Automatic dosing advice

[Barb0713]

Hey guys ,
I just started up a new 20 gallon nanoreef tank , been up and running about a month and a half. 4 cromies and some dragons breath , a peppermint and some macro algae . A few snails, so far . Gna be mostly LPS. Soon adding a hammer and a Duncan. My question is , should I invest is a small automatic doser or since it’s only a 20 gallon just monitor and dose accordingly. I hear some people never dose at all ?? Sounds out there , but would be nice. Previously I always had to dose calcium , anyway , any suggestions.
Thanks :)

 

[redfishbluefish]

The easiest and least expensive would likely be calcium hydroxide....aka kalkwasser...aka pickling lime. If you have an ATO simply make your top off water with the calcium hydroxide. I'd start at 1/2 tsp per gallon and see what happens with your alk and calc levels over the next week of so by testing daily.

 

[Barb0713]

The easiest and least expensive would likely be calcium hydroxide....aka kalkwasser...aka pickling lime. If you have an ATO simply make your top off water with the calcium hydroxide. I'd start at 1/2 tsp per gallon and see what happens with your alk and calc levels over the next week of so by testing daily.

I just heard about something called all for reef or reef for all ? Have you ever heard of it ?

 

[Barb0713]

The easiest and least expensive would likely be calcium hydroxide....aka kalkwasser...aka pickling lime. If you have an ATO simply make your top off water with the calcium hydroxide. I'd start at 1/2 tsp per gallon and see what happens with your alk and calc levels

I just heard about something called all for reef or reef for all ? Have you ever heard of it ?

over the next week of so by testing

 

[Scritch]

I just heard about something called all for reef or reef for all ? Have you ever heard of it ?

That’s what I use, good stuff!

 

[Poseidon03]

For a 20 gal, I'd definitely just dose all for reef. Measure your alk consumption and base it off that. It should not be much at all.

 

[skiergd011013]

I have a 3 month old mixed reef that i dose all for reef in once in the morning myself. I believe it is slow release so you dont really need a doser and can dump it all at once.

 

[IceNein]

In my opinion, do not overcomplicate things. Run your tank, monitor it, and when you see a problem, then solve it, not the other way around. I have a 15 gallon and for about the first six months I did not dose anything at all. I started adding LPS, and recently a monti digitata, and my alk started going down with 10% water changes, so then it was time to start dosing.

At first I started manually dosing, but then I bought a cheap jebao doser so that the dosing could be consistent, and not dependent on me remembering.

So my advice is to not buy a doser, don't do manual dosing, just test and do water changes.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I just heard about something called all for reef or reef for all ? Have you ever heard of it ?

Yes, it's a one shot means of adding alk and calc in one shot. It's a bit costly for larger tanks, but would be another choice for your 20. I personally am a DIY two part user, using Dr. Randy Holmes Farley recipe.

 

[Barb0713]

For a 20 gal, I'd definitely just dose all for reef. Measure your alk consumption and base it off that. It should not be much at all.

Thank you

 

[Barb0713]

Yes, it's a one shot means of adding alk and calc in one shot. It's a bit costly for larger tanks, but would be another choice for your 20. I personally am a DIY two part user, using Dr. Randy Holmes Farley recipe.

Thanks. I’ll look it up out of curiosity and for when I use this tank to seed my 75 gallon again down the road lol

 

[Barb0713]

In my opinion, do not overcomplicate things. Run your tank, monitor it, and when you see a problem, then solve it, not the other way around. I have a 15 gallon and for about the first six months I did not dose anything at all. I started adding LPS, and recently a monti digitata, and my alk started going down with 10% water changes, so then it was time to start dosing.

At first I started manually dosing, but then I bought a cheap jebao doser so that the dosing could be consistent, and not dependent on me remembering.

So my advice is to not buy a doser, don't do manual dosing, just test and do water changes.

Thanks . I do not want to start chasing chemistry. Less is more right.

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

I just heard about something called all for reef or reef for all ? Have you ever heard of it ?

All for reef is what I use. I use a hydros minnow to dose my two main tanks. It's worked well for me. However I have noticed my magnesium falls low and I have to keep an eye on it and dose it separately once in awhile. Still gotta keep up with the water changes.

 

[Barb0713]

I have a 3 month old mixed reef that i dose all for reef in once in the morning myself. I believe it is slow release so you dont really need a doser and can dump it all at once.

Ok. Thank you