24g mixed reef dosing

[BuckeyeFish]

I am not convinced that ESV is the best option for my system. Currently, I dose ESV alkalinity on a dosing pump 6x per day based on my calculated daily uptake. For calcium, I test and manually add gradually as needed once per week.

In order to avoid 2-part dosing in the future, I'd like to explore BRS kalk as an option. It would also make testing and adding more precise as the calcium and alkalinity would be added at the same time. And I feel that it would be cheaper in the long run. I could add it via my ATO or use my dosing pump to add it separately.

Any thoughts?

 

[Timfish]

To start with a general approach to dosing I'd say every aquarist needs to be regularly testing and ready to add whatever is needed. It may be calcium or bicarbonate or magnesium or maybe two of them or maybe all three. For alkalinity my go to is sodium bicarbonate and I usually only have to mix it in with weekly water changes. Purple up works well for calcium, bicarbonate and magnesium, what is missed by many is the aragonite in it is in the size range of carbonate crystal found in fish poop and in carbonate rich muds found on reefs. And of course you could just keep calcium and magnesium on hand.

 

[thegrun]

You can only add one of the three elements via your ATO; adding more than one to your RO/DI system will cause them to precipitate out of the water table. A better choice if you are trying to avoid dosers would be to add kalkwasser to your ATO. There are several threads describing how to accomplish this method. You can find kalk with magnesium added to the mix.

 

[CHSUB]

I like your thinking, haha! My current 33 gal mix reef uses a BRS doser and kalk. I currently run it 4 hours at night, controlled by my Apex. I have used kalk since the 90s and no matter what other methods I use kalk is always part of the equation.