How to know when to start dosing?

[Ramon Estevez]

Ive had my 125 running for around 4 months. A few soft corals in the tank as well as a 2 coris wrasses, blue chromis, and lawnmower Blenny.
If I’m wanting to stick more to softy and LPS should I worry about dosing?

 

[ThunderGoose]

Check your alk, calcium and magnesium regularly. The numbers will let you know when (if) you need to start dosing.

 

[ReefJake123]

Dosing depends so u have softies so you're gonna wanna dose iodide calcium and strontium molybdenum

 

[Sandroni]

I use Red sea pro, it has higher alk so I don't really bother with dosing in both tanks. Then again, I have a zoa garden tank and my DT with few pieces in them. I do have Kalkwasser just in case it drops too low down the road.

 

[ReefJake123]

Yea it always depends on the tanks style

 

[Crabs McJones]

Your best bet is to get your levels up to where you want them, and test a couple days later and note the difference, and then dose whats needed to get the levels back up to where you want them.

 

[ReefJake123]

Yup I completely agree

 

[aeras1131]

@Ramon Estevez If you are not accurately and fairly regularly testing for the params you want to do 1x per month ok, 1x per week good, 1x per day you're a god rawk on garth. Short story: if you do not have the A:tools or B:diligence to test to build a proper program. You should do multiple water changes to match alk to your target. You can test alk very hobbyist level with a tetra test strip best strip overall. Moral: test and dose water change. The difference is hand grenade vs scalpel. Ultimately, how much time and effort is going to determine your approach. I like the control of dosing overall. If you start testing you might find out that you do not need to dose yet. If this is the case I recommend small water changes 5% of the total water volume this satisfies smoothing water params overall and the treadmill that is water production. Ultimately, I do not have have to water change unless I am smoothing traces personally. However, I am running an on point chemically reef system. Testing when needed, deNitrifying bio-pellet reactor, dosing aminos, and monitoring once a week to determine when I need to do 2 Part. If you need any assistance, let me know. I will share some of my personal experiences.

 

[aeras1131]

As an aside, typically LPS does not foster needs to dose on the whole at least at initial frag sizes.

 

[Ramon Estevez]

I figured until the tank started to fill in with frags water changes should be able to keep up with the needs.

 

[mtraylor]

Before you know you need to start dosing etc. The first thing you will want to master is your husbandry habits. This includes taking regular measurements of your aquarium parameters and logging them if you want to keep up with them. Without testing the water, you will not know. As you take these reading and see consumption...this is how you know how much of an additive that you will need. Dosing is based on the same premises.

 

[Jimmyneptune]

Test once a week. Watch the corals in your tank. After time you will see what looks good and what needs help with dosing. Regular water changes with your setup should do the trick for a long time.