMO. Do u think using the alk, ca from fauna are necessary or just the normal from brs sufficient?

That's just guessing to use balling light properly you have to know your daily cal all and mag uptake and you dose that amount back perday. Guessing can kill your tank never guess when it comes to acropora and alkalinity when the balling light is used properly you perams will not swing my cal alk and mag stay constant at 440 7.8 1400 i

 

[kacrocorals581]

I also use the original balling method and I do use BRS products not the fauna products

 

[Pappy]

That's just guessing to use balling light properly you have to know your daily cal all and mag uptake and you dose that amount back perday. Guessing can kill your tank never guess when it comes to acropora and alkalinity when the balling light is used properly you perams will not swing my cal alk and mag stay constant at 440 7.8 1400 i

When is say balling light method I mean addition of the 3 part trace element with alk and calcium.

Sorry I was not clear obviously I'm not guessing on dosing cal and alk! And yes def have to be good at math for this. I mean the addition of the other 3 to what I'm already doing. All my parameters are stable just wondering if people have experience with the trace portion not the regular doses parameters.

@ mcarrol if I had the time to to 10 gallons daily I would but no way no how and wife would kill me if I had buckets in hallway every day versus every 2 weeks. And unfortunately the demands of my tank have exceeded wc schedule, the kalk and now having to dose as well for a while. It's all good though super simple with a pump.

 

[kacrocorals581]

Oh I see the part about dosing now I use Kent trace in balling and dose red sea reff energy a and b with great success

 

[AquamanE]

IMHO- and according to Randy Holmes Farley A guru in this hobby relating to chemistry--- you need to dose alk, and cal at even doses.

 

[Pappy]

IMHO- and according to Randy Holmes Farley A guru in this hobby relating to chemistry--- you need to dose alk, and cal at even doses.

Just following the brs recipe instructions and running kalk.

 

[Pappy]

Bump for people dosing trace or fauna ballers

 

[Pappy]

Bueller bueller lol

 

[creefer]

Interesting.....

I too have an SPS tank with frags all starting to mature. Most have based down nicely and have started more vertical and branching growth. I've been running kalk in the ATO only up until recently when I've noted a larger drop in Alk and CA. As such, I've recently started 2-part dosing manually, keeping an eye on mag. Since adding a clam, I'm seeing much more drop in Alk and CA. Thus far, in my small tank, dosing 2-part manually has been working for me. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of months as the SPS and clam growth continues. I'll be watching.....closely, and following this thread.

 

[beaslbob]

I think you could be doing more with water changes (at least in theory) by doing weekly or even more-frequent changes.


-Matt

FWIW I in general disagree. Water changes at levels (like weekly or more frequent) will limit but not prevent changes in the system.

Sure if you could do a 100% water change several times a day then fine. But even with that you need perfect sps water which is hard to come by unless you live on a beach full of sps corals and constantly pump in new water.

So even with water changes you will need to dose the elements necessary for sps and other livestock in our tanks.

But that is just me and my .02

 

[mcarroll]

Well, there are always limits to any strategy, but check this out: Very Large Water Changes Maintain Calcium and Alkalinity

"Very large" in that author's opinion is >30% per month. To me 30%/mth is essentially not doing water changes...I get almost that at my laziest. LOL.

The point is that it can be done and it's not that hard (I did it)....but only up to a certain level of consumption or volume of system.

This thread of mine is sort of related: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-discussion/134613-water-change-day.html

-Matt

 

[Pappy]

Please know that I am not a cost driven reef keeper and also spend tons of time with my tanks BUT...daily wc's to replace trace, ca, alk, and mg? The cost amounting to 50% every 2 weeks and time of daily maintenance seems ridiculous!

Dosing 2 part, running bio pellets to control trates, 25% every 2 weeks, etc...and simply dosing trace in small quantities seems to make way more sense.

Mcarrol I love the idea in theory but way flawed when it comes to practicality IMO!

 

[mcarroll]

What is it you love about the idea again? You say it at the end, but somehow I missed that part. LOL

You should check out that link...as it says (and I said) of course this is a limited strategy. (They all are.) Still useful.

FWIW, bio-pellets and dosing both have pretty well-defined limits as strategies too, which you will find sooner or later. And while water changes can contribute to "dosing" and "nitrate reduction" they do more than just that. The idea isn't flawed - just different from what you are used to. Heheh. If you read my thread, I think you'll get it more.

So, if you aren't limited by time or money (don't we all wish?) you can still do more for your tank with water changes than you are. Whether you think it makes sense or choose to try it is always another question.

Good luck!

-Matt

P.S. Where are you going for your balling info, btw?

 

[Pappy]

What is it you love about the idea again? You say it at the end, but somehow I missed that part. LOL

You should check out that link...as it says (and I said) of course this is a limited strategy. (They all are.) Still useful.

FWIW, bio-pellets and dosing both have pretty well-defined limits as strategies too, which you will find sooner or later. And while water changes can contribute to "dosing" and "nitrate reduction" they do more than just that. The idea isn't flawed - just different from what you are used to. Heheh. If you read my thread, I think you'll get it more.

So, if you aren't limited by time or money (don't we all wish?) you can still do more for your tank with water changes than you are. Whether you think it makes sense or choose to try it is always another question.

Good luck!

-Matt

P.S. Where are you going for your balling info, btw?

Now why are you mocking me? Lol the idea of very small water changes daily versus larger weekly or bi-weekly. Great way to keep stable parameters and replenish used cal, alk, trace, etc....maybe I missed something but isn't that what you were discussing? I read through the thread and found the daily updates about stability and no changes to be excruciating to be honest was very uneventful. I understand that was the purpose though.

As far as maintaing parameters....yes like u said there are many ways to achieve the same results BUT some make sense. This is where I see flawed. We as hobbyists often look for different ways to tweak (some like to simplify and some like to complicate) our tanks. Yes fresh batches of water continuously can keep a tank super stable. But automated dosing, bio pellets, etc...can keep stable (to a degree) without the aggrevation. I do understand these things all have their limits and we need water changes and to modify our maintenance to meet its demands.

I believe the more automated and easy our tank is then skipping or forgetting a part of our regime will be less of an issue. If we keep our tank absolutely perfect all the time then the smallest swing or drop in temperature or etc....could be catastrophic. I have a friend that never did water changes, hardly did anything for that matter and insists u can grow acros in a toilet if you adapt them. I of course would find this just as crazy as daily water changes. I like the idea of everything in moderation. And if I read thread correctly 5 gallons a day for a week 25% weekly!!!????

 

[bct15]

Daily water changes isn't a new concept, that is how most LFS can keep coral and stuff alive without dosing and stuff. They basically do a bunch of water changes everyday as they fill bags for people's purchases.