Picking my parameters.

[Adams Reef]

Hey all. Tank cycling and want to pick my parameters.
Want to run highest ph my tank will allow normally without reactor. Hoping I can get 8.2
Now trying to decide between the redsea recipes.
I want to start with some zoas alcan frog but would eventually love to add sps once comfortable i can keep ALK stable.
The redsea says to run only 8dkh for sps and I'm not sure why so lowers.
I get lower phos and nitrate but not sure why everything else lower.
Most confusing the recipe says add approx 12ml ALK to maintain 8dkh
But for mixed reed add 9ml to maintain 11.5dkh.
How does dosing more ALK result in lower dkh.

So any suggestions for parameters for a mixed tank that maybe slowly evolve to have more sps as gain confidence and experience.

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

The Coral Pro salt mixes up to a higher alk then the blue bucket, so you will have different dosing amounts. Plus a mixed reef will consume a different amount over the course of a day then a SPS dominant tank would. I wouldn't worry too much about dosing if you are just cycling, you have a lot of time to study up on when it will be needed and how to go about it.

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

I'm actually running a SPS dominant tank, but using Coral Pro Salt at the higher Alk. I feel it leaves me a little room in case I have a brain fart.

 

[Adams Reef]

The Coral Pro salt mixes up to a higher alk then the blue bucket, so you will have different dosing amounts. Plus a mixed reef will consume a different amount over the course of a day then a SPS dominant tank would. I wouldn't worry too much about dosing if you are just cycling, you have a lot of time to study up on when it will be needed and how to go about it.

Just want to be within ballpark so dont shock anything in tank if decide need way lower alk for sps

 

[Adams Reef]

I'm actually running a SPS dominant tank, but using Coral Pro Salt at the higher Alk. I feel it leaves me a little room in case I have a brain fart.

Will soft coral and lps do well with the sps recipe?
Worried can't keep ph at 8.2 with 8dkh

 

[Adams Reef]

Just want to be within ballpark so dont shock anything in tank if decide need way lower alk for sps

The Coral Pro salt mixes up to a higher alk then the blue bucket, so you will have different dosing amounts. Plus a mixed reef will consume a different amount over the course of a day then a SPS dominant tank would. I wouldn't worry too much about dosing if you are just cycling, you have a lot of time to study up on when it will be needed and how to go about it.

Are the levels much lower so you can raise levels more accurately with more dosing for sps?
Pretty much wondering If there are sps that will do well higher in the tank where high light high flow with the mixed reef recipe. Or will phos and nitrate be too high aswell as ALK.

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

I'm running the Coral Pro Salt at around 11.5 alk. I have mostly SPS, but I do have a Goni, Zoas and a couple of Acans that are doing just fine. My phos is 0 and my nitrates last night were 2... which I'll be testing again. You can control your Phos and Nitrate. You should pick a salt that matches what you want to run. Most corals are hardy and will adapt to your levels over time. Acclimate appropriately when you receive them and no huge swings once in your tank and you should be fine. Red Sea is a recommendation, it's not this way or it won't work. A lot of people on here have mixed reefs with lower alk and a lot have it with higher alk.

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

and you don't need to dose all of that stuff to be successful... RS is a sales company and of course will promote their products together. I do auto water changes of 5gal a day and my parameters keep up with my tank consumption. When things start to grow then I will look into dosing, but water changes will keep up for quite some time.

 

[Adams Reef]

I'm running the Coral Pro Salt at around 11.5 alk. I have mostly SPS, but I do have a Goni, Zoas and a couple of Acans that are doing just fine. My phos is 0 and my nitrates last night were 2... which I'll be testing again. You can control your Phos and Nitrate. You should pick a salt that matches what you want to run. Most corals are hardy and will adapt to your levels over time. Acclimate appropriately when you receive them and no huge swings once in your tank and you should be fine. Red Sea is a recommendation, it's not this way or it won't work. A lot of people on here have mixed reefs with lower alk and a lot have it with higher alk.

Thanks. Running the pro salt now. Was wondering if after cycle before add anything do a couple after changes with the other salt. But think will keep with the mix parameters for now and see how some hardy sps will do

Is a kissel a360w good light for a couple sps? Notice alot ow people ru ming diffusers with sps

 

[Adams Reef]

and you don't need to dose all of that stuff to be successful... RS is a sales company and of course will promote their products together. I do auto water changes of 5gal a day and my parameters keep up with my tank consumption. When things start to grow then I will look into dosing, but water changes will keep up for quite some time.

