Simple Dosing for a New Reef Tank: What Do You Recommend?

[Evensong]

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Dosage:

Start with a daily dose of 5 ml of Tropic Marin® All-For-Reef per 100 liters (26 US-gal) of aquarium system volume. Increase the daily dosage weekly by 2.5 ml per 100 l (26 US-gal) aquarium volume until you reach constant alkalinity and calcium concentrations.

Once the dosage is established, and the system parameters are stable, measuring either calcium or alkalinity, on a regular basis will monitor your systems changes and needed dosage adjustments. The corresponding parameter only needs to be monitored periodically.

If you scroll all the way down to the calculator, it tells you that this "minimum" dose of 5mL per 100L equates to an increase of 2ppm Ca and 0.28 dKH alkalinity.

For a lightly stocked reef like mine (and probably OP's), I only need about 60% of that, so 3mL per day per 100L.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

If you scroll all the way down to the calculator, it tells you that this "minimum" dose of 5mL per 100L equates to an increase of 2ppm Ca and 0.28 dKH alkalinity.

For a lightly stocked reef like mine (and probably OP's), I only need about 60% of that, so 3mL per day per 100L.

Once my water changes couldn't keep up (based on Alk tests) I started with 2.5 ml dose in 32 gallons/ 121 liters of water (about 40% recommended dose). That was enough for a couple of months. I'm probably 6 months from when I started AFR and just last week bumped it up for the third time. I'm just now dosing 4 ml/121 liters.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy, how did you determine how much to dose?

Since my tank was new, I started with quite a low dose and adjusted it weekly based on the measured alk in relation to my target alk.

I still check and adjust it every couple of weeks based on alk only.

If you k ow your alk demand, we can devise a dose that matches it, it it is not necessary to do it that way.

 

[DmitryB]

Since my tank was new, I started with quite a low dose and adjusted it weekly based on the measured alk in relation to my target alk.

I still check and adjust it every couple of weeks based on alk only.

If you k ow your alk demand, we can devise a dose that matches it, it it is not necessary to do it that way.

Perfect, thanks! Currently the tanks is newly set up. IM 40, no livestock, but it will be arriving (corals and fish) in a few weeks. IM's custom caddy arrives with two baggies of carbon and GFO. I placed all the bags into the caddy. Probably too much, at the very least too much GFO? (But boy did the water clear up fast since before yesterday I was not running any chemical filtration on it at all!)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Have you determined phosphate is high to need GFO?

 

[slingfox]

Seems like bad idea to start using GFO from the get go with zero livestock. The only circumstance I could see that making sense if is you used ocean live rock and you are seeing high phosphates in the water.

 

[DmitryB]

Have you determined phosphate is high to need GFO?

I have a confession to make: I didn't measure it when I put the baggies in. I just assumed it was needed because it came with the custom caddie. That was dumb! But I measured it now. Hana read it as 0.9. Which I think is as high as Hana goes. I did a RedSea version with color matching and that was about 0.6.

The rocks there are almost entirely ocean rock, though they came from an LFS, not direct from ocean. There are a few small pieces that came directly from Gulf Live Rock. And the sand (25 lbs) is fully from the ocean. Plus I added a packet of that ocean mud from GLF as well. Could all that be raising Phosphates in an unstocked tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

They likely picked up the phosphate from the lfs. Stripping some now seems fine.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I've always done AFR to keep up with dosing needs because it is so simple to use!

 

[X-37B]

I use only kalk 24/7 in my 3 month old 112 growout. When I get to 4-5 liters of Kalk useage a day I will dose A4R to keep alk in range and keep kalk running. Currently using 2 liters of kalk a day to keep alk at 7.5.

 

[jlitz]

I’ve had great results with AFR. Def save some money and mix it yourself though!

 

[Shinji Ayanami]

Definitely AFR, some sort of food, kalk but dosing it is kinda messy and complicated for simple setups, also ab plus so they can get ripped.

 

[TylerHaworth]

I run AFR dosed by a Versa and it makes life so easy.

Keep in mind that you should also have some two part on hand to make adjustments to get you back to baseline when your numbers get behind.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I want to get dosing solutions for my newly set up IM 40. (I'll have an IM 170 later on and will be using Apex for that.) I'll be keeping softies and LPS corals there. (I've already ordered a few including a Torch, a Lepto, a Fan). I'll need to start dosing - but dosing what? What are people's favorite dosing solutions? And is All For Reef really good for everything you need in one mix? It'd definitely be a lot simpler to just make one mix and drop that in... So what are people using?

With water changes… you can reduce the need at least until you’ve acquired a number of corals

 

[DmitryB]

I want to get dosing solutions for my newly set up IM 40. (I'll have an IM 170 later on and will be using Apex for that.) I'll be keeping softies and LPS corals there. (I've already ordered a few including a Torch, a Lepto, a Fan). I'll need to start dosing - but dosing what? What are people's favorite dosing solutions? And is All For Reef really good for everything you need in one mix? It'd definitely be a lot simpler to just make one mix and drop that in... So what are people using?

With water changes… you can reduce the need at least until you’ve acquired a number of corals

The bad news is I bought some frags from Pieces of the Ocean over the weekend sale, all LPS and softies. (And one accidental SPS digitata that I didn't realize was in the wrong category. That'll definitely move into the 170 later on. For now I'll put it at the top to be closest to the Radion.) There are a few Zoas coming, a Torch, an Elegance, an open Brain, a Flower Anemone. I went a little crazy. Still no fish though.

 

[DmitryB]

Definitely AFR, some sort of food, kalk but dosing it is kinda messy and complicated for simple setups, also ab plus so they can get ripped.

Ordered AFR and AB+.

 

[Snowmank]

You are just starting to add LPS. Just do water changes until your Alk readings say that is no longer enough. Then add AFR as indicated by your Alk. Once the tank is more established you can do an ICP-MS test and supplement whatever else is needed.

I have been dosing AFR for 6ish months, but over the last 2 months it has been getting hard in the line and popping the dosing tube off. Any advice for that?

 

[DmitryB]

I use only kalk 24/7 in my 3 month old 112 growout. When I get to 4-5 liters of Kalk useage a day I will dose A4R to keep alk in range and keep kalk running. Currently using 2 liters of kalk a day to keep alk at 7.5.

5 liters a DAY?!

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I want to get dosing solutions for my newly set up IM 40. (I'll have an IM 170 later on and will be using Apex for that.) I'll be keeping softies and LPS corals there. (I've already ordered a few including a Torch, a Lepto, a Fan). I'll need to start dosing - but dosing what? What are people's favorite dosing solutions? And is All For Reef really good for everything you need in one mix? It'd definitely be a lot simpler to just make one mix and drop that in... So what are people using?

yes - all for reef includes everything you need. When you get the 1600g powder container, it’s the cheapest way to go about it. For a 170 gallon tank, you would probably want a 2 liter container for your reservoir unless you dose very little.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

5 liters a DAY?!

that’s not a lot of kalk in one day.