Simplifying dosing methods

[Reef_Hobbyist]

Hi Randy,

I am trying to design a dosing system that is both simple and flexible and I like the approach you have taken on your own tank. If you don't mind, I would like to vet out my ideas and ask you some questions as well.

I am setting up a very large mixed reef system (900 gallons) so I really need to think this all through before buying equipment, etc. I am planning to have two large mixing/storing reservoirs (limewater and nsw) that will each last a month. They will feed into 2 smaller dosing reservoirs that will be connected to dosing pumps. The goal is to keep things balanced but by having the smaller dosing reservoirs I can make adjustments there if needed and test the affect before dosing the whole batch.

The limewater dosing reservoir will be used for my ATO and the nsw dosing reservoir will be used for a continual slow water change.

So as I see it, I will have two convenient avenues available to me for slow dosing of supplements and I want to leverage those as much as I can. However, if there are some situations that are just better to be dosed using their own independent mechanism to control things better than that is fine too.

I realize that Kalk can only do so much and that 2 part is expensive but for now I am not currently interested in a Ca or Kalk reactor (at this point).

To get the most of out of the use of Kalk, I like the idea of adding vinegar to increase the concentration of my limewater. In my 100 gallon limewater dosing reservoir, that would equate to adding 1.2 gallons of vinegar (45ml of vinegar per gallon of limewater) correct?

Question: By adding vinegar, is that also accomplishing carbon dosing to some extent? Or is the chemistry different because of the high pH of the limewater? Could I add more than the one gallon of vinegar for the purpose of carbon dosing (kill two birds....) without negatively the limewater? Optionally, can vinegar dosing be done in the nsw or should it be its own separate dosing mechanism. Other factors to consider about dosing vinegar?

When I reach the upper limit on the Kalk and begin dosing 2 part, can I dose that into my nsw as part of my continual water change? Can it be dosed into the limewater? Pros/cons and things to consider?

For magnesium I was thinking of just dosing that into the nsw.

Trying to figure out if 4 reservoirs and 2 dosing pathways could accommodate my whole dosing plan.

Thanks in advance....

 

[-Logzor]

Without going with a Ca Rx your best bet is two-part. However you may not need two-part until you system demands go up. This will occur as your corals begin to consume more than what is replenished by your kalk and water changes.

I have a much smaller system than yours but it's high demand. I have two 5-gallon buckets setup with Ca and Alk for my two-part and both are dosed via Litermeters. These can be easily adjusted to match system demand. I don't see a point in dosing your water change water when you can dose your system continually and hand-free. I re-fill the buckets every three months or so. Aside from making sure the pumps are working it's hands free setup with little micro-management.

I also run kalk in my top-off, it's pretty easy since I just dump a bunch in and mix it up, hoping that I've maxed out the concentration. Also adding vinegar adds another level of micromanagement. Not sure what the advantage of doing that is if you're already dosing two-part.

Perhaps you could stretch the use of kalk by dosing vinegar and avoid two-part for awhile. Alternatively you could scrap the hassle of kalk all together and only run two-part. Considering you have a 900g system, it might be best to keep it as simple as possible. However I do like kalk in that it helps maintain ph!

 

[Reef_Hobbyist]

Without going with a Ca Rx your best bet is two-part. However you may not need two-part until you system demands go up. This will occur as your corals begin to consume more than what is replenished by your kalk and water changes.

I have a much smaller system than yours but it's high demand. I have two 5-gallon buckets setup with Ca and Alk for my two-part and both are dosed via Litermeters. These can be easily adjusted to match system demand. I don't see a point in dosing your water change water when you can dose your system continually and hand-free. I re-fill the buckets every three months or so. Aside from making sure the pumps are working it's hands free setup with little micro-management.

I also run kalk in my top-off, it's pretty easy since I just dump a bunch in and mix it up, hoping that I've maxed out the concentration. Also adding vinegar adds another level of micromanagement. Not sure what the advantage of doing that is if you're already dosing two-part.

I was thinking since I would already be doing a slow continual water change with a dosing pump, why not add supplements into that nsw reservoir and avoid the additional container/dosing pump to add them separately (unless there are advantages).

I see the advantage of vinegar in that I could use more Kalk which is cheaper than 2 part.

 

[-Logzor]

You might end up with precipitation issues since you would have to boost the calcium and alkalinity of your NSW. Additionally, having a separate seems seems like a good fail-safe if for some reason your continual water change fails or for some reason you dont have NSW prepared. In a high demand system only one or two days without dosing and you potentially have coral die-off.

How much cheaper is buying bulk kalk vs. bulk two-part? Assuming your going to mix your own?

 

[Reef_Hobbyist]

You might end up with precipitation issues since you would have to boost the calcium and alkalinity of your NSW. Additionally, having a separate seems seems like a good fail-safe if for some reason your continual water change fails or for some reason you dont have NSW prepared. In a high demand system only one or two days without dosing and you potentially have coral die-off.

How much cheaper is buying bulk kalk vs. bulk two-part? Assuming your going to mix your own?

Since this is all just brainstorming right now and I am floating ideas around, I really appreciate your feedback.

A key unknown factor for me is how much evaporation I will have. I expect it to be a lot given the size of the tank and sump. I live in south FL so the central air is running about 7 months out of the year and the humidity in the house is maintained at 60%. So once I know how much freshwater I will be replacing that will really help me figure out how much I can do with Kalk before having to supplement with an additional method.

Good point about having additional dosing setup for fail safe purposes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You cannot add appreciable two part (either part, but especially not the alkalinity; a small amount of the calcium part will be OK) into the water change water. You can put the magnesium into it. I've done that.

Yes, adding vinegar into the limewater will also add organic for organic carbon dosing, and at 45 mL/gallon it will be a significant amount. It may be more than you want long term (assuming you want any). I add vinegar separately to allow better control.

 

[Reef_Hobbyist]

You cannot add appreciable two part (either part, but especially not the alkalinity; a small amount of the calcium part will be OK) into the water change water. You can put the magnesium into it. I've done that.

Yes, adding vinegar into the limewater will also add organic for organic carbon dosing, and at 45 mL/gallon it will be a significant amount. It may be more than you want long term (assuming you want any). I add vinegar separately to allow better control.

Thanks. Can 2 part be added to the limewater or does that have issues as well?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. Can 2 part be added to the limewater or does that have issues as well?

No, neither part can be put into limewater.