dosing Q

authentic · Nov 24, 2015

I have a 140gal DT and about 30gal sump.The tank is 4 mo old and has alot of sps frags doing well
presently my alk is at 8.5 cal 420.I have an automatic water change system changing 2 gal a day 3 days a week with alk about 9.0 for now on my last salt mix( i have a 50 gal drum in my garage that i use for my saltwater)I am presently dosing 300 ml ca and alk per day with a neptune DOS.Being that i am dosing so much i am looking for alternatives such as increasing my water change schedule,higher alk in saltwater storage or some other alternative,although everything is stable and my tank healthy i am curious.(dont plan on a cal reactor anytime soon)

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 24, 2015

Water changes are not very effective (and definitely not cost effective) at maintaining alkalinity.

You also cannot boost the alk in the water change water much without risking precipitation of calcium carbonate.

You can put limewater in your top off if you have an ATO, and if volume is a serious issue (not sure why it would be), you can switch to a two part with higher concentration, such as B-ionic.

Downbeach · Nov 24, 2015

What are you dosing, i.e. Randy's recipe 1 or 2 or a commercial brand? 300 ml a day is pretty high for a relatively young tank.

authentic · Nov 24, 2015

I have been dosing ME alk and cal but will be switching to BRS calcium and alkalinity supplements on my next mix. I used kalk on my last tank but it clogs my tunze ATO and i now use acrylic resovoirs with built in float switches hooked to my apex(to tell me when they are low)the 300/day was the reason i raised the question.
what is the benefit of B ionic..looks to be more expensive

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 24, 2015

B-ionic is a high quality two part. Most others are probably fine (including my DIY), but with a product like this where there are lots of ingredients that need to be there that you do not measure, it comes down to your trust in the company to do a good job.

authentic · Dec 1, 2015

Randy,just checked my parameters and calibration on my DOS.my Alk is at 8.9 but my calcium was way low.my alk dozer was 10% off dosing 36ml when set for 40,I recalibrated and reduced my 300 by 10% to start trying to get everything in balance.any suggestions or explanation?plan on doing things slowly as the tank is looking really good

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 1, 2015

authentic said:
Randy,just checked my parameters and calibration on my DOS.my Alk is at 8.9 but my calcium was way low.my alk dozer was 10% off dosing 36ml when set for 40,I recalibrated and reduced my 300 by 10% to start trying to get everything in balance.any suggestions or explanation?plan on doing things slowly as the tank is looking really good

What is the calcium now? Manual correction over a few days may be a good plan in addition to the normal doser dosing.