Who uses Red Sea ABC+?

[jasonrusso]

I just started up a nano reef (Red Sea Max C-130). I have a 210 predator fowler, but I am still figuring out the coral thing.

Right now, I have 3 Euphyllia, some Zoas, 2 different monti frags, a xenia, and a green birdsnest.

I'm testing the water a few times a week and I can see my calcium and alkalinity being consumed (not so much the magnesium according to the tests) . This makes sense because the frags are clearly growing.

I am using the 3 part Red Sea reef foundation kit. I can already see that this will get old over time. I think it will get confusing if I have to dose at different times on different days, etc.

I see that Red Sea makes a all in one powder dosing kit (ABC+). Apparently, l you do is test the calcium and dose accordingly with the assumption that everything gets used up in proportion.

Am I correct in saying this? Do others have the good results?

 

[Ludders]

Rather than dose manually, have you considered a 3 channel auto dosing pump? It makes life so much easier.

 

[Zagreus]

I tried to ABC powder dosing by calcium re uptake and failed miserably. In the beginning you may not need to dose the big 3 as long as use a quality salt like red sea blue bucket and change at least 10% of your water a week. When I started having real alkalinity and calcium needs I switch to red seas individual liquid bottles and used a jabeu 4 head dosing pump. If you're using red sea test kits, magnesium always test super high. I was testing at 1500 on my red sea test kit and when I ran a Triton test i was more like 1320. But again a quality salt water change has it more than covered. How old is your tank?

 

[jasonrusso]

Rather than dose manually, have you considered a 3 channel auto dosing pump? It makes life so much easier.

You buying, lol? It might be cheaper to buy a used EB8 and 3 BRS dosers.


Also, I don't know how much room I have under the tank. I have my ATO container under there as well.

 

[jasonrusso]

I tried to ABC powder dosing by calcium re uptake and failed miserably. In the beginning you may not need to dose the big 3 as long as use a quality salt like red sea blue bucket and change at least 10% of your water a week. When I started having real alkalinity and calcium needs I switch to red seas individual liquid bottles and used a jabeu 4 head dosing pump. If you're using red sea test kits, magnesium always test super high. I was testing at 1500 on my red sea test kit and when I ran a Triton test i was more like 1320. But again a quality salt water change has it more than covered. How old is your tank?

I'm using the Foster and Smith Reef salt at 35ppt.

The tank is only about 6 weeks old so I know that things are still happening.

I am just trying to research what I can do after things settle down.

 

[Ludders]

You buying, lol? It might be cheaper to buy a used EB8 and 3 BRS dosers.


Also, I don't know how much room I have under the tank. I have my ATO container under there as well.

If you can fit one I would, it massively helps to maintain stability in your water chemistry.

I don't have any experience of this ABC+ combined dosing solution, I use the seperate foundation elements and I don't dose the same amounts of the three elements. My magnesium consumption is much lower than my alk and calcium.

So I personally would be wary of a combined job.

 

[jasonrusso]

If you can fit one I would, it massively helps to maintain stability in your water chemistry.

I don't have any experience of this ABC+ combined dosing solution, I use the seperate foundation elements and I don't dose the same amounts of the three elements. My magnesium consumption is much lower than my alk and calcium.

So I personally would be wary of a combined job.

What's the harm if one component is too high? For example, if my tank doesn't consume Mg as fast and I am dosing the ABC

 

[GoVols]

I just started up a nano reef (Red Sea Max C-130). I have a 210 predator fowler, but I am still figuring out the coral thing.

Right now, I have 3 Euphyllia, some Zoas, 2 different monti frags, a xenia, and a green birdsnest.

I'm testing the water a few times a week and I can see my calcium and alkalinity being consumed (not so much the magnesium according to the tests) . This makes sense because the frags are clearly growing.

I am using the 3 part Red Sea reef foundation kit. I can already see that this will get old over time. I think it will get confusing if I have to dose at different times on different days, etc.

I see that Red Sea makes a all in one powder dosing kit (ABC+). Apparently, l you do is test the calcium and dose accordingly with the assumption that everything gets used up in proportion.

Am I correct in saying this? Do others have the good results?

Used the ABC+ powder with Colors C & D with wonderful results for an year.

The ABC+ powder already has colors A & B in that product.

You dose 1ml of colors C & D to ever 13.3 grams of the ABC+ powder.

You do dose to your cal's intake and at times your alk and mag will drift lower. So there are times that you need to bump them back inline with pure alk and mag. I just used Seachem's reef builder and Seachem's Reef Advantage mag crystals.

I do have good relations within the uppers of Red Sea Europe and even though they tried to automation the power in the lab. they could not could up with the right solution for long haul automated dosing. It's a powder and you have humidity and other things to consider.

Like I said it gave my reef second to none results but I needed to go back to automation for the long hual.

I'm holding exactly 80 gallons and a 210 might be too large of a water volume to keep the ABC+ stable since it raises all the big-3 at one time.

After 2.5 months of using the ABC+ with colors C & D, this is what my echinata looked like.

But I dose other things like Reef Energy and have moved on to a cal reactor since last October.

 

[jasonrusso]

Used the ABC+ powder with Colors C & D with wonderful results for an year.

The ABC+ powder already has colors A & B in that product.

You dose 1ml of colors C & D to ever 13.3 grams of the ABC+ powder.

You do dose to your cal's intake and at times your alk and mag will drift lower. So there are times that you need to bump them back inline with pure alk and mag. I just used Seachem's reef builder and Seachem's Reef Advantage mag crystals.

I do have good relations within the uppers of Red Sea Europe and even though they tried to automation the power in the lab. they could not could up with the right solution for long haul automated dosing. It's a powder and you have humidity and other things to consider.

Like I said it gave my reef second to none results but I needed to go back to automation for the long hual.

I'm holding exactly 80 gallons and a 210 might be too large of a water volume to keep the ABC+ stable since it raises all the big-3 at one time.

After 2.5 months of using the ABC+ with colors C & D, this is what my echinata looked like.

But I dose other things like Reef Energy and have moved on to a cal reactor since last October.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm dosing into my 32 gal nano, not the 210 fowler.