calling all AFR users

[smitten with ocean life]

my alk is steady. its everything else i need to raise

 

[dnprall]

I use 16 mL per day (dosed hourly) for a 43 gallon display (52 gallon total). Keeps my alk around 9-9.5.

 

[Johnd651]

Dosing 25 ml afr every night right before lights out into a 130 gallon (160 total) mixed reef. Parameters below.

 

[mpw213]

So I’m using AFR for my 2.5 gallon pico using 1.2-1.5 ml daily. But while my Alk has been pretty stable I’ve noticed my calcium slowly creeping up. And advice on how to deal with this? I’ve basically been switching between AFR and then dosing just Alk to let the calcium drift back down

 

[smitten with ocean life]

@Randy Holmes-Farley would know the answer to that

 

[Sam7]

I am dosing 12 times a day at 24ml per day in a mixed reef 40 breeder with a kamoer doser. Thats 2ml every two hours and nothing else added......it goes up an down slighty but once it set it pretty consistent.

 

[rishma]

So I’m using AFR for my 2.5 gallon pico using 1.2-1.5 ml daily. But while my Alk has been pretty stable I’ve noticed my calcium slowly creeping up. And advice on how to deal with this? I’ve basically been switching between AFR and then dosing just Alk to let the calcium drift back down

What you are doing is fine. Periodically using only alkalinity is a reasonable way to let calcium drift back down. I find that water changes are enough to ensure calcium doesn’t get too high. In the past when I let calcium get very elevated I did not see any negative effects.

 

[JoJosReef]

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

I'm at 90mL/day in my 83gal. Pretty large Stylo/birdsnest/monti colonies, though. Tack on some slower growing SPS and a few large LPS. Video of stocking for amount consumed relative to corals:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QqT3vrKBHTkKemfw5
I don't test much, so not sure if I'm lacking anything.

 

[VintageReefer]

Your kh guardian will test and auto dose the alkalinity that’s needed to keep the system steady

That leaves you needing to add trace and calcium and magnesium.

Magnesium depletes very slowly. I suggest testing magnesium monthly and getting a liquid reefing magnesium product that’s listed on the reef chemistry calculator website. So you can figure out easily how much to add

Calcium and trace - you can use Seachem Reef Fusion 1 to replenish calcium and trace with a single product.

using all for reef to add calcium and trace - this will also come with alkalinity. If your alkalinity raises above your setpoint, the kh guardian will skip dosing baking soda. I don’t see any harm here, but it’s more pricy to buy afr compared to fusion 1.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I dose AFR with ESV to adjust. What you are doing is fine, but to bring up your Ca and trace, I would do an ICP and then set up a doser with Ca and TM A and K. That way you can fine tune to your needs. Generally AFR is great but depending on your systems needs you may need to fine tune.

 

[Hemmbone20]

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

You won’t know how to adjust the AFR unless you stop using the other alk supplement you’re dosing via the guardian. Or at least know the consistent dose that device is giving your tank everyday and work backwards to figure out total daily alk consumption.

I feel like you’re getting conflicting info in this thread so I will leave it at that…

 

[Freenow54]

I cannot meet the requirements they ask for Alk Mag Calcium to use it all my readings are too high. Any help welcome. I do weekly water changes about 3 %

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

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

That's true, so you just dose more. Dose AFR by alk measurement, not by calcium or a random fixed number based on tank size.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I cannot meet the requirements they ask for Alk Mag Calcium to use it all my readings are too high. Any help welcome. I do weekly water changes about 3 %

If everything is high, why would you want to dose anything?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

my alk is steady. its everything else i need to raise

Then AFR is not going to suit for that correction. Once corrected, it will more than maintain calcium. Magnesium is more complicated, and you may need more if coralline is a big user of your alk.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So I’m using AFR for my 2.5 gallon pico using 1.2-1.5 ml daily. But while my Alk has been pretty stable I’ve noticed my calcium slowly creeping up. And advice on how to deal with this? I’ve basically been switching between AFR and then dosing just Alk to let the calcium drift back down

That is normal and water changes should keep it from rising too much, but replacing some of the AFR with a pure alk supplement will also work. I would not bother unless calcium is rising into the upper 500's of ppm.

 

[mpw213]

So I’m using AFR for my 2.5 gallon pico using 1.2-1.5 ml daily. But while my Alk has been pretty stable I’ve noticed my calcium slowly creeping up. And advice on how to deal with this? I’ve basically been switching between AFR and then dosing just Alk to let the calcium drift back down

That is normal and water changes should keep it from rising too much, but replacing some of the AFR with a pure alk supplement will also work. I would not bother unless calcium is rising into the upper 500's of ppm.

Thanks!

 

[mpw213]

So I’m using AFR for my 2.5 gallon pico using 1.2-1.5 ml daily. But while my Alk has been pretty stable I’ve noticed my calcium slowly creeping up. And advice on how to deal with this? I’ve basically been switching between AFR and then dosing just Alk to let the calcium drift back down

What you are doing is fine. Periodically using only alkalinity is a reasonable way to let calcium drift back down. I find that water changes are enough to ensure calcium doesn’t get too high. In the past when I let calcium get very elevated I did not see any negative effects.

Thanks!

 

[tuscani]

30ml daily in my 110g. Alk never drifts from 8. I am starting to dos trace elements though.. A- and K+

 

[Freenow54]

If everything is high, why would you want to dose anything?

My mistake I thought it dealt with different minerals