so maybe i jumped the gun

[notchsleeper80]

Ok, so I have around 15 plugged drags or so in my tank, about 6 are Kenya trees. So I bought a Kent reef two part kit to help aid coral and coralline grows, and it tells me how much to dose, but not how often, btw it's a 55 gal. Any thoughts, the guy at the store sold it to me saying it would help a lot, but after doing research I realise I will need test kits for these additives even though he convinced me I didn't.due to my busy schedule it'll be another two weeks or so before I can make another major supply run and get them. Just wanted a census of how often you guys dose... Thanks

 

[mike007]

Without testing you have no clue on what you need to dose and how much to dose. The instructions on most products will help you determine correct amounts but you have to test first to see where you are. Can you order online it is usually cheaper and most good vendors ship quickly.

 

[Dashiki]

you need to buy test kits so you know what your levels are. start with alk and cal tests. red sea makes a good test if your store stocks them.

 

[notchsleeper80]

I'll have to order some tonight then, so after my testing, if dosing is needed, do I dose everyday or every other day, once a week. I'm afraid if I test right after dosing I'll get false readings.

 

[notchsleeper80]

I'm just afraid to shock and kill my tank

 

[Dashiki]

test, dose, wait 24hrs, dose if needed.

don't raise alk more than .75 dKh

don't raise cal 25ppm

 

[Dashiki]

newer tanks might only need dosing once a week

 

[NC2WA]

agree with what is said..

rule of thumb, is whatever you are adding to your tank, you need to test for it first..

if you cant test for it, then (I) don't add it.

it is always a good idea to have a balance of your water parameters before you add anything to the tank....I write down all my test, water changes, when something was added to the tank on the back of my acrylic tank with a yellow highlighter...(back is black acrylic)...

 

[notchsleeper80]

Thanks, exactly what I needed to know. I'll order my tests and see if I need it or not, goes to show lfs don't always know best. Maybe I need to find a better supplier.

 

[notchsleeper80]

is there a good recommended sight that you guys like for ordering supplies and supplements, very new to this

 

[Eienna]

I get most of my supplies from amazon.com and drsfostersmith.com. Prices you really can't get anywhere else when buying new.

 

[sqcube4me]

dont dose unless you can test ..

 

[AlexG]

I agree dont dose without testing. When my tank was new a few months ago I did not dose much at all but now I need to dose a couple times a week. It does not take much ALK buffer to make drastic changes to the water so just test. Then I would dose about half the recommended amount for the tank. That way you can see how much your alkalinity changes per dose and bump up to the full amount if the half dose is not enough. I would avoid changing the ALK over .75 per day.

 

[Dashiki]

Marinedepot.com they are a sponsor.

 

[WhoKnew]

I use Amazon.com for som things. Aqua SD for rest.

 

[mfinn]

Looks like a good start to a soft coral reef tank.
If this is your goal to keep softies, then all you really need to do is do regular water changes with a good quality salt.
I've kept several different soft coral tanks for 20+ years and stopped using any additives many years ago.
IMO regular water changes is all that is needed for soft corals.
I even have a small percentage of lps corals in my 240 softy tank that are growing very well.

 

[3dees]

what mfinn said. unless your going with sps or a lot of lps, you may not need to dose anything. I'm slowly going from a fowlr to a softy tank and so far I haven't needed to dose. my calc is a bit low (380) but my corals are looking great.

 

[Luisreeftank]

There is really no need to dose on soft corals, they apparently thrive on "dirty" waters, so they are pretty hardy. Dosing is really only needed if you get SPS or, as said above, a lot of LPS.
Coralline will appear naturally on your tank if parameters permit it so.