All for Reef Problems - Dosing and increases

ctopherl

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lol

A little hyperbole?

No 2/3 part system is more than 3 parts, and many are only two that are dosed exactly equally to give the same effect as AFR.

Sure, 2 or 3 is more work than 1. But it is not six times as much work. lol
I'm still new to this so maybe I'm believing too readily, but BRS videos would have me believe I need to dose:

* Calcium
* Alk
* Mg
* Tropic Marin trace element "A"
* Tropic Marin trace element "K"
* Tropic Marin "part C", aka "everything in salt mixes besides salt, Ca, Alk, Mg" for balance

That's how I got 6. It would be quite a pleasant surprise if you were to tell me these aren't all necessary-it's definitely daunting!
 

BoxKing

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I run AFR primarily for trace elements daily, at 33% of what my daily 2 Part (B Ionic) uptake would be, so I raise all accordingly as my demand goes up using Versa pumps.
ESV ALK 8-11 am
ESV CAL 1130-230 am
AFR 330-530

Lights on at 10am (initial ramp up).

ALK 8.4
Cal 430
MAG 1440
PH 8.2
 

arking_mark

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I run AFR primarily for trace elements daily, at 33% of what my daily 2 Part (B Ionic) uptake would be, so I raise all accordingly as my demand goes up using Versa pumps.
ESV ALK 8-11 am
ESV CAL 1130-230 am
AFR 330-530

Lights on at 10am (initial ramp up).

ALK 8.4
Cal 430
MAG 1440
PH 8.2

Interesting dosing strategy
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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I'm still new to this so maybe I'm believing too readily, but BRS videos would have me believe I need to dose:

* Calcium
* Alk
* Mg
* Tropic Marin trace element "A"
* Tropic Marin trace element "K"
* Tropic Marin "part C", aka "everything in salt mixes besides salt, Ca, Alk, Mg" for balance

That's how I got 6. It would be quite a pleasant surprise if you were to tell me these aren't all necessary-it's definitely daunting!

Yes, that is a misconception. It is not even correct to elect to use all of those products at the same time (the magnesium and the Part C should not be used together since both are primarily magnesium and sulfate).

For a two part, one can dose either a mix that is not intended to supplement trace elements, allowing you to add those that you need and not add those that are already fine or maybe even too high (ESV B-ionic, for example), or you can use a two part that combines all of the functionality of those 6 things into 2 bottles, (ATI Essentials PRO is an example).
 

Lou Ekus

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Yes, that is a misconception. It is not even correct to elect to use all of those products at the same time (the magnesium and the Part C should not be used together since both are primarily magnesium and sulfate).

For a two part, one can dose either a mix that is not intended to supplement trace elements, allowing you to add those that you need and not add those that are already fine or maybe even too high (ESV B-ionic, for example), or you can use a two part that combines all of the functionality of those 6 things into 2 bottles, (ATI Essentials PRO is an example).
@ctopherl also, If you are using calcium chloride as a "Part 1" then you can add the TM Trace K to that solution. If you are using sodium bicarbonate, or even sodium carbonate (soda ash) as a "Part 2", then you can add the TM Trace A to that solution as well. That gets you from 6 solutions down to 4. By the way, there is so little of the magnesium sulfate added with the appropriate use when adding the Balling Part C, that in my opinion, it does not preclude the use of additional magnesium sulfate to supplement for Mg uptake.... Just my opinion. :)
 

Hincapiej4

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@ctopherl also, If you are using calcium chloride as a "Part 1" then you can add the TM Trace K to that solution. If you are using sodium bicarbonate, or even sodium carbonate (soda ash) as a "Part 2", then you can add the TM Trace A to that solution as well. That gets you from 6 solutions down to 4. By the way, there is so little of the magnesium sulfate added with the appropriate use when adding the Balling Part C, that in my opinion, it does not preclude the use of additional magnesium sulfate to supplement for Mg uptake.... Just my opinion. :)
I read english, but understood nothing. LOL Too smart for me.
 

sealife4life

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If it is slowly released, does it matter if I dose all for reef in a single dose or if I add it as 10 smaller doses through out the day?
You’ll get a mixed opinion on that. I personally use the ATI diluted version. I dose the #1 Alk 36ml throughout the night when lights are off to help with PH drop which is 12 hours. 3ml an hour. Same with #2 setup but I dose that when lights are on 3ml an hour for 12hrs. My doser has been setup for almost a month now. Still testing parameters every 3 days and making adjustments as my reef needs.
 

sealife4life

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Sorry i forgot lol the reason I do that is to try and keep a more stable water column and less chance of precipitation.
 

Acros

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I am trying to dial in my dosing. Wondering if I could dose 1ml at once everyday and not have any issues. The tank is only 17g actual water volume. That will correspond to an increase of 0.1dkh (which is my alk consumption at the moment).
 

sealife4life

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Do you know other parameter uptake is? How often do you test your water? What doser are you using?
 

blasterman

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I'm still new to this so maybe I'm believing too readily, but BRS videos would have me believe I need to dose:

* Calcium
* Alk
* Mg
* Tropic Marin trace element "A"
* Tropic Marin trace element "K"
* Tropic Marin "part C", aka "everything in salt mixes besides salt, Ca, Alk, Mg" for balance

That's how I got 6. It would be quite a pleasant surprise if you were to tell me these aren't all necessary-it's definitely daunting!

You need to treat BRS videos about as seriously as the "Sham-wow" guy. Sad thing is one time they were objectively informative.

Manual dosing is easy and made to seem more complicated than it is. Also, for most reef tanks calcium testing is either not necessary or can be done infrequently. A half dozen SPS frags and a couple Euyphilia in a 90 gal won't require daily calcium dosing, but reefers are encouraged to do it anyways. A 10-20 drop in calcium per week doesn't require daily calcium dosing.

Next, calcium and magnesium can be mixed so that when you dose calcium it replenishes both given the ratio of consumption by hard corals is fairly fixed. My mag has locked at 1350 since doing this and I no longer test it. I'm committing sacrilege though by eliminating the need for testing something.

This leaves alk which is the easiest to test and dose requiring an opposable thumb and a box of baking soda. Thats too easy though.

Keep your trace element dosing next to your sham wow rag. Maybe strontium for softies....still testing that one. I have to dose lots of phosphate. Most reefers dont.

AFR has always fascinated me, but its limits seem prohibitive. The biggest one being sodium hydroxide is my go to alk component keeping my PH almost .3 higher during the day. If I didn't battle low PH and had a mixed reef I would be on board.
 

Roli's Reef Ranch

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Quick question on the AFR powder. The instructions on the label say to mix 1 level mixing spoon of AFR to 1 liter of RO. What spoon are they refering to? teaspoon ....tablespoon????? Is there a certain metric spoon the Germans use????? LOL! I know they also say 160 grams/liter but who the hell wants to run out and buy a scale?
It comes with a spoon, buried, buried deep, deep down in the powder...
 

attiland

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It comes with a spoon, buried, buried deep, deep down in the powder...
I know it is not popular but spend £5 on a tiny scale and that will be always better than a spoon. Not to mention the directions always given in grams
 

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