100% dont plan on needing to dose for a good year but just want to pick parameters so I'm not jumping all over the place because I coral I really want lol.

 

[Adams Reef]

and you don't need to dose all of that stuff to be successful... RS is a sales company and of course will promote their products together. I do auto water changes of 5gal a day and my parameters keep up with my tank consumption. When things start to grow then I will look into dosing, but water changes will keep up for quite some time.

Doing the auto water change will also mean I dont need larger external ATO. I like that idea. So 2x 5gal buckets one with mixed water one empty?

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

I can't speak on the Kessils, although I do see people with them you will want some t5 supplemental light to get rid of shadows. The diffusers are used to get rid of a disco effect LEDs sometimes have.

Your tank will still evaporate at the same rate whether you do AWC or not, so you'll want a good size ATO unless you plan to fill it often or hook it up to your RODI system. I have a 44gal brute can with mixed water in my basement that is moved up to the sump via the DoS. The old water comes down and directly into a sink in my basement.

 

[mshonk]

Will soft coral and lps do well with the sps recipe?
Worried can't keep ph at 8.2 with 8dkh

My dkh runs around 7.1 -7.5. And my ph ranges 8.35-8.45 through the day, and I have thriving lps and softies. The low dkh is if you have low nutrients (no3, po4) and is supposedly more forgiving and kudos to you for picking this out now. I switched from a high alk salt to where I am now and it wasnt terrible but would have been easier if I started with the right salt.

 

[mshonk]

and you don't need to dose all of that stuff to be successful... RS is a sales company and of course will promote their products together. I do auto water changes of 5gal a day and my parameters keep up with my tank consumption. When things start to grow then I will look into dosing, but water changes will keep up for quite some time.

I dose all that stuff and barely do water changes It I would suggest finding some tanks you like and looking into their build threads to see what route they took.

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

I dose all that stuff and barely do water changes It I would suggest finding some tanks you like and looking into their build threads to see what route they took.

that's the beauty of this hobby... different things work for different people. My statement is that dosing those products isn't "needed," but doesn't mean it won't work. My view is to make my tank a natural environment, in which adding bottled products isn't something I run to when something goes wrong, needs to be changed or make things strive. Beautiful tank. Miss my 40g breeder...this was when I was moving into it.

 

[mshonk]

that's the beauty of this hobby... different things work for different people. My statement is that dosing those products isn't "needed," but doesn't mean it won't work. My view is to make my tank a natural environment, in which adding bottled products isn't something I run to when something goes wrong, needs to be changed or make things strive. Beautiful tank. Miss my 40g breeder...this was when I was moving into it.

Exactly there are tons of routes to achieve a goal in the hobby. I use the red sea dosing with my topoff. If by some chance I forget to pic up the trace dosing elements I can do a WC. So I am not sure that is working how I intended but the idea is to save money and space on buckets of salt by dosing the trace elements. I do want to point out I test for some of those elements though and in turn had to buy the test kits. It seems like they will expire before I use them up. I do want to point out that the red sea trace additives function in conjunction with calcium consumption and have corresponding test kits. Which is miles away from other trace element 'elixirs' have used in the past.

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

Exactly there are tons of routes to achieve a goal in the hobby. I use the red sea dosing with my topoff. If by some chance I forget to pic up the trace dosing elements I can do a WC. So I am not sure that is working how I intended but the idea is to save money and space on buckets of salt by dosing the trace elements. I do want to point out I test for some of those elements though and in turn had to buy the test kits. It seems like they will expire before I use them up. I do want to point out that the red sea trace additives function in conjunction with calcium consumption and have corresponding test kits. Which is miles away from other trace element 'elixirs' have used in the past.

Interesting, while most of your sps are still frags like mine, do you think that when the consumption increases that spendature on trace elements will be cheaper then water changes still?

 

[mshonk]

Interesting, while most of your sps are still frags like mine, do you think that when the consumption increases that spendature on trace elements will be cheaper then water changes still?

I think so. I have had the trace elements for about 6 months and I would say I still have another 6 months worth with an increase in demand. It was $20 for the redsea 4pk. I used to religiously do a 10% weekly wc on my old tanks. Now I am at about 2 gallons every 3 weeks on a 40g and I dont know that I need to that. I do it for the sake of just doing it in case. I run my carbon for one hour a day(no tumbling its in a media bag inbetween two sponges in a media canister) and keep powerheads on all the time in all but on chamber in the sump pointed at the bottom to prevent settling. Fingers crossed it continues.