What product do you dose?

[ajremington68]

I am currently dosing All For Reef powder however, I am not satisfied with my calcium and magnesium dropping while maintaining alkalinity. Wondering what you are dosing and if it's just your personal favorite or if it's a cost-effective route as we all try to save where we can.

 

[Cycleguy0623]

I’m doing Kalk both for cost effectiveness and because if it’s good enough for WWC and tidal gardens to grow there stuff it’s got to be good enough for me. I then adjust specifics with BRS two part.

As demand in my system increases I will be adding a CA reactor but that’s more because I’m a gear junkie and enjoy the stuff.

 

[Digimes]

Seachem Reef Builder and Coral Up. Switching to another when this runs out. Not sure if staying with a Seachem A and B or Brightwel A and B. Debated All for Reef but not feeling the inability to balance buffer and calcium separately.

 

[ajremington68]

I’m doing Kalk both for cost effectiveness and because if it’s good enough for WWC and tidal gardens to grow there stuff it’s got to be good enough for me. I then adjust specifics with BRS two part.

As demand in my system increases I will be adding a CA reactor but that’s more because I’m a gear junkie and enjoy the stuff.

So what does your Kalk control parameter-wise? How often are you testing to correct with more or less. Also how often do you make it with hearing that it loses potency?
Does your two part work like : 1 ALK, 2 MAG, CALCIUM?

 

[ajremington68]

Seachem Reef Builder and Coral Up. Switching to another when this runs out. Not sure if staying with a Seachem A and B or Brightwel A and B. Debated All for Reef but not feeling the inability to balance buffer and calcium separately.

Support that last statement. What is coral up? Also, how do you like the 2 part in essence of controlling Calcium and Magnesium with one solution? What levels are you able to keep them at with it? Would you be able to do a Calcium of 440 and MAG of 1450 with it? How do you fine-tune I guess I am asking.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I am currently dosing All For Reef powder however, I am not satisfied with my calcium and magnesium dropping while maintaining alkalinity. Wondering what you are dosing and if it's just your personal favorite or if it's a cost-effective route as we all try to save where we can.

Baking Soda from the grocery store for Alk. $2/lb
Calcium Chloride (food grade for cheesemaking) from ebay $2/lb
Magnesium Chloride (food grade) from Ebay. $2/lb
Aquaforest Mineral Salt to balance it all out.

 

[Cycleguy0623]

So what does your Kalk control parameter-wise? How often are you testing to correct with more or less. Also how often do you make it with hearing that it loses potency?
Does your two part work like : 1 ALK, 2 MAG, CALCIUM?

I use a Kalk reactor and dose it consistently. It maintains Alk and Cal as well as increases PH.

I test 4 times a day with a Trident but the Kalk only makes up about 1/2 of my need for ALK and about 80% of my evaporation top off.

I then have a doser adjusting the rest on 24 doses a day.

I will be moving to trident controlled dosing for 2part shortly.

The BRS two part is actually 3 parts. But 4 in my case. I dose ALk, Calc, Tropic Marin part C automated and then dose magnesium by hand occasionally as I see a drop in testing trends.

i will also be adding in part A and K from tropic Marin for trace elements once ICP tests show it is needed.

I should add this is a new tank set up for me but not a new process. I have had success with this process in the past just moved and set up a new tank.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

I use a calcium reactor and supplement with Red Sea Iron+ based on testing with a Hanna checker.

I also carbon dose vodka for nutrient control.

 

[ajremington68]

Baking Soda from the grocery store for Alk. $2/lb
Calcium Chloride (food grade for cheesemaking) from ebay $2/lb
Magnesium Chloride (food grade) from Ebay. $2/lb
Aquaforest Mineral Salt to balance it all out.

How much solution does a lb of them make? Also how long does it last in your tank?

 

[ajremington68]

I use a Kalk reactor and dose it consistently. It maintains Alk and Cal as well as increases PH.

I test 4 times a day with a Trident but the Kalk only makes up about 1/2 of my need for ALK and about 80% of my evaporation top off.

