Aquaforest products- Component 1+2+3+

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by Geeray

Tested the IO salt and the potassium is 430 so that can't be it. Must have been the salifert trace hard I was dosing? I discontinued the trace hard once I saw niggles triton results... In any case I want to suspend dosing component 3 until the potassium level comes down a bit unless I shouldn't do that for some reason. What do you think?

I believe the best thing to do is water changes, but IO is higher in alk, you should look into the AF Reef Salt, it mixes closer to NSW values, and is a high quality salt that is easy on the budget. Either way, I prefer water changes to reset my values, the downside to discontinue dosing is that the benefit of Reef Mineral Salts not being there to help balance all the ions. It is possible, but I would look to w/c's if it were my tank, I use the Component 123 system and love the balance, I don't think I would want to risk interrupting this. Also, what test kit are you using to measure K? Cheers

[Geeray]

Originally Posted by plyle02

I believe the best thing to do is water changes, but IO is higher in alk, you should look into the AF Reef Salt, it mixes closer to NSW values, and is a high quality salt that is easy on the budget. Either way, I prefer water changes to reset my values, the downside to discontinue dosing is that the benefit of Reef Mineral Salts not being there to help balance all the ions. It is possible, but I would look to w/c's if it were my tank, I use the Component 123 system and love the balance, I don't think I would want to risk interrupting this. Also, what test kit are you using to measure K? Cheers

I used a Salifert kit for potassium. Do you think potassium being at 470 would irritate a forest fire monti?

Af's salt is probiotic? What exactly does that mean? Could I use the salt and the component 1,2,3 without needing anything else? I don't want to use any salt that would simulate carbon dosing as my nutrients are already where I want them without carbon dosing.

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by Geeray

I used a Salifert kit for potassium. Do you think potassium being at 470 would irritate a forest fire monti?

Af's salt is probiotic? What exactly does that mean? Could I use the salt and the component 1,2,3 without needing anything else? I don't want to use any salt that would simulate carbon dosing as my nutrients are already where I want them without carbon dosing.

Stay with Reef Salt then, the Probiotic salt contains bacteria and aminos. This would not be good for what you are looking for. IME with digi, they are usually pretty hardy, and while your K is a bit high, I doubt that is the contributing factor. I would just do a couple of large water changes, keep an eye on that digi though

[kainic]

I'd like to try the DIY mix for the macroelements but I need to know the "power" of the solution.

AF Guide says 10g of Ca will increase 35ppm in 100 litres. If we do the math it means we have to add 200ml (50gr in 1000ml for the mix) in 100 litres to increase calcium by 35ppm. That's quite a big volume for that small increase!

I'd like AF to tell us how much will calcium increase (in ppm) if we add for instance, 10ml of the mother mix to 100 litres.

I think it's a bit confusing the info we get form the guide, at least for me.

TIA

Sergi

[nemodan]

Hi Perry

I am thinking on moving to the AF 123. I have the Neptune DOS dosing pumps. They are only 2 pumps, that i will continue using for Alk (comp 1 ? ) and for Ca (Comp 2).

For the Mag part (Comp 3 ?) I will have tu use a BRS peristaltic pump.

Alk and Ca will be dosed apart some minutes to avoid any chancechance if precipitation. BUT for Mag it will be very dificult for me to sincronize a BRS peristaltic pump with the DOS system.

So the questions are :

Do i have to dose the Mag far away of where Alk and Ca are being dosed ? OR there is no risk if i dose Mg nearby the Alk and Ca and , if it happens to be dosed at the same time/moment of the Alk or Ca there will NOT BE any precipitation or anything negative ?

Thank you !!!
Daniel

Another one: can i continue with my 10% weekly WC also if i dose 123 ?

Thanks again !!

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Hi Perry

I am thinking on moving to the AF 123. I have the Neptune DOS dosing pumps. They are only 2 pumps, that i will continue using for Alk (comp 1 ? ) and for Ca (Comp 2).

