need the dosing gods

[leemajors]

how do you determine how much needs to be dosed in a tank

just say i check readings on monday when should i check again to determine my dosing needs
thx


im a newbie:squigglemouth:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Here's a copy and paste from another thread:

Supplementing in the early stages of a reef aquarium

1. Get an alkalinity test kit.
2. Measure your aquarium.
3. If the alkalinity is not below about 8 dKH (3 meq/L), and you are not already supplementing alkalinity, then you do not need to test for any other chemical (not counting salinity) and you do not need to supplement any chemicals at all.

The reason is that alkalinity will decline before anything else has significantly dropped, and if it has not dropped out of acceptable ranges, then neither will anything else have done so.

Monitor alkalinity for a few days before dosing so that you are not chasing random testing variations rather than actual tank decline in alkalinity.

 

[JimWelsh]

Leemajors, adding to what Randy said, I'd say do first learn how to use your Alkalinity test kit with reasonable precision (if you do the same test three times, you get three answers all pretty close to each other). Then, measure your tank's alkalinity (you might consider using the average of three tests in a row), and stop any dosing/water changes. Then, test for Alk daily, at more or less the same time each day. How long to monitor the drop depends a whole lot on how fast it drops. Just wait until you have a clear trend and consistent rate emerging from the data. Once you see such a trend, then take one last test (or the average of three last tests), and compute [DailyDrop] = ( [StartAlk] - [EndAlk] ) / [NumberOfDays]. Plug that into any of a number of online Reef Chemistry Calculators to determine your daily dosage rate for what you are dosing.

 

[mike007]

What I would recommend Is getting your levels where you want them and then go 3 days without dosing and retest. Then retest and divide results by 3 that will tell you your daily consumption. Whether you are dosing manually or using a dosing pump then you can use the reef calculator to determine how much to dose each day to get parameters steady. Alkalinity and magnesium, calcium, should also be tested in this way.

 

[beaslbob]

how do you determine how much needs to be dosed in a tank

just say i check readings on monday when should i check again to determine my dosing needs
thx


im a newbie:squigglemouth:

Best bet is to implement Dr. Randy's improved diy two part system.
With that system dose equal amounts of the calcium and alk solutions when KH drops down. then after using up a gallon of the cal and calk doses, dose 300ml of the magnesium.
my .02

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This article of mine should also help:

The “How To†Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[hart24601]

I think Randy answered all the reef chemistry questions about 10 years ago and now just has to point us to the answers!

 

[glb]

Here's a copy and paste from another thread:

Supplementing in the early stages of a reef aquarium

1. Get an alkalinity test kit.
2. Measure your aquarium.
3. If the alkalinity is not below about 8 dKH (3 meq/L), and you are not already supplementing alkalinity, then you do not need to test for any other chemical (not counting salinity) and you do not need to supplement any chemicals at all.

The reason is that alkalinity will decline before anything else has significantly dropped, and if it has not dropped out of acceptable ranges, then neither will anything else have done so.

Monitor alkalinity for a few days before dosing so that you are not chasing random testing variations rather than actual tank decline in alkalinity.

Boy is this good news!

 

[Gopi]

So glad to read this...I was wondering the same thing!

 

[hectat2]

Im new in the hobby. Questions is better use part a and b or only calcium and alkalinity and magnesium separate ?
If my alkalinity is good I don't have to test for calcium and magnesium just for my salinity?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Im new in the hobby. Questions is better use part a and b or only calcium and alkalinity and magnesium separate ?
If my alkalinity is good I don't have to test for calcium and magnesium just for my salinity?

Yes to the latter.

Using a two part system is better than independent additions, especially for a new aquarist. It is easier to keep things under control with such a system.

I compare methods here:

The Many Methods for Supplementing Calcium and Alkalinity - REEFEDITION

 

[hectat2]

Mr Randy Holmes I really appreciate your help thank you so much

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.