I then have a doser adjusting the rest on 24 doses a day.

I will be moving to trident controlled dosing for 2part shortly.

The BRS two part is actually 3 parts. But 4 in my case. I dose ALk, Calc, Tropic Marin part C automated and then dose magnesium by hand occasionally as I see a drop in testing trends.

i will also be adding in part A and K from tropic Marin for trace elements once ICP tests show it is needed.

I should add this is a new tank set up for me but not a new process. I have had success with this process in the past just moved and set up a new tank.

Love the copperband, with me not having the trident would a 2 part be more of a bullet proof path? I see your doing kalk but I fear the inconsistency of the solution being not as potent as time goes on, as well as having to make multiple batches a week.

 

[ajremington68]

I use a calcium reactor and supplement with Red Sea Iron+ based on testing with a Hanna checker.

I also carbon dose vodka for nutrient control.

Dose vodka? Like greygoose????

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

Dose vodka? Like greygoose????

Well I am a little cheaper than that I use Member's Mark (Sam's Club brand), but yeah, it is a form of carbon dosing.

 

[ajremington68]

Well I am a little cheaper than that I use Member's Mark (Sam's Club brand), but yeah, it is a form of carbon dosing.

I am going to have to do some research on that, have not heard of that but intrigues me!

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

I am going to have to do some research on that, have not heard of that but intrigues me!

Check out this write up by @Miami Reef

NEW Vodka and Vinegar Dosing Charts

The reasons I'm updating the Vinegar and Vodka dosing charts are two-fold: 1. The ramp was unnecessarily slow. There was no perceived benefit to such a tedious ramp, and it led to reefers quitting because they thought carbon dosing didn't work. 2. The ramp did not scale up correctly...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Cycleguy0623]

Love the copperband, with me not having the trident would a 2 part be more of a bullet proof path? I see your doing kalk but I fear the inconsistency of the solution being not as potent as time goes on, as well as having to make multiple batches a week.

Personally I think the key to Kalk is using a reactor or stirer. I use the Avast personally and don’t see the inconsistency. I add Kalk once a month and it dose its thing. I also set it up to only make up part of the dose because I need the PH boost to stay over 8.

If you don’t need the consistent ph help two part alone is a fine method and a little less complex.


I think for me the best piece of advice I got early on was to not copy someone else unless I copied there full recipe. Every tank is different so what works perfect for me and my setup could not work for you. Change one thing at a time and test often till stable so you can track what is working and what is not.

 

[ajremington68]

Personally I think the key to Kalk is using a reactor or stirer. I use the Avast personally and don’t see the inconsistency. I add Kalk once a month and it dose its thing. I also set it up to only make up part of the dose because I need the PH boost to stay over 8.

If you don’t need the consistent ph help two part alone is a fine method and a little less complex.


I think for me the best piece of advice I got early on was to not copy someone else unless I copied there full recipe. Every tank is different so what works perfect for me and my setup could not work for you. Change one thing at a time and test often till stable so you can track what is working and what is not.

Thank you for the advice

 

[ajremington68]

Baking Soda from the grocery store for Alk. $2/lb
Calcium Chloride (food grade for cheesemaking) from ebay $2/lb
Magnesium Chloride (food grade) from Ebay. $2/lb
Aquaforest Mineral Salt to balance it all out.

Is this like an all in one? Or are you dosing all of these separately?

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

I use @Randy Holmes-Farley ’s DIY 2-part, and then every once in a while, I throw in some magnesium.

 

[Roatan Reef]

In my 40GB I dose AFR every 2days about 8 mils, once a week I dose Red Sea Trace Colors, twice a month I dose Red Sea AB+ for corals.

 

[X-37B]

Calcium reactor for alk and ca.
Dsr ez trace daily.
EZ-Trace - Magnesium, Sulphate, Potassium, Boron, Iodide and Manganese.
Strontium weekly.
Been running this combo for over 7 years.
Setting up my IM 170 the same way.