1st time dosing

[StephenMcn]

Hi everyone, I've been keeping a mixed reef for 3 weeks approx with a load of mixed coral frags. While all my calcium and magnesium levels are spot on my alk/kh has dropped which I expected. My weekly water changes are being done with water that brings kh to around 7dkh I'm aiming to reach approx 8. Now it reads about 6.9 after water change and drops throughout the week to about 6.5 before a water change. Now I have a new auto dosing pump which I'm ready to try out. Can someone pls help me as how to figure out exactly step by step how to work out what ml to dose and when to dose. The tank is 350litres with around 100kg of rock so I'm gonna safely say I have between 200 and 250 litres actual water content. Can someone help pls, any help would be much appreciated

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Tropic Marin All for Reef would work well for this tank.

 

[StephenMcn]

Tropic Marin All for Reef would work well for this tank.

Thanks can you help out by telling me a beginners/dummies guide to dosing as I don't wanna feck everything up going in blind

 

[Tinvn]

This is some tool you can use to calculate

Reef Chemistry Calculator

 

[SPR1968]

Ok a basic guide, and firstly pick whatever alkalinity additive your going to use. I use Red Sea Foundation B personally in my ‘little tank’

A good alkalinity target is around 8-8.5 dKH as it’s gives you a bit of wiggle room whereas 7 doesn’t if it drops

On day 1 test your alkalinity. Don’t add anything and then on day 4 or 5 test again, and then some basic division will give you the daily uptake.

With whatever your using add enough to bring alkalinity up to the target level

Then immediately start adding daily how much you need every day

Then test every week and make minor adjustments to the daily amounts dosed

Thats it

 

[StephenMcn]

Thanks a million guys

 

[AcanthurusRex]

TM A4R is a one part. Very easy. I dose 15ml/day on a Reefer 170.
I would start with maybe 5ml/day. A4R will not immediately boost alkalinity so you can't add and test a few minute later. It is more like using a calcium reactor where the changes are slow. Once you get the alk level you want you don't really have to worry about calcium since it is balanced.

 

[vetteguy53081]

If you’re using a good quality salt, may be no need to especially if you’re doing regular water changes
Water testing will tell you if there is a need to add any given elements

 

[StephenMcn]

Thanks achanturus, I just bought this in my lfs. I do my water changes on Saturday. I will test before and after and then leave it for 5 days and as spr said will divide by 5 and work out then how to use the doser and setup for daily doses

 

[StephenMcn]

If you’re using a good quality salt, may be no need to especially if you’re doing regular water changes
Water testing will tell you if there is a need to add any given elements

Yea the water I'm using only gives 7dkh and I'm doing approx 20% a week. I've never seen it go above this so I defo think I need to buffer

 

[vetteguy53081]

Add 1ml per 20 gallons and test but do it gradually