Kalk or all for reef?

[92Miata]

I fit the above, newish, dry rock(Marco) have nothing but issues. I started with 2 part, which ended up being mostly 1 part(ALK) as I rarely had to add calcium and never mag. This is also why I started with A4R, to reduce remembering to dose. I am going to attempt to figure out kalk and try that, probably go the doser route as dealing with the mess of using the ato sounds like a pain and it already has issues with the red Sea ATO

Not sure how AFR would help you remember to dose? Calcium moves slowly and needs to be waaaaay off to cause problems, so I wouldn't worry about dosing too much Ca

Early tanks have all sorts of processes that consume alkalinity. Early parts of the nitrogen cycle consume it, and processing of nitrate->nitrogen gas or flesh releases it - but the 2nd part isn't happening much in a new tank. Some algae will also use bicarbonate (alkalinity) as a carbon donor for photosynthesis (instead of CO2).

Honestly, dosing is a place I've found it's worth spending some money for dosing pumps (even cheap ones) and timers (or a controller) and just putting the thing on a schedule. Especially if you're dealing with working memory issues/poor executive function/etc. Most controllers can keep track of how much solution is left in your dosing containers, but if not, you can just calculate it out and put a reminder on the calendar.

 

[Jeeperz]

Not sure how AFR would help you remember to dose? Calcium moves slowly and needs to be waaaaay off to cause problems, so I wouldn't worry about dosing too much Ca

Early tanks have all sorts of processes that consume alkalinity. Early parts of the nitrogen cycle consume it, and processing of nitrate->nitrogen gas or flesh releases it - but the 2nd part isn't happening much in a new tank. Some algae will also use bicarbonate (alkalinity) as a carbon donor for photosynthesis (instead of CO2).

Honestly, dosing is a place I've found it's worth spending some money for dosing pumps (even cheap ones) and timers (or a controller) and just putting the thing on a schedule. Especially if you're dealing with working memory issues/poor executive function/etc. Most controllers can keep track of how much solution is left in your dosing containers, but if not, you can just calculate it out and put a reminder on the calendar.

Because a4r is dosed once vs having to dose alk, then later calcium, if it's needed

 

[92Miata]

Because a4r is dosed once vs having to dose alk, then later calcium, if it's needed

Unless you're dosing a lot of 2 part, you don't need to dose them at different times. Just dose them into an area of high flow.

 

[Jeeperz]

Unless you're dosing a lot of 2 part, you don't need to dose them at different times. Just dose them into an area of high flow.

That's good to know. Everything I've read said to wait between dosing different things.

 

[92Miata]

That's good to know. Everything I've read said to wait between dosing different things.

Don't squirt them out right next to each other at the same time - but in a high flow area, like 10 seconds is enough - or just dose one in the tank and one in the sump.


When you do want to stagger is using dosing pumps, where you typically have a block of dosing heads all dumping from one tubing bracket in the same spot, usually in the sump.

 

[uhgster1]

This is my Fluval 13.5. A little over a year old. I started it with established rock so it was an insta-tank of sorts. I dose 5 ml. Of AFR over twelve doses. It keeps my alk at 8.5, ph at 8.2 and everything else where it needs to be. In my opinion, AFR is a NANO tank under 20 gallon’s easiest supplement to use. When I had my larger tank I dosed both AFR and kalk, but the DEMANDS of the coral dictate what it needs. If you don’t have an aquarium packed like mine you will be fine with just water changes. Don’t complicate your life worrying about dosing until you need too. With that said, buy a single line doser and AFR when your tank is ready and you will not have to worry about much else.

 

[DanATL]

I was looking for an explanation for how AFR works and stumbled across this goat rodeo of a thread. Despite how painful it was to read I could not look away!

 

[ClownSchool]

This is my Fluval 13.5. A little over a year old. I started it with established rock so it was an insta-tank of sorts. I dose 5 ml. Of AFR over twelve doses. It keeps my alk at 8.5, ph at 8.2 and everything else where it needs to be. In my opinion, AFR is a NANO tank under 20 gallon’s easiest supplement to use. When I had my larger tank I dosed both AFR and kalk, but the DEMANDS of the coral dictate what it needs. If you don’t have an aquarium packed like mine you will be fine with just water changes. Don’t complicate your life worrying about dosing until you need too. With that said, buy a single line doser and AFR when your tank is ready and you will not have to worry about much else.

Do you use the liquid, or powder?

 

[Mortgaged Reefs]

My best guess is the chemical engineers at Tropic Marin, which happens to have a long proven track record in marine aquaculture going back to 1964, are much smarter than random people on the internet.

Yes this ^^^

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes this ^^^

No, not that. Yes, those words are correct as written, but they ARE NOT a correct response to the statmeent they responded to, which was:

"How would they design a product that can adopt to every tanks consumption of every element? Every tank has a different bioload, biomass, etc. Every tank will consume most elements differently. So when your tank is heavy on Boron and Moly, and mine is heavy on Fluoride and Iodine, what will we do then? Can we adjust their ratio in the bottle?"

As knowledgeable folks already knew, and many AFR users have since learned, no all in one product can maintain everything correctly for all tanks. Not even calcium and alkalinity and magnesium, and most especially not all trace elements.

That does not mean AFR is not a fine product. It means that AFR cannot maintain all aquaria appropriately without occasional corrections or additional doses of needed elements.

 

[14 foot reef]

Yes this ^^^

Correct, not this. If you listen, read, or watch any of the releases from Tropic Marin they tell you that using AFR takes away the ability to tweak Cal,ALk,Mag. There is a video out, I believe from Macna that details the limitations of AFR by stating, "If you use AFR it takes away from individual adjustments as all tanks consume these elements at different rates."

Edit..... Found it - Start at minute 30:30

 

[i cant think]

Here’s just some of my corals (and my 2 clams) from this morning just after light on. I dose AFR and they don’t seem to care about it.