What 2 part is everyone using

[John08007]

Dang I was hoping to not hear that lol
Where do you keep your mag at?
I like to run mine a little high around 1500 because that's where my shrooms seem to like it.
I would have accepted 1400 though hoping I dont have to continue to dose mag!

Looks like they also make a magnesium powder, wonder if you can just pick it up and add a little to your solution?

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bio-magnesium-tropic-marin.html

 

[brmc1985]

This is awesome, I've often slacked on doing water changes so this would be great. You don't have to dose anything else with not doing the changes?

In my case no. Just AFR. Unless you have nutrient problems, there isn’t much need to do water changes since AFR has everything in it and everything gets replenished with each dose. Lots of people use water changes to replenish minor elements but since this already has it and I don’t have nutrient problems I don’t see a need for me to do water changes. I also do an ICP every couple months just to ensure everything is still good but 7-8 months in everything has checked out great.

 

[Spare time]

Dang I was hoping to not hear that lol
Where do you keep your mag at?
I like to run mine a little high around 1500 because that's where my shrooms seem to like it.
I would have accepted 1400 though hoping I dont have to continue to dose mag!

I keep mine between 1300 and 1400. However, It takes months for it to drop 100ppm rather than less than a month like before.

 

[Alex Cataldo]

I use Brightwell A and B 2 part and it seems to work well. Very concentrated, but efficient and easy.

 

[John08007]

I pulled the trigger, ordered all for reef from brs. Now I just need to figure out what to use the other 3 heads of my redsea doser for

 

[Spare time]

I pulled the trigger, ordered all for reef from brs. Now I just need to figure out what to use the other 3 heads of my redsea doser for

Potassium could be one. I need to dose it in my tank (I use all for reef)

 

[LRT]

One thing to consider dosing A4R is phosphates. Make sure your checking them..
For the life of me I couldn't figure out how I was going through so much phosphates until I seen a post earlier today.
Haven't wrapped my head around it yet but apparently dosing carbo calcium depletes phosphates.

 

[John08007]

Potassium could be one. I need to dose it in my tank (I use all for reef)

Weird, thought a4r had all the trace elements in it. You discover this with an icp test?

 

[1ocean]

Using Kalwasser dosing along with RODI water at a 50% to 50% ratio to handle evap as my foundation.
Then dosing Brightwells Reef Code A , Reef Code B and Mag... Been using way less since I started this foundation trick which I learned from another reefer out here in AZ

 

[Spare time]

Weird, thought a4r had all the trace elements in it. You discover this with an icp test?

It doesn't contain potassium. I have the salifert potassium kit

 

[rtparty]

BRS pharma. I also use part C from Tropic Marin and a whole slew of trace elements while following the Reef Moonshiners method

 

[John08007]

BRS pharma. I also use part C from Tropic Marin and a whole slew of trace elements while following the Reef Moonshiners method

This is basically what I've done for yrs. You should look into the all for reef powder, seems like it should simplify things a lot

 

[Spieg]

ESV B-Ionic 2-part contains all 3 major (Alk, Ca, Mg) + it has several minor elements. More cost effective than AFR.

 

[N3mo]

Using red sea blue salt, dosing red sea powders individually for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. Also dosing red sea trace ABCD.

 

[rtparty]

This is basically what I've done for yrs. You should look into the all for reef powder, seems like it should simplify things a lot

I use it on my 50g LPS tank. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I have a ton of the DIY AFR from BRS still to use. Will likely last me years at this rate. I'll sell it locally after this next bottle though.

For example, on my 50g tank I keep alkalinity around 8.5dkh. With AFR my calcium is creeping up past 500 (started at 440) and the ONLY way to remedy that is water changes to bring calcium down. A major flaw with single solution dosing is the inability to dose individual elements that your tank calls for. Very few, if any, tanks actually consume elements in the ratio found in AFR. I've seen a few ICP tests from tanks that have been on AFR for over a year and they aren't the best. Another downside to AFR is my tank has developed a dark green, almost black cyano of some kind. It doesn't really spread so I leave it alone for the most part. Just odd how it popped up about a month after starting AFR. Since AFR has a carbon dosing component to it, it is plausible the AFR has caused the issue.

My 120g uses 70ml of alk and 70ml of calcium right now. AFR couldn't keep up with consumption even if I wanted to use it.

 

[John08007]

I use it on my 50g LPS tank. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I have a ton of the DIY AFR from BRS still to use. Will likely last me years at this rate. I'll sell it locally after this next bottle though.

For example, on my 50g tank I keep alkalinity around 8.5dkh. With AFR my calcium is creeping up past 500 (started at 440) and the ONLY way to remedy that is water changes to bring calcium down. A major flaw with single solution dosing is the inability to dose individual elements that your tank calls for. Very few, if any, tanks actually consume elements in the ratio found in AFR. I've seen a few ICP tests from tanks that have been on AFR for over a year and they aren't the best. Another downside to AFR is my tank has developed a dark green, almost black cyano of some kind. It doesn't really spread so I leave it alone for the most part. Just odd how it popped up about a month after starting AFR. Since AFR has a carbon dosing component to it, it is plausible the AFR has caused the issue.

My 120g uses 70ml of alk and 70ml of calcium right now. AFR couldn't keep up with consumption even if I wanted to use it.

Great info, I assumed that for the calcification to occur that the specific ratio needed to be consumed. Maybe I will stick with my 3 part that I've always used and add a trace element to my dosing regime

 

[Fourstars]

 

[Dolphins18]

I use ES-V 2 part and dose Seachem Reef Plus. ES-V contains the trace elements in its 2 part, and prime reef has the aminos. Cheaper and easier than other methods i've tried.

 

[LRT]

I use it on my 50g LPS tank. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I have a ton of the DIY AFR from BRS still to use. Will likely last me years at this rate. I'll sell it locally after this next bottle though.

For example, on my 50g tank I keep alkalinity around 8.5dkh. With AFR my calcium is creeping up past 500 (started at 440) and the ONLY way to remedy that is water changes to bring calcium down. A major flaw with single solution dosing is the inability to dose individual elements that your tank calls for. Very few, if any, tanks actually consume elements in the ratio found in AFR. I've seen a few ICP tests from tanks that have been on AFR for over a year and they aren't the best. Another downside to AFR is my tank has developed a dark green, almost black cyano of some kind. It doesn't really spread so I leave it alone for the most part. Just odd how it popped up about a month after starting AFR. Since AFR has a carbon dosing component to it, it is plausible the AFR has caused the issue.

My 120g uses 70ml of alk and 70ml of calcium right now. AFR couldn't keep up with consumption even if I wanted to use it.

I did notice a bump in cal using A4R
I figured it was from lack of hard corals using less cal than A4R was providing.
At the end of the day im still dosing mag on the side. As well as alk alone when cal numbers exceed where I want them.
So much for a single 1 part solution lol

 

[jcates]

I use the BRS hybrid balling method in my 180. I use all for reef in my biocube. Both are working very well.