Never dosed Calcium or alkalinity but always great! Doing something wrong?!

[bjmartie]

So tank inky been setup like 5 months now. Got live sand and 100 lbs or so of live rock. Got 17 different corals in it. Mostly zoas, polys and few mushrooms.

Every time I checked my calcium or aklanity levels, it always been at a good range, or so I think.

My calcium is always right at 400 and aklanity around 9.

I use reef crystals salt by instant ocean

All my corals are doing amazing too! I just don't know if I should still dose or just let it all be.

I add some red sea reef energy plus a few times a week as well as some reef roids polyp labs a few of the other days. Usually like 3-4 days a week I feed my corals.

 

[EricR]

Nice!
My Ca/Mg are always low, like 330/1200, but too lazy to do anything about it (yet) -- only soft corals and alk at 7.7 dKH but maybe I should start thinking about doing something,,, nah,,, maybe later

 

[Bucs20fan]

So tank inky been setup like 5 months now. Got live sand and 100 lbs or so of live rock. Got 17 different corals in it. Mostly zoas, polys and few mushrooms.

Every time I checked my calcium or aklanity levels, it always been at a good range, or so I think.

My calcium is always right at 400 and aklanity around 9.

I use reef crystals salt by instant ocean

All my corals are doing amazing too! I just don't know if I should still dose or just let it all be.

I add some red sea reef energy plus a few times a week as well as some reef roids polyp labs a few of the other days. Usually like 3-4 days a week I feed my corals.

How often do you do water changes?

 

[14 foot reef]

Your coral load doesn't require a heavy demand. Keep up the great work !!!!
Don't chase numbers or over think this. Fabulous job !!!!

 

[yanetterer]

If you only have soft corals your tank may not be consuming much since there isn’t anything building a skeleton. Although reef crystals usually mixes higher than that so there may still be something consuming it, like coralline algae.

 

[Mschmidt]

No need to worry about alk or calc for soft coral. They don't consume any. keep no3 and po4 detectable. there are differing opinions about the range. I like around 20 no3 and .2-.3 po4.

 

[Goodersgold]

So tank inky been setup like 5 months now. Got live sand and 100 lbs or so of live rock. Got 17 different corals in it. Mostly zoas, polys and few mushrooms.

Every time I checked my calcium or aklanity levels, it always been at a good range, or so I think.

My calcium is always right at 400 and aklanity around 9.

I use reef crystals salt by instant ocean

All my corals are doing amazing too! I just don't know if I should still dose or just let it all be.

I add some red sea reef energy plus a few times a week as well as some reef roids polyp labs a few of the other days. Usually like 3-4 days a week I feed my corals.

One thing I have learnt from you good people here, is "don't chase numbers" if it looks good and healthy then leave well alone, do your basic maintenance, sit back and enjoy it

 

[Bucs20fan]

Definitely keep doing what is working, softies like some dirty water, dont strive for a perfect 5 ppm nitrates. And dont freak if it jumps to 40ppm. Softies can handle it and just dont take any drastic measures. They like their fertilizer in the water and they will be your best friend in using it up.

 

[Tamberav]

So tank inky been setup like 5 months now. Got live sand and 100 lbs or so of live rock. Got 17 different corals in it. Mostly zoas, polys and few mushrooms.

Every time I checked my calcium or aklanity levels, it always been at a good range, or so I think.

My calcium is always right at 400 and aklanity around 9.

I use reef crystals salt by instant ocean

All my corals are doing amazing too! I just don't know if I should still dose or just let it all be.

I add some red sea reef energy plus a few times a week as well as some reef roids polyp labs a few of the other days. Usually like 3-4 days a week I feed my corals.

No need to dose if numbers are good. Sounds like you have a bunch of soft corals and not hard calcified ones. Also it depends on coralline growth too. Water changes will help replace some elements.

Do not chase ghosts but do continue to test and then you will know if something changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The current values are fine. If coralline algae or other calcifying organisms start to grow more then you may need to look into dosing calcium and alk.

You might also consider dosing a trace element supplement now as the organisms in the tank may well be driving some down low enough that dosing could be useful. Iron and manganese, for example.

 

[bjmartie]

How often do you do water changes?

Uhh.. Lol. Like every other week. I usually do about 15 percent.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Uhh.. Lol. Like every other week. I usually do about 15 percent.

Water changes are an expensive way to maintain alk and calcium, if that's the only reason for them.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Even a 10% water change will replenish any alk and cal that is used up. So that is also why you dont have much consumption.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Even a 10% water change will replenish any alk and cal that is used up. So that is also why you dont have much consumption.

Will they?

If the salt mix has 8 dKH and the tank is at 7 dKH, a 10% change only boosts the alk to 7.1 dKH.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Will they?

If the salt mix has 8 dKH and the tank is at 7 dKH, a 10% change only boosts the alk to 7.1 dKH.

I will always yield to your math, He is using IORC which mixes around 11, at least mine does. He says the tank holds around 9, unless there just isnt much growth.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't disagree that the water changes are likely holding up his numbers. Perhaps you meant your statement only as applied to his scenario. I read it as a general thing, which is what I was addressing for others who might read the thread.

 

[Bucs20fan]

I don't disagree that the water changes are likely holding up his numbers. Perhaps you meant your statement only as applied to his scenario. I read it as a general thing, which is what I was addressing for others who might read the thread.

Thats exactly what I was trying to say, so thank you for making sense of it. Just saying that in a softie/lps tank, weekly water changes usually will keep your levels fine without having to dose in a tank like the one stated above. Albeit like you said, more expensive in some cases.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

You've never dosed alk/cal but I'd start, every tank can take it no matter what coral you have, it will just be a smaller amount less frequently, but it will encourage coraline algae to grow, then it will suck it up.

 

[bjmartie]

The current values are fine. If coralline algae or other calcifying organisms start to grow more then you may need to look into dosing calcium and alk.

You might also consider dosing a trace element supplement now as the organisms in the tank may well be driving some down low enough that dosing could be useful. Iron and manganese, for example.

Any brand or anything in particular you suggest?

 

[bjmartie]

To dose iron and manganese that is.