calling all AFR users

[smitten with ocean life]

i realize that all tanks are different and will use up different things at different rates. that being said id like to hear from different users of All for Reef on how much they are using and the tank size. how often are you dosing it? do you need to supplement it? i currently dose it for my 180 mixed reef and it seems like i need to bump it up. would be glad to hear from some of you

 

[Gone Reefin’]

Hey there! I currently dose 25ml per day in my coral system, 50g Waterbox. I dose by alkalinity, as I strive for 8.3-8.5. Test alk weekly, and I adjust dosage up or down based on drifting out of this range. I only test Calcium monthly, always been in range. I only look at mag in ICPs.

ICPs have shown all trace in line, so I have been pleased. Delivery is through a kamoer doser, spread over 6 doses during photoperiod, with heavier doses closer to beginning of photoperiod.

 

[kevgib67]

Hi Jill I don’t know if you remember me, we have crossed paths a couple times. 15 ml in my 32g a day.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

ok! hey kevin! this is telling me that im probably not dosing nearly enough. i was scared to bump up my dose too much

 

[Ryan Souza]

im currently dosing 170 mls a day, 220 gallon tank, sps tank. I dose it as the lights come on over the course of 30 mins for no specific reason. I may supplement with kalk in the future but no plans yet.

 

[Hemmbone20]

What are your parameters? Specifically what is your Alk?
For AFR it is generally recommended that you start with all your parameters in line, then dose AFR to maintain a steady alk.
No need to guess, it’s pretty simple! If your alk is dropping up the dose!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

i realize that all tanks are different and will use up different things at different rates. that being said id like to hear from different users of All for Reef on how much they are using and the tank size. how often are you dosing it? do you need to supplement it? i currently dose it for my 180 mixed reef and it seems like i need to bump it up. would be glad to hear from some of you

If you know your daily alk demand with other methods, it’s easy to calculate the expected AFR dose.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

i guess i dont. i have a kh guardian that takes care of the testing and dosing

 

[Hemmbone20]

Just skimming your build thread, it looks like you dose alk separately? Via the KH guardian? This will mess with your AFR numbers.. if you’re dosing things individually while also using AFR it kind of defeats the purpose.
Maybe someone else can weigh in.. can you dose AFR via something like an automated KH guardian? I’d be nervous to automate dosing like that but maybe someone else has with success.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

my khguardian takes care of alk. i dose the afr separately with the neptune doser

 

[Hemmbone20]

my khguardian takes care of alk. i dose the afr separately with the neptune doser

Right.. but AFR includes alk. So if you’re dosing alk separately then the other major and minor elements that AFR provides will not be balanced. If you are using AFR you should probably only use AFR.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

my khguardian takes care of alk. i dose the afr separately with the neptune doser

You can use AFR that way, but it may need to be adjusted to only dose once or twice a day. Too fast of correction could allow significant overdosing before the alk shows up.

 

[mrpontiac80]

I dose AFR in my 180 gallon. I’m dosing 75 ml per day spread out over 5 doses per day. I also dose 1,700 ml of kalk per day spread out over every 15 minutes.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

hmm. ok. i just figured the guardian would only dose if the tank was using more alk than AFR was providing. @VintageReefer could you chime in here?
i have the AFR dosing once a day

 

[rishma]

I suggest dosing AFR based on alkalinity demand. How come you are dosing extra alkalinity?

 

[painter1982]

57ml per day to maintain ~9.0 dkh in my 60g cube with acros.

 

[805reeftank]

Used AFR for about a 1.5yrs and was really happy with it. Got up to 80ml a day on a 50gal sps dominate. I would shoot for 8.0 alk and everything was always in line for me Alk, cal, mag always consistent. My ICPs always came back at 85% with manganese and iron not detected. But I was happy with the results.

 

[Hemmbone20]

hmm. ok. i just figured the guardian would only dose if the tank was using more alk than AFR was providing. @VintageReefer could you chime in here?
i have the AFR dosing once a day

AFR is an all in one solution.. so if you’re dosing additional alk consistently, that most likely means you’re not dosing enough calcium, magnesium, and trace elements.
If you plan to use AFR for your primary chemistry.. You should stop dosing additional alk.. measure your dkh on day one, and check again the following day at the same time. Keep upping the AFR dose until you see the dkh stabilize. Easy as that!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

how fast should i bump up the AFR?
and to my understanding the guardian only doses the baking soda if the alk drops. it doesnt just automatically dose a certain amount thru the day

 

[rishma]

how fast should i bump up the AFR?
and to my understanding the guardian only doses the baking soda if the alk drops. it doesnt just automatically dose a certain amount thru the day

If I need to raise alkalinity I don’t hesitate to dose enough to increase by 0.5 dKH in one shot. More is probably fine.