What should I start dosing?
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Biglew11
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With soft corals you shouldn't have to dose much of anything, dont start dosing until you get hard corals. Coraline algea and snails will also use calcium and alkalinity. Don't dose for these unless you are testing there levels. You also need to test magnesium levels to a small extent.
New&no clue
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You most likely will need to dose to correct Calcium, Alk, and Magnesium.
The first step is to start testing and see what your tank is natural using up in a week. The next question is does a weekly water change bring your levels up to normal. If so you don’t need to dose. If not then the second step is determining what and how much you will need to bring each element up.
I started with softies and then added some LPS and now a couple SPS. I’ve just started to dose more regularly. Based on my weekly test
The first step is to start testing and see what your tank is natural using up in a week. The next question is does a weekly water change bring your levels up to normal. If so you don’t need to dose. If not then the second step is determining what and how much you will need to bring each element up.
I started with softies and then added some LPS and now a couple SPS. I’ve just started to dose more regularly. Based on my weekly test
Uncle99
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Softies require no dosing except for iodide at 0.03-0.06, but not a requirement.
SPS is a whole other ball game. Conditions for SPS are much more stringent.
We need to ensure reef type lighting in the correct spectrum and intensity.
Solid water chemistry of all 8 major parameters with an emphasis on stability.
A lot more water movement, not unusual to see 20-50x tank turnover.
While you can mix softies with SPS, this mixed type reef is the most difficult to maintain as the environment for each is so different. Softies like slower water movement, SPS want it random, varied in speed and direction.
One of the best ways that have worked for me is that I do not put in any SPS until I see coralline algae circles on my glass. This is a good indicator of correct SPS conditions.
SPS is a whole other ball game. Conditions for SPS are much more stringent.
We need to ensure reef type lighting in the correct spectrum and intensity.
Solid water chemistry of all 8 major parameters with an emphasis on stability.
A lot more water movement, not unusual to see 20-50x tank turnover.
While you can mix softies with SPS, this mixed type reef is the most difficult to maintain as the environment for each is so different. Softies like slower water movement, SPS want it random, varied in speed and direction.
One of the best ways that have worked for me is that I do not put in any SPS until I see coralline algae circles on my glass. This is a good indicator of correct SPS conditions.