For the Mag part (Comp 3 ?) I will have tu use a BRS peristaltic pump.

Alk and Ca will be dosed apart some minutes to avoid any chancechance if precipitation. BUT for Mag it will be very dificult for me to sincronize a BRS peristaltic pump with the DOS system.

So the questions are :

Do i have to dose the Mag far away of where Alk and Ca are being dosed ? OR there is no risk if i dose Mg nearby the Alk and Ca and , if it happens to be dosed at the same time/moment of the Alk or Ca there will NOT BE any precipitation or anything negative ?

Thank you !!!
Daniel

Another one: can i continue with my 10% weekly WC also if i dose 123 ?

Thanks again !!

Hey Daniel,
Good to hear about making the switch, my reef has exploded since starting with the AF Component 123. Here is what is in each component in the 3 5Liter jugs, this is not the same formulas as traditional 2 part system, it is formulated differently. Here are the ingredients:

AF Component 1- 230ml per day contains: Ca, Mg, Sr, Ba, Co, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr

*AF Component 2- 230ml per day- contains: NaHCO3, F, I

*AF Component 3- 230ml per day- contains: mineral salts and K, Bo.

Take note that Ca and Mag are in the same container in Component 1, Component 2 controls mostly alk, and Component 3 is mainly Reef Mineral Salt, to help buffer the minerals and trace. That said, as long as you are dosing equal amounts of all 3 in a 24 hour period or interval, that should be ok. Try not and let the elements mix in the same general water in the sump, for this you may need to place hoses in different parts of the sump, that should work ok without precipitation. My doser does these split by 5 minutes, and every hour it delivers all 3. Let me know if you have any additional questions Cheers Daniel!

[Geeray]

I can confirm the starting point for dosing is similar to BRSs bulk ingredients. Still no idea why my calculations were off... Lol

[MichaelW]

Daniiel you will be doing basically the same as me. i have a dos dosing comp1 (calcium& mag) the other dos head will be for alk. for reef mineral salt it is set up on my old jebao doser so sometimes it may happen close to a dose of the other components... never seen an issue with it.

[Geeray]

Well I've been runing the component 1,2,3 for 2 weeks now and have been testing Alk daily. Just like others have reported around the 2 week mark my consumption has dirastically jumped. I'm now using double the dose I started with...

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by Geeray

Well I've been runing the component 1,2,3 for 2 weeks now and have been testing Alk daily. Just like others have reported around the 2 week mark my consumption has dirastically jumped. I'm now using double the dose I started with...

Wait until your corals start taking off with noticeable growth, than you will have to increase again Cheers

[Cyberdude]

Originally Posted by plyle02

Wait until your corals start taking off with noticeable growth, than you will have to increase again Cheers

I've been noticing the same thing. I was at 80 ml a day. That was three weeks ago. I'm at 130ml a day now. Crazy.

[MichaelW]

Up 2 380ml a day here and will probably have to increase it again here soon. Have not tested in a few days.

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by MichaelW

Daniiel you will be doing basically the same as me. i have a dos dosing comp1 (calcium& mag) the other dos head will be for alk. for reef mineral salt it is set up on my old jebao doser so sometimes it may happen close to a dose of the other components... never seen an issue with it.

Thank you Michael for the tip !!!!

Daniel

[Cyberdude]

What would I need to make my own component 1-2-3 from the dry stuff. Btw I've never seen sps grow in my tank since I've started using this. Amazing and thank you!!!

I'm consuming roughly 144 ml of each a day. So the ready made liquid won't last very long. And I find myself adjust the dose higher every week (10ml) as the sps grow.

