Selecting the right 2-part for your tank! | BRStv Reef Gear Guide

[rioreef]

may I ask why you went from DIY to BRS 2 part?
I am debating between those two and as someone how has used both I would love feedback!

Buying in bulk and with the baking soda I was baking it in the oven to drive off CO2 per Randy's recipes. BRS then starting offering soda ash which eliminated that step.

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

Excellent... and good timing.

I'm in the process of setting up a new system, and had been evaluating the different choices:

1) Calcium Reactor: EXPENSIVE startup, still need additional supplementation.
2) Kalkwasser: Planning for SPS dominated tank, not going to get me there.
3) BRS 2pt: Works... not really a complete solution.
4) Red Sea: Complete, defined 'system'... like the NoPox/Carbon dosing thing... 2nd choice
5) Aquaforest: Sorry, didn't really look at this one.
6) Triton: Complete, defined 'system', love macro algae refugeum, actually testing for stuff and dosing only what you need makes sense. No water changes? Yeah, that puts it over the top.

Just ordered my 1st Triton Core... oh, and used my BRS points to pay for it

Keep it up, folks!

I know everyone has a preference, and completely respect that. Mine, which is not on this list, is Seachem reef builder and Seachem reef advantage calcium. Been using this system for years, and have my alk pegged at 10.0, ca at 450. Reef advantage calcium also keeps Mg steady at 1340.

 

[Monkeynaut]

@Ryanbrs you mention it isn't necessary to dose trace elements and still be successful. I am making every effort to keep a system that doesn't require water changes.
Have you youself or anyone you know, set up a system that does no water changes and uses the BRS 2 part exclusively.
What does that system look like? By setup I mean... I am very interested.

 

[Ryanbrs]

@Ryanbrs you mention it isn't necessary to dose trace elements and still be successful. I am making every effort to keep a system that doesn't require water changes.
Have you youself or anyone you know, set up a system that does no water changes and uses the BRS 2 part exclusively.
What does that system look like? By setup I mean... I am very interested.

Not doing a single water change is something a lot of people claim to be successful with across a wide range of methods. However, for every person who experiences this, I think there are a lot of failures. Mostly related to eventual algae, parasite or unwanted pest outbreaks related to high nutrients or other irritants and reduced immune function. Often these outbreaks are explosive and hard to control once they set in. Zero water changes is also particularly hard with 2 part because of the increased salinity that comes from 2 part solutions and salts.

I think we have to remember that the desire for this is rarely based on ideal growth and health. More often zero water changes is based on reduced workload and cost. In that spirit, if you have a pretty significant number of large corals in the tank consuming the excess nutrients in the tank I think you could achieve the goal of lower cost and reduced workload associated with zero water changes. This is most often achieved with someone who did proper maintenance for a year or two to get the system to a place where that was possible. This could also be achieved with other low nutrient methods like refugiums and potentially carbon dosing but I will still say a vast majority of the zero water change systems I have seen achieve success are based on very experienced reefers with a general shift to this approach over time rather than doing it from the start. There are always exceptions of course.

I will say I think most reefers will agree that while this approach might produce a tank which appears to be generally healthy, on a long enough timeline the ever decreasing minor and trace element levels and likely irritants are likely to show up in metabolic health issues, growth, coloration, parasite, and disease resistance...

The reason the Triton system doesn't have the same issues is they obviously manage trace elements and have a system for nutrient reduction from day one. The system is also designed around understanding and accounting for the fact that you will have to remove some water either manually or via wet skimming to counter the salt addition of 2 part and keep the salinity stable. It's not cheap but it is a approach that reduces the workload and seems to make a lot of sense on all fronts.

Outside of that, I would approach a desire for zero water changes differently. I think you can achieve the low maintenance and low cost by doing rather large water changes much less frequently. My personal approach might be a calcium reactor and refugium in this case. Presumably, the calcium reactor media is adding some amount of minor and trace elements and it isn't increasing salinity. The refugium will handle the nutrient issues.

 

[Monkeynaut]

The reason the Triton system doesn't have the same issues is they obviously manage trace elements and have a system for nutrient reduction from day one. The system is also designed around understanding and accounting for the fact that you will have to remove some water either manually or via wet skimming to counter the salt addition of 2 part and keep the salinity stable. It's not cheap but it is a approach that reduces the workload and seems to make a lot of sense on all fronts.

Outside of that, I would approach a desire for zero water changes differently. I think you can achieve the low maintenance and low cost by doing rather large water changes much less frequently. My personal approach might be a calcium reactor and refugium in this case. Presumably, the calcium reactor media is adding some amount of minor and trace elements and it isn't increasing salinity. The refugium will handle the nutrient issues.

It would be very interesting to see a BRS series devoted to setting up a tank that used the Triton system. The triton tank could even have a twin with the only difference being BRS 2 part and additives from Aquaforest, red sea, or some similar option added in. Seems like you guys could use some of the products that come in concentrated forms and create a recipe for people to make balling solutions with your 2 part. The recipe could reference your reef calculator.

