All For Reef Dosing Questions

[Fish Fan]

Hey guys!

I've been manually dosing AFR, I'm now going to setup an automated system, and I'd like to make sure I'm using it as efficiently as possible. Perhaps I'm overthinking things, but I'm wondering if it would be better to dose however many mL all at once, or slowly throughout the day. Is there a better time of the day to dose AFR?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Rocks reef]

You can dose all at once or break it up. If you were manually dosing, you were just dumping it in all at once anyway. I'd try to keep it simple and just dose it once per day.

 

[Troylee]

Doesn’t really matter.. I dose such a large amount 160ml a day it’s broken up over 24 hours..

 

[Fish Fan]

You can dose all at once or break it up. If you were manually dosing, you were just dumping it in all at once anyway. I'd try to keep it simple and just dose it once per day.

Yes, for sure I am just dumping it in manually all at once, I just didn't know if there was anything benefit to breaking it up over the day or night. Thank you very much for your help!

 

[Fish Fan]

Doesn’t really matter.. I dose such a large amount 160ml a day it’s broken up over 24 hours..

Thank you for your help here! It's sounding like it doesn't really mater, but could I just ask how you're breaking up your dosing of AFR?

 

[Garrett Keller]

How did you figure out how much AFR your tank needed daily? I dont know where to begin with the dosing amount once its mixed.

 

[Fish Fan]

How did you figure out how much AFR your tank needed daily? I dont know where to begin with the dosing amount once its mixed.

Short answer is that you measure your alk and ideally calc at 24 hour intervals to determine how much of each your tank uses in a 24 hour period. Then, you add enough AFR each day to maintain the alk and calc level you want for 24 hours. Ideally, you pick a salt mix that mixes to your desired levels, then use the AFR product to maintain alk and calc. I followed the direction on the bottle, something like 5 mL/26 gallons/day to start, and bring it up by 2.5 mL until it's maintaining your levels where you want them.

I hope that helps, but if that sounded like word salad to you, these guys may be able to explain it better If you still have questions, post again and someone I'm sure will be able to help you.


EDIT: AFR relies on bacteria to break down the calcium formate component, which is the alkalinity maintainer. It takes a few days for the alk you add from AFR to show up, so to speak. Dose your AFR for three or four days, and then start monitoring your alk. You won't see an instant increase in alk right after adding the first dose of AFR as you may think.

 

[Troylee]

Thank you for your help here! It's sounding like it doesn't really mater, but could I just ask how you're breaking up your dosing of AFR?

Mines on a Neptune dos.. Sunny x just dumps it all one shot before he goes to work.:

 

[Fish Fan]

Mines on a Neptune dos.. Sunny x just dumps it all one shot before he goes to work.:

Thank you, I appreciate your follow up. I think I'll just add it all at once, I'm sure that's what most people are doing.

Thanks again!

 

[Rocks reef]

Thank you, I appreciate your follow up. I think I'll just add it all at once, I'm sure that's what most people are doing.

Thanks again!

I'm sorry my friend. I should have asked how much you are dosing. Like @Troylee said, he's using 160ml per day which would be really easy to break up into 40ml four times a day or 20ml eight times a day.
I guess it depends on how much you are dosing and if you want to automate it brother, do it!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I dose it all at once in the AM. The alk is released from the formate over some period of time after dosing. Since it consumes O2, I would not dose it at night.

 

[Rocks reef]

Short answer is that you measure your alk and ideally calc at 24 hour intervals to determine how much of each your tank uses in a 24 hour period. Then, you add enough AFR each day to maintain the alk and calc level you want for 24 hours. Ideally, you pick a salt mix that mixes to your desired levels, then use the AFR product to maintain alk and calc. I followed the direction on the bottle, something like 5 mL/26 gallons/day to start, and bring it up by 2.5 mL until it's maintaining your levels where you want them.

I hope that helps, but if that sounded like word salad to you, these guys may be able to explain it better If you still have questions, post again and someone I'm sure will be able to help you.


