Red Sea Foundation ABC+ - am I reading it right?

[jjencek]

I just bought the Red Sea Foundation ABC+ for my mostly fish breeding tank. I figured I would be dosing everything at once and adjusting individual values as needed.

In my SPS tank I am used to dosing Red Sea solutions (A, B, C) separately using my DOS. I buy the bulk powder and mix my own solutions per instructions.

Am I reading the instructions for the Red Sea ABC+ right? I may not make a solution out of it and auto-dose it. I must add the powder by hand.

Is that right?

 

[mcgyvr]

Yes that is correct..
That product is not intended for automated dosing/stock solutions like the other products..
Its only intended to be added as a powder directly to the tank.

I'm surprised you need to supplement elements in a breeding tank. Isn't your water change schedule sufficient?

 

[jjencek]

You got a good question. To tell you the truth - I don't know.

I am starting this Red Sea 170 tank for breeding, but at the same time will probably have a few "easy" corals inside to make it look nice. I have no idea what to expect.

 

[mcgyvr]

You got a good question. To tell you the truth - I don't know.

I am starting this Red Sea 170 tank for breeding, but at the same time will probably have a few "easy" corals inside to make it look nice. I have no idea what to expect.

Well.. with few corals you may find that you don't need to dose and that water changes alone are more than sufficient to maintain the levels you want..

IF you need to dose and want to do it with a dosing pump then that ABC+ product is not the right product to use..

 

[bertoni]

I agree that ABC+ isn't great for auto dosing. It contains both calcium and alkalinity. Calcium acetate works as a one-shot solution, but it's a bit pricey and is practical only for small tanks.

 

[jjencek]

Ok, Thank you for the feedback. I got it.

My only experience has been my SPS tank and there I need to auto-dose daily using three different solutions plus weekly minor elements by hand.

I will keep an eye on this new tank and report back if I notice anything worth mentioning.