What point should I start dosing?

[Benga]

I'm curious if dosing is really necessary on something like a light stock 40B + 20G sump.
I'm looking to have roughly 4 fish and roughly 5 types of coral over the course of a year.
Corals such as; Hammer, Zoa, Mushroom, Acan, Chalice.

Is there a beginners guide to dosing, components, chemicals, ratios?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dose when alkalinity drops below your target level.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The Many Methods for Supplementing Calcium and Alkalinity - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/the-many-methods-for-supplementing-calcium-and-alkalinity

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

 

[brett_schn]

What randy said. I would start doseing when water changes can’t keep up with replacing certain elements

 

[rkpetersen]

With what you've described, you may or may not need to do some light manual dosing, depending on the salt you use and your water change regimen. However, as you increase your bioload, especially wrt hermatypic corals and clams, I'd recommend getting it automated as soon as possible, either with a dosing pump and two part, or other method; it will be so much less traumatic for your livestock than trying to keep up with manual dosing.