How do i dose ?

[Kizzy911]

I've never dosed anything ever before but i think that my corals aren't growing as much because of it; with fluctuation within my parameters and not being constantly stable.

I need all the help that I can to figure out how to dose properly.
Tank is a Red Sea Max 525 139 gals total volume.

1) What do I dose? I heard Kalk which is pickled something?.. I heard mix it with rode water, separate the water and put it onto my ATO reservoir?
2) What the best dosing system? How many parts? how EXACTLY do i use it? is there a timer? is there a certain way i have to do the tubings?
3) What parameters should i worry about the most and should mainly dose for?
4) ALK is my main concern because i've lost a lot to a huge ALK swing. Do i constantly test my alk to see how much it drops? if so, how often should i test and for how long? (using red sea)
Thank you so much, much appreciated.
Please do give suggestions.

 

[Dr. Reef]

first rule of this hobby NEVER dose anything unless you can test for it.
saying that first off test your water for the very basic and major elements.
like, temp, pH, salinity, cal, mag, alk, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phos etc.
once you know where these numbers stand then we can advise you what to do to fix the numbers. without knowing dont dose just anything.

Note: just testing once will not be enough, you need to test and log and have a long history of data for you to totally understand what your tank consumes at what rate. so i would test these basics atleast every 2-3 days in the beginning till u have a good feel.

 

[Kizzy911]

Would it be better to test everyday?

 

[reefteaser]

Based on my experience, start testing for ph, calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium if you haven't already. Hopefully you've already been checking salinity. You have to know where you're starting from. Set goals for these levels, and start dosing towards them a little at a time. Most solutions have recommended dosing levels to start with. I started doing this manually, than got a doser, which made this WAY easier and keeps things consisitant and stable.
Keep a log, it'll help you a lot. For a new tank, test daily. More established tanks can be checked weekly or bi weekly, but the more data the better. Make adjustments slowly, no big swings. As with most things in this hobby, patience pays off BIG!
I would get ph and mag right first, then calcium and alk. Levels will depend on what you have in the tanks.
I've found that some investment in good test kits, a refractometer, a doser, ATO and most recently, an RODI unit keeps making maintenance easier, so I am more likely to do it more often and consistently.

 

[reefteaser]

I assumed you were already checking amonia, nitrite and nitrate. After the tank is cycled and running for a while, the first two can be skipped, unless you suspect an issue. For the nitrate, think about an export method. Water changes, refuguim, bio pellets, etc, whatever you are comfortable with. Keeping nitrate under 10ppm will keep most corals happy. I've had success with a combination of a refugium with calerpa, cheato (sp?), and a Marine pure block in my sump, along with a bio pellet reactor, but YMMV.

 

[mcgyvr]

As stated.. measure levels daily (cal/alk/mag)..
The goal is to keep parameters as stable as possible..

The only way to know is to test... and log and look..
If parameters aren't stable then you need to add chemicals as needed to keep them stable..

Its not rocket science.. measure.. look.. add if needed..
You can add daily or hourly or weekly or whatever..

Again.. The goal is to keep parameters stable in a reef tank..

 

[Kizzy911]

I understand that jist of it. But mainly on which devies to use, how many parts, and what exactly to dose.