What unusual additive are you adding to your reef tank?

[Rmckoy]

I’ve been dosing ammonia since May. Here on reef2reef it seems normal but tell your local LFS that and they pretty much tell me everything is going to die.

After reading one of Randy’s posts not long ago I’ve been thinking of dosing ammonia . But a little confused as I still have the old days zero ammonia mentality

 

[Wasabiroot]

Currently dosing Acropower. I ran high nutrients beforehand, but after doing maintenance and removing a lot of pest algae as well as several unfortunate events (return pump off overnight, nuked sump, all for reef overdose causing alk spike) I am running lower nutrients from water changes and my hope is the acro is helping give them something in the high dKh environment I had

 

[Wasabiroot]

After reading one of Randy’s posts not long ago I’ve been thinking of dosing ammonia . But a little confused as I still have the old days zero ammonia mentality

I think the trick is you are dosing for consumption, not necessarily detection. Harmful levels only occur when uptake/metabolism is insufficient for the dose or you make a mistake

 

[Rmckoy]

I think the trick is you are dosing for consumption, not necessarily detection. Harmful levels only occur when uptake/metabolism is insufficient for the dose or you make a mistake

If dosing ammonia . I’m assuming it wouldn’t be detected as ammonia but I would notice higher levels of nitrates as an end result ?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Does mud count? 1 tsp every week or so. https://aquaforest.eu/en/product/af-life-source/
I’ve been led to believe that it increases biodiversity but have never ordered a test.

Ive been using life Source since its release and love the stuff. For some time, it was unavailable but back on track

 

[Propane]

After reading one of Randy’s posts not long ago I’ve been thinking of dosing ammonia . But a little confused as I still have the old days zero ammonia mentality

I did as well as I had just finished cycling my tank 4 weeks prior. I still have questions but I know my corals look pretty good and are growing and my nitrates are the steadiest parameter I have.
I’m actually increasing my dose as of yesterday.

 

[Wasabiroot]

If dosing ammonia . I’m assuming it wouldn’t be detected as ammonia but I would notice higher levels of nitrates as an end result ?

I'm not 100% familiar with it - need to reread Randy's article. But if the corals are directly assimilating the ammonia, not sure

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’ve been dosing ammonia since May. Here on reef2reef it seems normal but tell your local LFS that and they pretty much tell me everything is going to die.

lol

I suspect they’d also disbelieve other things…vibrant, prime, etc

 

[Rmckoy]

I'm not 100% familiar with it - need to reread Randy's article. But if the corals are directly assimilating the ammonia, not sure

I’ll have to read it again as well .
Calculating a dose is where I’m confused

And Would it be as beneficial to just add more fish to naturally produce more ammonia ….

 

[Wasabiroot]

I’ll have to read it again as well .
Calculating a dose is where I’m confused

And Would it be as beneficial to just add more fish to naturally produce more ammonia ….

Indirectly, I suppose it's two sides of the same coin, only you can't control the amount they poop (beyond feeding enough that a specific level of waste appears/respiration/urination) whereas dosing allows for very controlled levels since you're skipping a step. Also, a lot of food contains phosphates as well as a host of other misc organics that may or may not break down the same. But I'd rather not speculate - @Randy Holmes-Farley is better for clarification. Of course, if you wanted to raise total available nutrients, you could do both, but I haven't dosed ammonia before sooooo

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If dosing ammonia . I’m assuming it wouldn’t be detected as ammonia but I would notice higher levels of nitrates as an end result ?

If just balancing demand, it may not show as nitrate. If dosing is a bit higher than demand, which is ok, then some likely will show as nitrate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’ll have to read it again as well .
Calculating a dose is where I’m confused

And Would it be as beneficial to just add more fish to naturally produce more ammonia ….

Possibly, depending on the scenario. Fish add other things to the water and also consume O2.

 

[City_Boy_Jay]

Several strains of bacteria. The more good the less bad

 

[rusgum]

I dose wormwood. I don't know if this is considered an unusual supplement?

 

[Jase4224]

1 part blood, 1 part sweat, 2 parts tears. Also patience is a helpful addition, and you can’t overdose it.

 

[Reefahholic]

I dose 3 drops of Honey nightly, and WOW you should see the growth I’m getting. HeHe

 

[Nano_Man]

Yep I am dosing my self vodka never felt better. Randy has all the good ideas

 

[Rocky Mountain Reef]

I dosed quite a lot. from 50-400 ml per day to my system with total volume 250-350 gallons.. 100 mL per day was typical.

here's an article:

Reefkeeping Magazine - Vinegar Dosing Methodology for the Marine Aquarium

Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.

reefkeeping.com

HI Randy...what do you think of SunnyX method of dosing as found in this post and on his website? I've been using his method with his coral snow and MicroBacter7 and just had a big cyanobacteria outbreak which I had to treat with ChemClean...also I have experienced a 90% coral die off in my 1 year old aquarium with still no answers as to why. (getting ICP test to determine if it's something in the water)

Extreme Water Clarity and Cyano Eradication, Made Easy!

Edit 10/092023: Note that I have tweaked the formula a bit. You can find an updated video here: Coral Snow Link: Coral Snow Hello all! I have been reefing now for about 25 years, and over those many years I have picked up many tips, tricks, and best habits/practices. From a hobbyist and...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[TheSheff]

This isnt weird, but I dose Reef Elixir, it's an all in one dosing additive like all for reef but much better. Its originally from germany but has made its way to the US. https://oceanartusa.com/shop/ols/products/reefelixer1

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

HI Randy...what do you think of SunnyX method of dosing as found in this post and on his website? I've been using his method with his coral snow and MicroBacter7 and just had a big cyanobacteria outbreak which I had to treat with ChemClean...also I have experienced a 90% coral die off in my 1 year old aquarium with still no answers as to why. (getting ICP test to determine if it's something in the water)

Extreme Water Clarity and Cyano Eradication, Made Easy!

Edit 10/092023: Note that I have tweaked the formula a bit. You can find an updated video here: Coral Snow Link: Coral Snow Hello all! I have been reefing now for about 25 years, and over those many years I have picked up many tips, tricks, and best habits/practices. From a hobbyist and...

www.reef2reef.com

The coral snow exports organics (and maybe some phosphate). It's apparently a fine thing to do, but I'm not really sure how filter feeders such as sponges like it. Clogging them up seems a possible concern.

Dosing MB7 as a bacterial food seems expensive as opposed to organic carbon dosing, but there's no big issue with it that I see.

I don't think dosing MB& is a god nutrient control method.