DOS AWC questions & concerns

[DesertReefer51]

Current setup: RS 525XL, Tunze ATO, APEX, RS RSK600 fresh air fed from outside, 2 AI Hydra 32, 4 T5's, Chaeto, Pentair 80W UV Sterilizer. 2 MP40's, 2 4K Icecap Gyres

Bioload: (all small frags) 3 Zoa's, Goni, Blasto, frogspawn, Medium sized rainbow BTA, several fish, 3 shrimp, 3 emerald crabs.

I've been doing manual 20g changes every 10-12 days. It has been keeping the levels stable but I only starting dosing Ca & soda ash recently, Mg has been holding steady I'm guessing from the new SW.

Work is eating into my reefing time and I'm concerned I may miss a water change.

My concerns are:

1. Whether to drain and fill simultaneously or drain then refill.

2. Should I drain from the intake chamber of my sump, echnically the dirtiest water? Then refill into the return chamber or DT.

3. I feed my corals generally at night just as the lights are shutting down. I try to dose just after coral feeding. I'm planning on scheduling the WC in the afternoon so it doesn't remove anything that was just dosed or the coral food. How are most people scheduling their WC's in relation to feedings and Dosing?

I appreciate everyone's input. I would like a successful tank as I struggled early on and have only recently observed positive results.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Read section 19 of my DOS Tutorial for details about AWC, including your question about wasting new water:

Neptune Apex Tutorials Part 9: DOS

Neptune DOS Tutorial

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jon's Reef]

Take the water out near your filter socks and put the new water back in the return area of the sump. If you are dosing into the return area you will not be removing the additives.

I have my DOS AWC setup to change 1 gallon a day. It does ~35 ml every 11 min.

 

[Gtinnel]

1- simultaneously is easier so you don’t have to worry about issues with you ATO kicking on as you pump water out.

2- Yes pull the waste from the first chamber and return the new water to any chamber after the first one. You just don’t want to pump new water in before the waste line.

3- I personally schedule my water change for one hour a day instead of throughout the whole day. I’m sure some of the stuff I dose gets taken out, but dosing after the waste line will help, so that the chemical being dosed has it make it through the display and back before it could possibly be removed.