how to properly dose?

[ReefPharmer]

I have a 180g tank ( and a 40 gallon sump) with a bunch of sps frags. I just did my tests and they came out as follows:
NO3 0-5.00
NO2 0
pH 7.9
nh3/nh4 0
Ca 380 on salifert / 395 on redsea pro
DKH 6.7-7.0
Mag 1160

I havent really been dosing except for using Kalk in top off but obviously its not enough. I realize kalk is used to maintain and not bring levels up.

I just purchased a BM triple doser from a guy on here so that I can bring my levels up and maintain them better. (as it happens, I found a korallin reactor also but its old and I dont know how to properly use it.

I started looking on BRS and found Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate) for alkalinity and Calcium Chloride for calcium. Also they have magnesium chloride for mag.

My q is, how much of each would I need? Obviously every tank is different, but at this point my levels are low and I dont know how long a 5 gallon (or a gallon) bucket will last. Is there a cheaper way of getting chemicals thats safe for the tank? Basically I am a rookie in dosing.

Thanks!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Lots of question there. First, you know where to find the recipes for mixing the BRS chemicals?
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/instructions/article/Instructions-for-Bulk-Packaged-Materials

They have instructions for how much you'll need to add in order to get to the parameters you want.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

Once you are at the levels you want, stop dosing and test the water every day for a week. Lets just say you want calcium at 400ppm so you get to that point and stop dosing. Each day the cal level will go down a little (or more if you have a lot od sps, lps & coraline algae). At the end of the week your cal is at... lets say 330ppm. So your cal went down 70ppm over 7 days. Using the reef calculater again, figure out how much cal you need to dose to get back to 400... lets say it's 140ml. So you divide 140ml by 7 days and you start dosing 20ml per day. You also need to do 40ml per day for a week to get your cal back up to 400. The same process works for alk and mag. You should be dosing about equal amounts of cal and alk and much less mag.

And you might like this calculator better as it lets you pick from a much bigger array of chemical additives.
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html


The 35lb buckets should last you a good long while. I just used up a 50lb bag of calcium chloride in 14 months with a 180g DT packed full of sps, lps and coraline algae. Don't discount the coraline. You scrape it off and it grows back, all the time using the same chemicals as the stony corals. If you want to look into less expensive chemicals, here's what I use:

Dowflake (calcium chloride):for snow melt or dust control, shop hardware stores or clay court tennis supplies, 50lb bag costs under $20... 35lbs of BRS is $75

baking soda (sodium bicarbonate): shop a wholesale club
or
soda ash (sodium carbonate): shop pool supplies

epsom salt (magnesium sulfate): online supplier in San Francisco, 20lb bag about $25 and free shipping, BRS 7lb (1 gallon) bottle is $13

Mag Flake (magnesium chloride): for snow melt or dust control, shop hardware stores or clay court tennis supplies, 50lb bag costs under $25... 35lbs of BRS is $75

I found Dowflake and Mag Flake in South Florida and don't have to pay any shipping. BRS will charge shipping on top of prices that are 2-4 times more per pound. I've been using these for well over a year now and my corals are growing as fast and healthy as ever. Good luck and if you have questions you can PM me.

 

[potterjon]

Recommended dosage as a starting point is 1 ml per gallon.

 

[ReefPharmer]

Tyvm, a very informative post !

 

[cnguyenl]

Very usefuly information - Thanks!