To dose or not to dose

[M3rmaids]

I know. Everyone has opinions in this hobby and everybody is right and everybody is wrong.
*Please just comment if you have advice or help or guidance.*

I have a ton of additives. But I don’t know if I’m over dosing, under dosing.
(obvious answer check the levels)

• What is the best way that you are testing the nutrients in your aquarium to dose?
(Doesn’t seem to be a all in one, I am curious about Hanna digital testers. I currently have Reef master which does not check every thing I am adding)

• What do you use to raise levels? (I have Reef complete, calcium, magnesium, iodine, and other “all in one reef” solutions)

• When I need to lower my levels, I do water changes, is there a dose for a nutrient to lower it?

• Is there a auto dozer, that will react when levels need to be corrected? $$ I’m sure. I have seen “dosing calculators” like Neptune systems. Is there any others? And what is your opinion?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.
I’m sorry if these answers are already here.

 

[Lavey29]

Well I'm sure many will offer advice but we really need all tank info, age, parameters, how many corals etc... generally the first year weekly water changes suffice but eventually you get enough corals and water changes don't keep up. Your primary dosing should be alk and cal and to lesser degree magnesium. Hand dosing works to until you reach that point where you need good amount of alk and cal daily. Then you invest in a doser. Trace elements are usually fine with weekly changes. It's the big 3 that you need to focus on.

 

[M3rmaids]

thank,
Just over a year 100G
About 12 different Zoa frags
1 Bubble tip
1 anem
1 plate coral - over 5inch
A pretty healthy Duncan 5 large heads
1 Rock flower
5 encrusters
Pulsing xenia
And 4 other unknowns I picked up along the way
2 riccordea

 

[M3rmaids]

The thing is should I be testing for more? Like anything trace? Everything seems healthy. I just wanted to know if there was an easier way because I only plan to get more

 

[Lavey29]

thank,
Just over a year 100G
About 12 different Zoa frags
1 Bubble tip
1 anem
1 plate coral - over 5inch
A pretty healthy Duncan 5 large heads
1 Rock flower
5 encrusters
Pulsing xenia
And 4 other unknowns I picked up along the way
2 riccordea

Ok, what you want to do is get a baseline number so 24 hours after your water change test your alk. Say you test it at 100pm. Then wait 24 hours and test it again at 100pm and do a 3rd test the next day just to be sure. Look at how much your alk dropped over each 24 hour period and that will be an indicator if you need to start dosing. Your alk reading should be fairly close to what your salt mixes at. Alk and cal typically deplete proportionally so whatever you dose for alk then dose the same amount for cal. Water changes replenish trace elements. At one year you probably want to get an ICP test done which lab tests everything in your tank.

 

[Lavey29]

The thing is should I be testing for more? Like anything trace? Everything seems healthy. I just wanted to know if there was an easier way because I only plan to get more

Weekly you want to test alk , nitrates and phosphate. Test magnesium and cal monthly.

 

[Lavey29]

And of course always check salinity after water changes.

 

[V A R I A N T]

This is a good place to start

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I know. Everyone has opinions in this hobby and everybody is right and everybody is wrong.
*Please just comment if you have advice or help or guidance.*

I have a ton of additives. But I don’t know if I’m over dosing, under dosing.
(obvious answer check the levels)

• What is the best way that you are testing the nutrients in your aquarium to dose?
(Doesn’t seem to be a all in one, I am curious about Hanna digital testers. I currently have Reef master which does not check every thing I am adding)

• What do you use to raise levels? (I have Reef complete, calcium, magnesium, iodine, and other “all in one reef” solutions)

• When I need to lower my levels, I do water changes, is there a dose for a nutrient to lower it?

• Is there a auto dozer, that will react when levels need to be corrected? $$ I’m sure. I have seen “dosing calculators” like Neptune systems. Is there any others? And what is your opinion?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.
I’m sorry if these answers are already here.

I'd worry about dosing methods only after you test for alk and calcium. There are many, many good methods.