Dosing My Tank

[AaronOB82]

Hey guys, I'm fairly new to the hobby and I had a few questions. I've had my tank set up for about 6 months or so now and I'm just starting to add corals into it. I introduced about 5 new soft corals to my tank, and 3 new hard corals to my tank. My question to you guys is what should I be dosing my tank with to maintain healthy corals? I bought some Coral Frenzy food for them, but I'm not too sure what chemicals to be adding to my tank to keep them healthy and to maintain a strong growth.

 

[Noob]

do you have a test kit? if not, i would buy a good one. test for Calcium, Magnesium, and Alkalinity. don't chase a number, just look at your corals. if they're happy, and they have great polyp extension, they're open, etc. i would test and write down those parameters, b/c you're going to want to keep it there.

 

[akitareefer]

You wont need to dose yet, just regular water changes. As said, get some test kits. Research test kits brands, ones like API might be less accurate then others. Also go easy on the coral frenzy, over feeding can cause high nitrates and phosphates (I overfed as a beginner). Good Luck

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The first thing to test is alkalinity.

If alkalinity is not too low (I recommend 7-11 dKH), then you do not need to measure or dose anything else as it always drops first.

This has more:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

 

[AaronOB82]

dosing/coral feeding

I change my water once every Friday and then I test my water afterwards and my levels are top notch. Perfect! I've only fed my corals once since getting their food and only plan on feeding them like twice a week. Do you think feeding them twice a week is ok? Or should I only feed them once a week?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Feeding most corals is optional, except the nonphotosynthetic ones. Twice a week with Coral Frenzy sounds fine.

I never spot feed any, but some certainly get fish foods.

 

[AaronOB82]

How about adding C-Balance? That stuff is suppose to keep all of your levels even after water changes right?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

When you need alkalinity, a two part additive such as C-balance or many other brands and DIY recipes is a fine way to go.