I don't want to dismiss what you all are doing now though. At the moment I am very interested to see where the Reef Gear Guide goes along with the series devoted to lighting, especially when you hit LED.

I have bought everything for my 170 gallon tank from BRS. Just because, I want to support your hard work putting the videos out... I learned everything I know from your BRS 160 series and all the videos that preceded and followed. Oh, and by asking questions in this forum within this great reef2reef community.

 

[HolisticBear]

It would be very interesting to see a BRS series devoted to setting up a tank that used the Triton system

It would be interesting, but I feel these start-up videos explain how a system works and provides an introduction, but when you end the series with a still immature tank, you're not really going far enough to really compare system A vs B's effectiveness. Only how the startup process compares.

It seems there have been quite a few big flameouts going 100% Triton from the beginning. Mike Paletta's ELOS this week is potentially another example, but the conclusion may be pushing too hard, too fast, and not letting a tank mature before going 100% Triton (no trimming fuge, no water changes).

If I started with dry rock, I would definitely run the Triton Other Methods, trim the fuge, and do water changes for the first few months or maybe first year with the intention of going full Triton.

BRS did say in one of their videos that it's not that hard to have a successful reef tank over 1 year, but much harder to continue that success in year 2, 3, 5.

 

[Monkeynaut]

It would be interesting, but I feel these start-up videos explain how a system works and provides an introduction, but when you end the series with a still immature tank, you're not really going far enough to really compare system A vs B's effectiveness. Only how the startup process compares.

BRS is the one in their videos that said it's not that hard to have a successful reef tank over 1 year, but much harder to continue that success in year 2, 3, 5.

The cool thing about BRS is they keep the tanks going as far as I can tell. They also do periodic updates on what has gone right and wrong in the system. It seems like it becomes one of the employees pet projects and stays up and going. I am interested in seeing them attempt this long term. I bet other people are too.

You are right, two tanks is probably overkill... I just want the recipe for turning their 2 part into a balling system. Someone has probably done it already.

 

[Greybeard]

I have bought everything for my 170 gallon tank from BRS. Just because, I want to support your hard work putting the videos out...

Amen. I bought a good deal of the gear for my 140g peninsula from BRS, for the same reasons. Recently bought a pair of Rossmont wave pumps, mainly because of the BRS's review. I purchased them from BRS, even though Amazon prime had 35oogph Rossmont pumps in the 2 pack, a few bucks cheaper. Not sure why BRS doesn't have 2 packs on the larger sized Rossmont pumps, but they don't. I don't mind paying a bit more, to buy from a quality vendor, who tries to help the community where possible. BRSTV is an excellent resource, and I'll support BRS, while they're supporting the hobby.

Of course, I used my BRS points to help offset some of my purchases, as well

 

[Peng]

Baking soda and calcium chloride are my choice. Since I change water biweekly I don't see any reason spending money on trace elements at all. They make it unnecessarily complicated. This is the part of the hobby that I feel should as simple as possible.

 

[jordimex]

Lol,
Bought the big bucket 0f the ABC+ powder from BRS for about $32 last fall and (lol) RedSeaKev taught me how much of "Colors" C & D" to dose with the ABC+ powder. I'm holding 80 gallons but would not go with bigger reef than that with the ABC+ powder.
I'd say not for a beginner because you dose up all of the Big-3 at once. Use pure alk from time to time to keep it inline with the RS ABC+ powder.
But... These are the colors I'm getting since last fall.

Regards, GoVols

Hello @GoVols what is the correct ratio to dose the ABC+ powder and Colors C & D? if i go that way i wouldn't need A+B?

Thank you

 

[GoVols]

Hello @GoVols what is the correct ratio to dose the ABC+ powder and Colors C & D? if i go that way i wouldn't need A+B?

Thank you

jordimex,

You will not have to buy or dose colors A & B.
They are already in the ABC+ powder.

You dose 1ml of "Colors" C & D to every 13.3 grams of the ABC+ powder.

I also dose "Reef Energy" almost daily to keep the organics up for my corals health too.

Here's a thread that I started on another site and brought the first page of it to Reef 2 Reef.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-sea-foundation-abc-good-stuff.296111/

Freddie

 

[Monkeytank]

I think I'm one of the rare cases where the calcium and alk doses don't match. For several years my alk has been almost twice my calcium dose. Any thoughts on what is going on or how to fix it if I should? I have a moderate to pretty heavy sps tank. Dosing about 750ml alk daily or 630 gallons and calcium 360ml.

 

[randyBRS]

I think I'm one of the rare cases where the calcium and alk doses don't match. For several years my alk has been almost twice my calcium dose. Any thoughts on what is going on or how to fix it if I should? I have a moderate to pretty heavy sps tank. Dosing about 750ml alk daily or 630 gallons and calcium 360ml.

Are you dosing Sodium Bicarb or Soda Ash?

 

[Monkeytank]

Are you dosing Sodium Bicarb or Soda Ash?

Hi Randy, I dose soda ash.