davemercier
New member
Hello fellow Saltwater lovers! I am hoping to get some advice on starting up two part dosing in my reef aquarium. I have a 72 bowfront with 100 lbs of oolitic sand, about 120 lbs of liverock, a skimmer, sump set up refugium style with chaeto and mangroves. My PH is always 7.8 out of my RODI system. I maintain my water temperature at 80 degrees. I have plenty of flow, good lighting, and am just now at one year running the tank. It's a mixed reef tank with a good variety of corals with about 35% of them being SPS. So far, without dosing and just bi weekly 25% water changes, my magnesium, alkalinity, and calcium levels are in the ranges that most folks seem to agree are good for coral growth. I expect this is due to my corals still being smaller or just frags begining to grow. I went ahead and bought two dosing pumps and the chemicals to do the two part method, but i'm wondering if i start dosing, if i'll be adding too much of something like say calcium which then will precipitate out of the water or who knows what all may happen? I've seen it advised, to start with the agnesium first, but i'm not sure of anything, and i want to get off on the right foot here, and not damage everything i've spent this past year trying to make this into something beautiful. I'm trying to figure out if i need to wait on the dosing until i maybe see my levels of calcium, Mag, or alkalinity drop, i would assume from the corals depleting one or more of them as they grow, which they are doing. Any and all help here from those willing will me most welcome. I will be very grateful, as i know one thing for sure, and that is how truly priceless sage advice is from good people like i read about in these forums. Thanks so very much!