dosing 2 part manually

[JKDMan]

I was speaking with a buddy of mine about dosing 2 part. His opinion is that it's a bad idea to dose 2 part manually and using api test kits to monitor ca and alk. He said without probes and dosing pumps I can't monitor and dose appropriately it well enough. In addition, he suggested that i would get greater benefit at this stage with making a mixing station and doing water changes.
What are your guys thoughts on this? Is it worth dosing 2 part manually or should i wait to get pumps and probes.

briefly about my tank: currently soft corals only, will be getting a few lps in the future but will mostly be softie tank.
my parameters using api kits are basically. nitrate: 5ppm phosphate:0.25ppm Ca: 380-420 Alk: 9-10 pH:8.2-8.4. I test weekly.

 

[daybreaksky]

no offence to your friend but people dosed Driveway heat and baking soda as 2 part for like 30 years before fancy stuff came out.
just don't dose in to your sump or pump will get calcium deposits due to heat.

Kits: at least Salifert Ca, Mg, Kh, about $44 on amazon for all 3, they are very accurate.
after a week you will get an idea of how much your tank consumes and test like once a week to adjust.

there is nothing scary about this and even though it's not perfect like nature intended, the little variance doesn't bother the corals that much so try it

 

[daybreaksky]

I and most others dosed once a day at lights out to minimize any PH shift when doses got high but if it makes you feel better, break it up in to 2 doses 1 Am and other PM.
I used guides by @Randy Holmes-Farley back in the day

 

[LIreefguy]

I does my 2 part manually. Just like to
Do it in morning when I feed and at night when I feed

 

[RVA REEF]

no need to dose with those parameters, keep up what youre doing

 

[X-37B]

I dosed my 25 nano for 2.5 years by hand and my current 45 frag too.
I dosed my 120 by hand for 1 year until I set up my carx.
All were dosed once a day in the morning.

 

[JKDMan]

no need to dose with those parameters, keep up what youre doing

sometimes my calcium is lower than i like ( i like about 400) but, I tend to agree. I don't have a high consumption of alk or ca due to just having softies and little Coraline algae. so his advice of a mixing station being a better investment than dosing pumps is probably correct then. if water changes are taking care of ****t for me now, making them easier is probably a better investment at this time.

 

[JKDMan]

no offence to your friend but people dosed Driveway heat and baking soda as 2 part for like 30 years before fancy stuff came out.
just don't dose in to your sump or pump will get calcium deposits due to heat.

Kits: at least Salifert Ca, Mg, Kh, about $44 on amazon for all 3, they are very accurate.
after a week you will get an idea of how much your tank consumes and test like once a week to adjust.

there is nothing scary about this and even though it's not perfect like nature intended, the little variance doesn't bother the corals that much so try it

im thinking of getting hanna checkers. this initial cost is higer but over time it probably evens out and the accuracy is better...no interpretation of results needed

 

[Magellan]

im thinking of getting hanna checkers. this initial cost is higer but over time it probably evens out and the accuracy is better...no interpretation of results needed

Hannah checkers are nice for some parameters, but I would definitely stay away from the Calcium one...I would also say that they aren’t as easy to use as you would think. Personally, I use one for checking my phosphate, but Salifert kits are consistent, simple, and accurate for Alkalinity and Calcium.

in regards to your original post, I dosed 2 part by hand once a day for over a year. My tank has done great (feel free to check out my build thread) but after having recently switched to automatic dosers I have to say that has made a very noticeable difference...my corals have never been happier. 12 precise doses a day at consistent intervals is just always going to be a better option than one hand poured dose!

don’t rush anything, get a good feel for your tank, slowly add coral and check your parameters regularly and you will be fine. Your corals will tell you when it’s time to start adding equipment, you will notice consumption starting to increase as the frags begin to turn into colonies

 

[Viking_Reefing]

With that stock list in terms of corals you really shouldn’t have to dose, water changes should be able to keep up...and yes, water changes are great, do them!

Are you running a ATO? You could put some kalkwasser in that for super simple dosing that should more than cover your needs.

I’m not a fan of manual dosing if dosing is really needed. It’s just to prone to forgetfulness and screw ups.

 

[JKDMan]

With that stock list in terms of corals you really shouldn’t have to dose, water changes should be able to keep up...and yes, water changes are great, do them!

Are you running a ATO? You could put some kalkwasser in that for super simple dosing that should more than cover your needs.

I’m not a fan of manual dosing if dosing is really needed. It’s just to prone to forgetfulness and screw ups.

Yes I have the tunze osmolator (big one)..I thought about adding kalk to the ato bucket but the osmolator can be finnikey on occasion, so its not been attractive option for me yet.. also I already have the two lol... water changes are probably enough at this point tho

 

[daybreaksky]

don't overthink it. it's a proven system and no harm as long as you have a parameter goal and stick with it. you can do water changes and dose. if your stock list requires minimum dosing then do what it needs, its literally minimum effort. worst case scenario is your coralline will get wild growth