Peoples experience with All for Reef

[Reef Puncher]

Hi all, so i dose my alk/calc/mag with all for reef. And my alk/calc is very stable. but i am finding that i am having to dose a little magnesium on top to keep levels around 1350, isnt that odd? does anyone else have to dose a little mag? If i increase my all for reef, it raises calc too high. I just thought magnesium doesnt leave system fast or get used so i just thought it was a little wierd.

Second question,
I also dose it because its supposed to have all the trace minerals in it, but everytime i send in an ICP the ICP shows i have low or no, iron, manganese, and cobalt. is that normal? do some tanks use up certain trace elements? does anyone else have low trace in some areas even though you are dosing all for reef?

 

[exnisstech]

I use AFR on one system but I don't test mag (never did). Some info below.

Just say NO to magnesium testing: RMM is born

OK, this thread has been many years in the making, and I'm posting it here since folks in the chem forum are probably already tired of all the threads relating to problematic magnesium testing. I'm going to propose a method, let's call it the Randy Magnesium Method, or RMM for short. All good...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I use it. It's very calcium forward. It is not a set it and forget it product. Also, you still will need 2 part + mag.

Because it is heavy on calcium, you will need to make up differences by hand dosing some alkalinity. My cal is currently 460. I've shut off the pump and am dosing alkalinity only, by hand until my cal gets down to 420ish. Admittedly, if I wasn't having a hard time keeping nitrates up, I would be doing more water changes. That would keep the calcium down further.

If I hadn't just bought a big bucket of the stuff I'd be going to Randy's two part. But, AFR does absolutely work even if it's a little out of balance.

 

[VintageReefer]

Manganese is consumed quickly and I feel needs manual dosing. I use AFR and had several Goni not extending which was resolved after some manganese corrective doses followed up with daily small doses

I also periodically need to manually correct alkalinity (once every few months for me)

 

[GARRIGA]

Do you have macroalgae or runaway GHA. Those consume iron and other trace elements.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

I use AFR on one system but I don't test mag (never did). Some info below.

Just say NO to magnesium testing: RMM is born

OK, this thread has been many years in the making, and I'm posting it here since folks in the chem forum are probably already tired of all the threads relating to problematic magnesium testing. I'm going to propose a method, let's call it the Randy Magnesium Method, or RMM for short. All good...

www.reef2reef.com

Yup I stopped testing after starting AFR. I have not seen any issues. My corals are plump and growing.

 

[exnisstech]

I use it. It's very calcium forward. It is not a set it and forget it product. Also, you still will need 2 part + mag.

Because it is heavy on calcium, you will need to make up differences by hand dosing some alkalinity. My cal is currently 460. I've shut off the pump and am dosing alkalinity only, by hand until my cal gets down to 420ish. Admittedly, if I wasn't having a hard time keeping nitrates up, I would be doing more water changes. That would keep the calcium down further.

If I hadn't just bought a big bucket of the stuff I'd be going to Randy's two part. But, AFR does absolutely work even if it's a little out of balance.

Interesting. I wonder if AFR works differently depending on tank requirements? I switched from esv 2part to AFR on one tank and have not had to use any other supplements. Last test calcium was 440. It has never been higher than 450. Alk runs around 8.5 dkh. I've only been using it 4 months so maybe things will change.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi all, so i dose my alk/calc/mag with all for reef. And my alk/calc is very stable. but i am finding that i am having to dose a little magnesium on top to keep levels around 1350, isnt that odd? does anyone else have to dose a little mag? If i increase my all for reef, it raises calc too high. I just thought magnesium doesnt leave system fast or get used so i just thought it was a little wierd.

Second question,
I also dose it because its supposed to have all the trace minerals in it, but everytime i send in an ICP the ICP shows i have low or no, iron, manganese, and cobalt. is that normal? do some tanks use up certain trace elements? does anyone else have low trace in some areas even though you are dosing all for reef?

Coralline uses a bit higher proportion of magnesium per unit of alk as is present in AFR. So it may be a bit deficient in magnesium and it has a bit of excess calcium .

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Interesting. I wonder if AFR works differently depending on tank requirements? I switched from esv 2part to AFR on one tank and have not had to use any other supplements. Last test calcium was 440. It has never been higher than 450. Alk runs around 8.5 dkh. I've only been using it 4 months so maybe things will change.

Like kalkwasser, AFR is a tiny bit heavy on calcium.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Interesting. I wonder if AFR works differently depending on tank requirements? I switched from esv 2part to AFR on one tank and have not had to use any other supplements. Last test calcium was 440. It has never been higher than 450. Alk runs around 8.5 dkh. I've only been using it 4 months so maybe things will change.

In a year my dose has climbed from 2.5 ml twice a day to 1.9 ml 24 times a day.

About 6 months in, my consumption took off. I finally slowed around 28ml daily. I was having a low nitrate situation. I dosed ammonia up to 9ppm nitrates. Consumption took off again. Total dose is 45.6 ml daily.

Since my calcium is now at 465. I shut the AFR pump off and am dosing, by hand, 1.9 dkh split into four doses. This is all in a 13 month old 25 gallon aio.

 

[exnisstech]

Like kalkwasser, AFR is a tiny bit heavy on calcium.

Probably why Lou E (I think it was Lou) states to use calcium as a dosage calculator not alk. I still use alk to determine my dosage. I just test weekly since I'm aware AFR has a delay before alk can be accurately tested.

 

[Reef Puncher]

Do you have macroalgae or runaway GHA. Those consume iron and other trace elements.

i do. i have chaeto. i bet thats eating it up

 

[Reef Puncher]

Probably why Lou E (I think it was Lou) states to use calcium as a dosage calculator not alk. I still use alk to determine my dosage. I just test weekly since I'm aware AFR has a delay before alk can be accurately tested.

yep i heard that too.

 

[GARRIGA]

i do. i have chaeto. i bet thats eating it up

Dosed ChaetoGro and my iron levels rose and algae happier for it. Even Red Sea warns against using their new system with refugiums as that will drain excess elements. Luckily all can be added manually.

Tropic Marin introduce their trace system in Europe where they are divided into families based on on one major element in the family driving the dosage. Something I was planning to do with their A&K. Might want to look into that although simple enough first to just test iron and add ChaetoGro or diy alternative and see how that goes. Seachem has a tester for iron.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Probably why Lou E (I think it was Lou) states to use calcium as a dosage calculator not alk. I still use alk to determine my dosage. I just test weekly since I'm aware AFR has a delay before alk can be accurately tested.

if you dose by calcium (not recommended by me) you’ll need to do some manual alk dosing. IMO, that’s not the big concern. Variability of calcium measurement worries me too much to recommend dosing determinations that way.