EDIT: AFR relies on bacteria to break down the calcium formate component, which is the alkalinity maintainer. It takes a few days for the alk you add from AFR to show up, so to speak. Dose your AFR for three or four days, and then start monitoring your alk. You won't see an instant increase in alk right after adding the first dose of AFR as you may think.

Your explanation was spot on sir!


@Garrett Keller you need to track it over a few days to get his baseline, then start dosing AFR at the recommended start point. After a couple days start testing to see where you are at. Like @Fish Fan said, it will take a couple days for the AFR to 'kick in'. If you need to go up, go up and repeat above.

 

[skey44]

I dose via a Kamoer doser splitting up my 40ml into 5x during photo period. Tank doing great. I mix up 2L of the powder and adjust my dose according based on kH.

 

[Fish Fan]

I dose it all at once in the AM. The alk is released from the formate over some period of time after dosing. Since it consumes O2, I would not dose it at night.

Thank for your help here! That's good to know, I'll do it all at once, but sometime like mid morning sounds like a good idea.

 

[Fish Fan]

I dose via a Kamoer doser splitting up my 40ml into 5x during photo period. Tank doing great. I mix up 2L of the powder and adjust my dose according based on kH.

Thanks for your reply here. I don't need to dose a whole lot, so now I'm leaning towards just doing it all at once.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm sorry my friend. I should have asked how much you are dosing. Like @Troylee said, he's using 160ml per day which would be really easy to break up into 40ml four times a day or 20ml eight times a day.
I guess it depends on how much you are dosing and if you want to automate it brother, do it!

I'm still dialing it in, I have been doing 10 mL/day in my 25 gallon, but that might be a bit much for my tank right now. I think maybe like 8 mL is about the sweet spot until I get more corals and growth. I did order the parts I need to setup an automated system since I think I'll be using the AFR product on this tank for the foreseeable future.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Rocks reef]

I'm still dialing it in, I have been doing 10 mL/day in my 25 gallon, but that might be a bit much for my tank right now. I think maybe like 8 mL is about the sweet spot until I get more corals and growth. I did order the parts I need to setup an automated system since I think I'll be using the AFR product on this tank for the foreseeable future.

Thanks again for your help!

10ml is probably a bit much sir. The starting dose is 5ml per 100 liters (26 gallons). Are you checking your alk/cal levels?
Also, keep in mind, this does nothing for magnesium. You will need to dose magnesium to keep that in check as well.
@Randy Holmes-Farley has a great 2 Part DIY that includes magnesium if you want to go that route.

 

[Fish Fan]

10ml is probably a bit much sir. The starting dose is 5ml per 100 liters (26 gallons). Are you checking your alk/cal levels?
Also, keep in mind, this does nothing for magnesium. You will need to dose magnesium to keep that in check as well.
@Randy Holmes-Farley has a great 2 Part DIY that includes magnesium if you want to go that route.

I am checking, and I agree it's a bit much. I started at 5 mL, then 7.5 mL, then 10 mL as directed on the bottle. I think I need a bit more than the 7.5 mL, but not 10 mL. My parameters just today, and I agree this is a bit higher than I'm trying to hold them at:
Alk: 9.7 dKH
Calc: 460 ppm
Mag: 1420 ppm

EDIT: This has been with me manually dosing, this should be a lot easier to dial in once I get my dosing pump and get that setup with my controller.

Thanks again!

 

[Rocks reef]

What are you trying to keep you alk at? Natural seawater is between 8-9dKh. Some reefers keep their tanks higher though, some of those ranges are 8-12dKh.

 

[Fish Fan]

What are you trying to keep you alk at? Natural seawater is between 8-9dKh. Some reefers keep their tanks higher though, some of those ranges are 8-12dKh.

I like the 8-9 dKH range. I'm using AquaForrest Reef Salt mix that mixes to the following at 35 ppt:
Alk: 7.7-8.3 dKH
Calc: 440-460 ppm
Mag: 1360-1420 ppm