Dosing-Balling Method

[thysrof]

It's been 5 months sense I started dosing BRS 3 Part. I started a month ago adding the Fana Marin Balling light 3 components to the Alk and Ca Component to start doing the balling or balling light method. Not quite sure how to label the method.

The other thing i have changed is I have only done one water change in the last 5 months. i did a large one as I treated with Chem- Clean a couple months ago and it requires a 30 % water change. I don't think i did quite 25 %. I have however gravel vacuumed the sediment off the bottom of the tank which is bare bottom so the sediment tend to accumulate in a few places and is easy to see and remove. I only do a gallon or so at a time and let the auto top off water replace the water removed. I have found my salinity goes up slowly so it's a good opportunity to lower the salinity.

Coral growth is pretty good on all the corals including the SPS's. I do have some that could color up a little better. The dosing- balling method appears to work well.

 

[Reef Bass]

Hmmm, dosing + balling... Doughballing!

Doughling? Ballosing?

Glad things appear to be working. Any idea of a ballpark on the additional expense? You just add the additional supplements to your BRS 3 part solutions?

 

[thysrof]

You actually Add them to Alk and CA component only.

Cost not much at all. I paid $39 for the 3 bottles you add 6 ml of fana marin 1 and 2 to a gallon of CA mix and 20 ml of # 3 to a Gallon of Alk. The cost is very minimal and remember with Balling Methods you don't use much salt if any. So i would guess cost is pennies or nickles.

 

[Ssteve]

It would have been interesting to see how things would have went with the old lights.

Glad to hear its going well, hopefully everything explodes and you'll have a reason to frag a couple things again. The couple acros I got from you were looking great before my tank crashed, I would love to get another couple small frags again one day and come check out the tank with all the changes made.

 

[Reef Bass]

I like the low cost thing.

I found the Fauna Marin Ultra Balling Light Trace 1, 2 and 3 on the BRS site. The instructions there recommend using 4x more - 25ml #1 and 25ml #2 to calcium supplement, 25ml #3 to alk.

Any reason you are using less? I'm not trying to hassle you, but to understand if maybe a difference in the concentration of your dosing solutions (BRS / Randy's recipe) necessitates a different quantity than when using Fauna Marin's dosing solutions?

Thanks.

 

[thysrof]

There is a YouTube video that BRS did talking about using the Fana marin Balling light Elements with BRS's Alk and Ca. I'm using the BRS recipe from the Video. I haven't scene the Fana Marin one, but it sounds like they have different opinions. In the BRS one they state that Fana Marin would prefer you use their Alk and CA mixes, but if you want to use the BRS 2 part that is BRS's recommended recipe. I'm not apposed to trying Fana Marin's recipe down the line to compare results. I think after another month or so I will send in the ICP test kit I won at the raffle and that should be a pretty good indicator if the BRS recipe has enough of the Fana Balling lite elements in them to maintain the element levels.

I just looked and can't find the Video. Sorry

 

[thysrof]

Just looked at BRS's Site and it doesn't say which 2 part to use with the Balling lite 3 part from Fana. Maybe I should use more of the elements. The amount Im adding doesn't seem like much at all

 

[Reef Bass]

I hear you. However, they are trace elements, so no much might be ok.

The instructions on the BRS site for mixing the FM calcium solution involves 2kg or 2000g calcium chloride dihydrate. Assuming the FM calcium chloride power is the same as the BRS calcium chloride powder, that's roughly 4x the 500g one would use in Randy's Recipe #1. So maybe using 1/4 the amount of FM Ultra Balling compounds when adding to BRS dosing solutions is appropriate.

 

[thysrof]

So I found this one and it says 15 ml of Fana Marin balling light 1 and 2 in BRS CA mix and 30 Ml into BRS Alk component for BRS balling method. Quite a difference from the 6 ml of 1 and 2 for ca and 20 ML's for ALk I've been doing per Someone at BRS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6liS2RSWTWE

 

[edolan]

I think this is the video you are referring to. He gives the amounts to dose with BRS 2 part at the end of the video.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w8YryqSScKI

 

[thysrof]

Yes that's the first one I watched and the amount I use for the Fana Marin Balling light trace elements. I may try the higher amount down the line a bit to see if it makes any difference. I think this is a very cost effective and easy way to add trace elements to dosing as I would guess most that dose in our club use the BRS 2 or 3 part. I believe the plan for the upcoming meeting is to play some of these videos and discuss the dosing options.