Dosing Question

[ThatPhillyReefer]

Hello, so every night i dose 15ml of alk. I was wondering would it be better to dose it in increments or all at once like ive been doing?

If increments how so?

Thank You,
Owen

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Hello, so every night i dose 15ml of alk. I was wondering would it be better to dose it in increments or all at once like ive been doing?

If increments how so?

Thank You,
Owen

Increments is the general answer..however, not knowing the concentration of the alk or the size of your tank, i cant give you a solid answer. It may be such a small amount of alk based on your water volume that it is a who cares event. Alternatively, it could cause a major jump in your alk which could shock your system.

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

Increments is the general answer..however, not knowing the concentration of the alk or the size of your tank, i cant give you a solid answer. It may be such a small amount of alk based on your water volume that it is a who cares event. Alternatively, it could cause a major jump in your alk which could shock your system.

My tank is 90g with a 30g sump and im using B-Ionic Alk

 

[MichaelReefer]

If you want to keep it more stable it would be better to do it in increments, rather than just dumping it all in at once- causing a spike.

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

If you want to keep it more stable it would be better to do it in increments, rather than just dumping it all in at once- causing a spike.

thats what i thought i just dont know how to break it up into increments, like every hour or two?

I always dosed all at once but ive been doing a lot of research on stability

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

My tank is 90g with a 30g sump and im using B-Ionic Alk

using the BRS calculator at 120 total volume, i calculated how much B Ionic it would take to raise 0.1 dkh, which is 5.3 ML. As such, at 15 ml, you are going to raise your alk by roughly 0.3. I personally dont think that is enough to worry spreading it out.

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

using the BRS calculator at 120 total volume, i calculated how much B Ionic it would take to raise 0.1 dkh, which is 5.3 ML. As such, at 15 ml, you are going to raise your alk by roughly 0.3. I personally dont think that is enough to worry spreading it out.

okay thank you, but in the future when my corals grow and i get more how would i spread it out

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

okay thank you, but in the future when my corals grow and i get more how would i spread it out

There are two schools of thought.

1. Add it at night to keep your PH up.
2. add it during the day when alk consumption is the highest.

I personally dose my kalk using a peristalic doser on a constant drip. But at your levels of alk consumption, I think breaking it up into 2 to 4 would be completely safe. A 0.1 uptick is nothing to worry about.

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

There are two schools of thought.

1. Add it at night to keep your PH up.
2. add it during the day when alk consumption is the highest.

I personally dose my kalk using a peristalic doser on a constant drip. But at your levels of alk consumption, I think breaking it up into 2 to 4 would be completely safe. A 0.1 uptick is nothing to worry about.

so for reference 15/4 is 3.75. so i would dose 3.75 4 times a day at every 6 hours?

im sorry for asking so many questions im new to dosing in increments

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

so for reference 15/4 is 3.75. so i would dose 3.75 4 times a day at every 6 hours?

im sorry for asking so many questions im new to dosing in increments

I think that is a really safe amount to dose. You shouldnt notice any spike at all at those levels.

Get to know this calculator. This is your friend when you are trying to find how much to dose.

Alkalinity Supplement Calculator - Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

I think that is a really safe amount to dose. You shouldnt notice any spike at all at those levels.

Get to know this calculator. This is your friend when you are trying to find how much to dose.

Alkalinity Supplement Calculator - Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

so if i were to do it now 3.75, four times a day every 6 hours would be okay?

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

so if i were to do it now 3.75, four times a day every 6 hours would be okay?

Yes. As i said, I would think you would be ok all at once at this low level of alkalinty dosing. As such, cutting that amount in quarters and dosing every 6 hours is very safe in my opinion.

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

Yes. As i said, I would think you would be ok all at once at this low level of alkalinty dosing. As such, cutting that amount in quarters and dosing every 6 hours is very safe in my opinion.

sounds good, thank you so much!

i will still start off slow and constantly keep testing

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

sounds good, thank you so much!

i will still start off slow and constantly keep testing

I would ask you a more important question...do you actually know the consumption rate of your tank? If you didnt dose for 2 days..what would your dkh drop? Are you trying to match your dosing with the consumption or did you arbitrarily choose 15ml?

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

I would ask you a more important question...do you actually know the consumption rate of your tank? If you didnt dose for 2 days..what would your dkh drop? Are you trying to match your dosing with the consumption or did you arbitrarily choose 15ml?

yes i test everyday, my tank consumes roughly .3-.4 alk every 24 hrs

i try to keep my alk at 10 so everynight at 9 its at 9.6-9.7. if i were to not dose for 2 days it would be 9.2