Dosing??

[jorahx]

Hey, I'm pretty new to reefing and have a few questions about dosing. I currently have a im20 with mostly torchs and few mushroom and two birds nests. I do a 15% water change out every week. I get my salt water from lfs it's natural sea water.

At what point should I worry about dosing? I don't know if when I do a water change out, if it replenishes the elements. Or if it doesn't replenish enough.

Should I test every day to keep track on a spreadsheet what the levels are before water change. And after water change?

Thank you for your help.

 

[Ranjib]

Check your ca and alk level when they drop below expected level, that’s the time to start dosing. I wil next t worry about dosing till you start introducing sps , particularly acroporas .

 

[Jason mack]

Yes you should record all your test results , there are a few good apps for this out there .
I would test your water at the begining of the week or just after a water change .. then test a few days or even just before your next water change .. the difference between them is your uptake , then Next after your next water change , test again .. this will tell you how much your water change is replenishing , or not , then you can decide wether too dose or not !
Happy Reefing
Mack

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hey, I'm pretty new to reefing and have a few questions about dosing. I currently have a im20 with mostly torchs and few mushroom and two birds nests. I do a 15% water change out every week. I get my salt water from lfs it's natural sea water.

At what point should I worry about dosing? I don't know if when I do a water change out, if it replenishes the elements. Or if it doesn't replenish enough.

Should I test every day to keep track on a spreadsheet what the levels are before water change. And after water change?

Thank you for your help.

Alkalinity is going to be the bellweather for required dosing, and if it really is NSW, that need may come fast since it doesn't have much to spare.

 

[jorahx]

Alkalinity is going to be the bellweather for required dosing, and if it really is NSW, that need may come fast since it doesn't have much to spare.

I live in Cali and talked to the guy who supply's the stores with salt water. He told me about his pump station out in the ocean.

What is "bellweather"

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I live in Cali and talked to the guy who supply's the stores with salt water. He told me about his pump station out in the ocean.

What is "bellweather"

The first indication of a need. If alk is OK, calcium and magnesium have not declined since they must decline together. If it is low, look to use a two part or similar system to dose them all.

 

[jorahx]

The first indication of a need. If alk is OK, calcium and magnesium have not declined since they must decline together. If it is low, look to use a two part or similar system to dose them all.

Okay got it. Should I be checking it daily?

 

[Brien]

Sorry to hijack the OP's thread but I have a question about using NSW.

Wouldn't doing so be constantly introducing new disease like parasites, Ich, Velvet, etc.?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Okay got it. Should I be checking it daily?

If it seems steady, you can go longer and longer between testing. A few days of daily will show if that is needed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sorry to hijack the OP's thread but I have a question about using NSW.

Wouldn't doing so be constantly introducing new disease like parasites, Ich, Velvet, etc.?

The water is often filtered, and the open ocean water is not a big source of disease organisms anyway.

On the contrary, I have added NSW that I collected myself primarily to potentially replenish the variety of bacteria present.

 

[jorahx]

If it seems steady, you can go longer and longer between testing. A few days of daily will show if that is needed.

just tested it. 7.9 alk, last i tested it was 8.5. tomorrow i am doing my weekly water change and i will update with what it is.

 

[jorahx]

Check your ca and alk level when they drop below expected level, that’s the time to start dosing. I wil next t worry about dosing till you start introducing sps , particularly acroporas .

i have 2 tiny frags i was given. and neither have seemed to open up since introducing them to the tank.

 

[Ranjib]

i have 2 tiny frags i was given. and neither have seemed to open up since introducing them to the tank.

pics?

 

[jorahx]

pics?

 

[Ranjib]

these are acroporas. What do you mean by opening up? Polyp extension? They dont open like zoa or lps. How old is your tank, it might be little early to introduce sps

 

[jorahx]

these are acroporas. What do you mean by opening up? Polyp extension? They dont open like zoa or lps. How old is your tank, it might be little early to introduce sps

tank is about a month and half old. and yeah i thought they would have polyps extend out a little bit like i see on google imagines of all the beautiful ones people have. maybe my tank is to new like you said. but hey the GSP and birdnest that you gave me are thriving

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

just tested it. 7.9 alk, last i tested it was 8.5. tomorrow i am doing my weekly water change and i will update with what it is.

The store must be adding supplements to the claimed "NSW", or the test is off, because it does not have alk as high as 8.5 dKH.

 

[jorahx]

okay ran tests again this morning.

salt 1.026
temp 75
ph 8.2
alk 7.8
mag 1280
cal 370
redsea test kit

my last water change was on 1-18-18. since my numbers havnt droped that much does that means i should not worry about dosing untill i introduce more into the tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

my last water change was on 1-18-18. since my numbers havnt droped that much does that means i should not worry about dosing untill i introduce more into the tank?

That would be my suggesting, yes, although calcium is on the low end and might benefit from a one time correction into the 400's.

 

[jorahx]

That would be my suggesting, yes, although calcium is on the low end and might benefit from a one time correction into the 400's.

What is you suggestion for that? Today is my daily water change day. After I finish I'll do another round of tests to compare.