Reef without dosing

[Vinh]

I'm prepping my tank to get it ready for corals. Taking this nice and slow and want to get Alk and Calc in a good place before moving forward. Currently have

10 gallon (cycle completed)
3 hermits
pair of ocellaris clowns
nothing else (no sump, no refugium, etc)

At the moment I'm doing 10% water change twice a week with regular IO salt. This is to slowly get nitrates down even further (at 10ppm right now). I plan to move to IO Reef Crystals and 10% water change once a week soon. I will be stocking (very slowly) mostly softies and some LPS. Would 10% water change once a week without dosing be sufficient to keep Alk/Calc levels where they need to be? I'm not expecting fast growth with this approach but hoping for slow growth and more importantly healthy corals. I plan on feeding corals as well.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Depends on the LPS you want. For softies, that sounds fine. What light are you using? What are you using for flow? Any filtration at all? Like HOB?

 

[Vinh]

I'm looking at torch, frogspawn, maybe an acan (not sure if these are considered LPS). For lights I have a cheap Green Element EVO LED rated at 10k. I'm hoping lighting will be sufficient but am willing to upgrade down the road if needed. I have a single Hydor 425gph pump pointed towards the top which gives plenty of surface agitation and hopefully enough flow everywhere else. Filtration is just about 10lbs of dry rock.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I do not know much about LED lighting, so I am no help with that, but if it is cheap, it probably does not have the output you want. I have done LED 38par bulbs on pico tanks (2g and 6g) that did okay, but I would use 2 of the bulbs over a 10g. These are decent if you go with a good brand and not too expensive (bulb $120, socket from home depot $8).

I also use those little nano pumps, but in a 10g you will probably need 2. I use 2 in my 6g during the day and one at night. Keep them clean, because they get a bit dirty and they put out very little. For softies like zoas, mushrooms, cabbage that flow and light would be fine. Any tree type and you need more flow.

If you want to dive into frogspawn (euphyllia), I would upgrade your light a bit and flow definitely. Frogspawn like light and flow. Torch can be a bit much for that size tank. They want a more mature system (so wait at least 6 months or more) and they like flow too. Should be fine with the frogspawn type lighting. I would go with hammer before torch. A bit easier and same needs as frogspawn.

This is all based on my personal experience with these creatures. Others will have different experiences, so wait for more replies. Always good to get lots of opinions. Also, may be able to help more on the led system you have.

 

[Vinh]

Thanks for your suggestions. Actually very helpful and good things to consider.

I guess my question is more general about keeping reefs without the need to dose. I see more and more people dosing this and that and often times just automatically go to that approach hoping for a quick fix (often times causing more problems). I'm trying to keep a "minimalist" tank - not in the sense of maintenance as I'm not opposed to hard work - but more in terms of minimal requirements. I'm wondering if there are reefers out there that have been successful with keeping healthy corals without the need to dose.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I think a minimal tank is certainly do-able. I have run a 40g with only a protein skimmer and hang on back for long times and everything was great and growing. I have run a biocube with only the tiny protein skimmer and sponge with some carbon.

Dosing becomes something that is done out of necessity because of time and types of corals. So, for instance, you have all soft corals in your system. I think weekly water changes would be fine for filtration (besides live rock) and to replenish the minerals of the system. However, once you begin adding the more calcium demanding corals such as LPS, SPS and clams, now your system may not be able to keep up with the necessary minerals with only a once per week water change.

If calcium and magnesium are being depleted too fast, this will throw off, pH, alk, etc. It is a balancing act. So, people dose to keep that consistency in the water chemistry.

I currently run a 40g (same one as before, but added a sump to hold my equipment [protein skimmer and heater] and attache my 6g to it). I have LPS and SPS in this system. So, I decided to make this system run on Prodibio method. Basically, this method doses needed minerals and vitamins and such to the system but on a every 2 week basis. So, I do not have dosing to do each day or equipment to run for it. Just use the vials every 2 weeks and done. I do water changes, but about every 2 weeks. My system has been up over a year.

Time makes a huge difference in this hobby. The longer a system is running with good water, the more good stuff builds up. Good bacteria, bugs, etc. So, it can sustain longer between water changes.

As for no dosing, I will be doing a 2g zoa garden soon with no filtration except water changes soon. It can be done, but with certain corals more is sometimes needed. Plus we get lazy, or unable to physically do water changes and so dosing becomes a life(reef) saver.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm prepping my tank to get it ready for corals. Taking this nice and slow and want to get Alk and Calc in a good place before moving forward. Currently have

10 gallon (cycle completed)
3 hermits
pair of ocellaris clowns
nothing else (no sump, no refugium, etc)

At the moment I'm doing 10% water change twice a week with regular IO salt. This is to slowly get nitrates down even further (at 10ppm right now). I plan to move to IO Reef Crystals and 10% water change once a week soon. I will be stocking (very slowly) mostly softies and some LPS. Would 10% water change once a week without dosing be sufficient to keep Alk/Calc levels where they need to be? I'm not expecting fast growth with this approach but hoping for slow growth and more importantly healthy corals. I plan on feeding corals as well.

It won't if coralline algae is growing well. If it is, you'd need to change on the order of 30% or more daily.

Why are you concerned about dosing?

 

[DeniseAndy]

Oops. Forgot all about coralline algae. Good catch Randy!

 

[kendavjac]

Just test and watch the #'s. You very well may be fine. How much coralina do you have? It can suck a lot of Ca and alk out of the water. I didn't have to start dosing my tanks until I got a lot of coralina and corals.

 

[Vinh]

Oh yes I forgot about coralline algae. I wouldn't say I'm concerned about dosing. Just seeing if I can keep things as simple as possible. I'm thinking eventually dosing will become part of the routine.

 

[chessplayer86]

how about miracle mud... ??

 

[3dees]

larger tank, but no dosing.

 

[Vinh]

Looks awesome! Can you elaborate on what you're doing? Salt you're using? Maintenance schedule? Etc?

 

[DeniseAndy]

Beautiful tank. See, I knew they were out there. Looks to be all softies. Bet it has beautiful movement.

 

[3dees]

mostly softies. a few lps. 15% wc every other week. IO salt. I tried RC but the zoa's don't seem to like it, so back to IO. two Chinese dimmable led's. hob RO BH-2000 skimmer. two Jebao ph's. very little maintenance except I'm having a small problem with phosphate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Oh yes I forgot about coralline algae. I wouldn't say I'm concerned about dosing. Just seeing if I can keep things as simple as possible. I'm thinking eventually dosing will become part of the routine.

FWIW, dosing is cheaper than water changes to attain the same effect, and if a 10% weekly water change worked, then the amount needed to be dosed to match that boost is VERY SMALL (say, 0.06 dKH per day), and need not be done daily.