Manually Dosing: What's your routine?

[shakacuz]

Yes, this is exactly why I decided to go with Redsea Foundation Elements to make it easier. I know mixing two part is easier but I just don't trust myself to get it right at the moment lol.

i used to dose that. i switched over to the reef moonshiners method and haven't looked back since. my only gripe is not being able to figure out my consumption rate, or how much of my mix to use... i would hate to throw out the mix i made and start new but that may be the only way to bounce back before i lose anymore of my SPS.

edit: i forgot to mention in my previous post that i also test NO3, PO4, ALK, CAL, MAG twice a week(Sunday's i use Hanna kits, Wednesday's i use red sea kit) as i am trying to get things in line(more specifically ALK).

 

[Lavey29]

How often do you test Calcium?

Once a week

 

[Frank SM]

I dose manually 25mL each Alk and Ca daily spaced out. I test Alk every couple of days just to check. I test everything every weekend. My Alk is at 8.0, Ca at 470. I'm just starting to introduce corals so I expect the consumption to increase. If the volume gets too high, I will look to automate. My last Mg was 1380 and I haven't had to dose.

I used the calculators at BRS as a starting point but I suggest under dosing until you figure out the "actual" water volume. I find it hard to estimate water volume with tank, overflow, sump, rocks, sand, etc. I measured Alk, dosed, remeasured Alk, then adjusted the numbers in the calculator to come up with my actual volume to fine tune.

 

[Gtinnel]

Can I use the Redsea Foundation Elements or is it a specific Alk, Calcium and Mag Brand I'd have to use?

It can use any 2 part that you want. You do have to know approximately how much you need to dose. Basically you setup a base dosage then you setup a allowable range which if the needed dosage goes outside of the range it goes back to the base amount. You also setup a minimum and max trident readings and if the reading go outside of that range it defaults back to the base dosage as well.

 

[R33fDaddy]

Here is my typical Parameters over a three day span and why I believe I need to start dosing.

What do you'll think? I also just recovered from running 0 Nitrates and 0 Phosphates.

June 03, 2022 Nitrates 4ppm, Phosphates 0.03ppm, Alkalinity 11.9 dkh, Calcium 400, Magnesium 1485
June 04, 2022 Nitrates 4ppm, Phosphates 0.03ppm, Alkalinity 11.4 dkh, Calcium 450, Magnesium 1485
June 05, 2022 Nitrates 6ppm, Phosphates 0.03ppm, Alkalinity 11.2 dkh, Calcium 470, Magnesium 1500
June 6, 2022 Alkalinity 10.9 dkh dosed 32ml and it brought the dkh up to 11.8 dkh

Just tested my Alkalinity Today (June 8) and it's 10.9. On June 6th I brought it up to 11.8 dkh.

Less than 48hours it dropped a full dkh. Is this a clear sign that dosing is needed?

 

[Lavey29]

Just tested my Alkalinity Today (June 8) and it's 10.9. On June 6th I brought it up to 11.8 dkh.

Less than 48hours it dropped a full dkh. Is this a clear sign that dosing is needed?

You should test it over a 3 day period at the same time each day to establish a pattern.

 

[Koh23]

All manual dosing, using Glasser balling, slightly modified, ca and alk in the morning, not at same time, magnesium at evening.....

Few drops of iodine in the evening, if and when i remember, not every day (i forgot often)....

Keeping alk at 9, ca at 450, and mg 1440-1450, minimum effort, corals seems happy.

Of course, almost no water changes, now i'm on once per two months schedule.....

 

[G Santana]

I dose AFR via a doser once a day, everything else I hand dose although I've cut back on a lot of dosing recently.

 

[ClownSchool]

Hey Everyone,

I'm currently trying to decide if I want to manually dose, invest in a Neptune System or just get a Redsea dosing pump.

I looked every where online I couldn't find one good example of a manual dosing routine. So what I'm looking for is:

Do you test everything (Alk Cal, Mag) everyday and then dose?
Do you only test Alk and base you dosing off that?
Is there any good calculators or apps that help you determine how much to dose?

I know I have to start dosing because my tank consumes about 1dkh over a 3 day period. I got really busy at work for a few months and ended up losing some corals because water changes just wasn't enough.

I also just discovered a have a lot of deep purple coralline algae that I didn't know I had before.

Any suggestions, comments or advice you can give is much appreciated.

I started dosing a quarter of recommended and tested twice a week.
Your numbers will gradually fall until you raise your dose - by one to two ml daily - until you get two weeks of stable numbers.
Once you know how much daily dosage that is per additive, you can increase gradually toward the numbers you want while checking twice a week, then fall back to your stable dosing once your target is reached.
That’s how I did it. But, remember that over time, your tank’s needs will change and you’ll need to adjust accordingly.
Remember to watch your pH while experimenting with dosing.

 

[ClownSchool]

i test weekly(on sundays: SG, PH, NO3, PO4, ALK, CAL, MAG). but when i dose ALK/NO3/PO4, i will test 24hrs later to see if it reached the desired level(s). i have been monitoring ALK closely these last few weeks...i can't for the life of me dial in my ALK consumption vs. how much alkalin8.3 to dose(made a 200g alk8.3-p to 1gallon of RO mix)...

with ALK you need to make sure you do not raise it more than .05-1dkh per day to avoid any shock to the corals. with NO3 try not to raise it more than 2ppm, and for PO4 try not to raise it more than .02ppm. CAL/MAG generally never need much dosing, especially if you do water changes. you'll need to test daily to find out how much the tank is consuming per week, then adjust your dosing to match that to keep levels stable.

I’ve noticed my ALK dosing changes when there’s noticeable Coralline growth.
Hope that helps.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I manually dose , I just check parameters once every two weeks to see if I am on my trend (alk 9-10dkh)
Cal 400-500
Mg 1300
Once you get a feel it’s a lot easier, I used to test like 3 times a week

 

[Acros]

This person does almost freehand manual dosing. You can see the top off and dosing regiment starting 24:00.

 

[Vinman]

Just dump some in right no just kidding. seriously I've never done that

 

[shakacuz]

I’ve noticed my ALK dosing changes when there’s noticeable Coralline growth.
Hope that helps.

yeah i have quite a bit of coralline growth in my sump and some in my DT. i know this is a contributing factor. perhaps an urchin is in the horizon

 

[ClownSchool]

yeah i have quite a bit of coralline growth in my sump and some in my DT. i know this is a contributing factor. perhaps an urchin is in the horizon

I’m willing to allow it in my system because I’m starting to see zoas colonize my back glass and would like to see a full mixed carpet cover it in the future.

 

[R33fDaddy]

This person does almost freehand manual dosing. You can see the top off and dosing regiment starting 24:00.

That's a beautiful tank but it has to be a full time job doing all that manually.

 

[Acros]

That's a beautiful tank but it has to be a full time job doing all that manually.

Apparently the owner disagrees with that.

 

[reefah]

Hey Everyone,

I'm currently trying to decide if I want to manually dose, invest in a Neptune System or just get a Redsea dosing pump.

I looked every where online I couldn't find one good example of a manual dosing routine. So what I'm looking for is:

Do you test everything (Alk Cal, Mag) everyday and then dose?
Do you only test Alk and base you dosing off that?
Is there any good calculators or apps that help you determine how much to dose?

I know I have to start dosing because my tank consumes about 1dkh over a 3 day period. I got really busy at work for a few months and ended up losing some corals because water changes just wasn't enough.

I also just discovered a have a lot of deep purple coralline algae that I didn't know I had before.

Any suggestions, comments or advice you can give is much appreciated.

I personally test every sunday.. I enjoy it but will eventually move to a dosing pump / apex . I dose all for reef and acropower daily.... I also feed AB+ daily at night as well... Thats about it... My tank is stable enough for me to have this schedule work. All tanks are different so what works for me might not work for your tank.


Hope this helps!

 

[ClownSchool]

Hey Everyone,

I'm currently trying to decide if I want to manually dose, invest in a Neptune System or just get a Redsea dosing pump.

I looked every where online I couldn't find one good example of a manual dosing routine. So what I'm looking for is:

Do you test everything (Alk Cal, Mag) everyday and then dose?
Do you only test Alk and base you dosing off that?
Is there any good calculators or apps that help you determine how much to dose?

I know I have to start dosing because my tank consumes about 1dkh over a 3 day period. I got really busy at work for a few months and ended up losing some corals because water changes just wasn't enough.

I also just discovered a have a lot of deep purple coralline algae that I didn't know I had before.

Any suggestions, comments or advice you can give is much appreciated.

Found this great tutorial.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php

The "How To" Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[Idech]

My tank is 8 months old and I dose AFR. I test once every 7-10 days and manually dose everyday with a seringe.

I will get a dosing pump once I get everything in good control.