[plyle02]

@ Cyberdude,
LOL, I am in the process of mixing my own right now. You will need AF Calcium, AF Magnesium, AF KH Buffer, AF Reef Mineral Salt, and AF Component Strong(4 small bottles in each pack, each 50ml, which is Component A Strong, B, Strong, C Strong, and K Strong) Here is the breakdown:

Bottle 1:
AF Calcium~ 50 grams per 1 liter
AF Magnesium~ 10 grams per 1 liter
Component A Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter
Component B Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter

Bottle 2:
AF KH Buffer~ 80 grams per 1 liter
Component C Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter

Bottle 3:
AF Reef Mineral Salt~ 25 grams per 1 liter
Component K Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter

* I use the the premix bottles as to re-use the product, they are all 5 liter bottles, so I multiply values times 5

Cheers

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by plyle02

@ Cyberdude,
LOL, I am in the process of mixing my own right now. You will need AF Calcium, AF Magnesium, AF KH Buffer, AF Reef Mineral Salt, and AF Component Strong(4 small bottles in each pack, each 50ml, which is Component A Strong, B, Strong, C Strong, and K Strong) Here is the breakdown:

Bottle 1:
AF Calcium~ 50 grams per 1 liter
AF Magnesium~ 10 grams per 1 liter
Component A Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter
Component B Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter

Bottle 2:
AF KH Buffer~ 80 grams per 1 liter
Component C Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter

Bottle 3:
AF Reef Mineral Salt~ 25 grams per 1 liter
Component K Strong~ 5ml per 1 liter

* I use the the premix bottles as to re-use the product, they are all 5 liter bottles, so I multiply values times 5

Cheers

FYI,
I use a digital scale that measures in grams, if you go to the AF Product Guide download, there is also measurements to gallons, using standard measuring cups and tablespoons to assist. Cheers

[flananuts]

Quick check on for thoughts on the thread. I've been running component 1,2,3 now for 3 months. My coral load is small still with a mixed reef of SPS,LPS, a leather, shrooms and zoas. Alk is 7.3 via Hanna checker, phosphate is .03 via Hanna, nitrate undetectable via ELOS, and Ca 480 via Red Sea titration. SG is 1.026. Everything seems to be happy with growth albeit slow it would seem. I have had to slowly increase my dosing to keep alk above 7. I have an ecotech radion gen2 30w with TIR lenses on my reefer 170 running Ecotech's program recommendations for mixed reef lighting. Having never kept SPS and understanding all are differed in growth, what type of growth per month should I be getting? My LPS are growing slowly, shrooms and zoas are splitting and my Cali tort has encrusted and is growing. Two other acro's show growth at their tips but it seems small. Not sure if I'm missing something or if I should relax and eat a snickers bar.


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[Cyberdude]

Originally Posted by plyle02

FYI,

I use a digital scale that measures in grams, if you go to the AF Product Guide download, there is also measurements to gallons, using standard measuring cups and tablespoons to assist. Cheers

Thanks for the formula!
If it's all dry stuff it would be great if it came pre mixed and we would just need to add water lol.

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by flananuts

Quick check on for thoughts on the thread. I've been running component 1,2,3 now for 3 months. My coral load is small still with a mixed reef of SPS,LPS, a leather, shrooms and zoas. Alk is 7.3 via Hanna checker, phosphate is .03 via Hanna, nitrate undetectable via ELOS, and Ca 480 via Red Sea titration. SG is 1.026. Everything seems to be happy with growth albeit slow it would seem. I have had to slowly increase my dosing to keep alk above 7. I have an ecotech radion gen2 30w with TIR lenses on my reefer 170 running Ecotech's program recommendations for mixed reef lighting. Having never kept SPS and understanding all are differed in growth, what type of growth per month should I be getting? My LPS are growing slowly, shrooms and zoas are splitting and my Cali tort has encrusted and is growing. Two other acro's show growth at their tips but it seems small. Not sure if I'm missing something or if I should relax and eat a snickers bar.

Yep, snickers bar, as long as you see encrusting, and visual growth at tips, that is great. Many sps and acros mind you, do not do anything until they encrust, then bam, you get a growth spurt, patience with sps, and do not let your alk shift too much in values. If you are raising your daily dosage, then that is a sign of growth. Enjoy the snickers bar, lol


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[Cyberdude]

Another 10ml a day. This stuff is crazy. Up to 15 doses at 13 ml a day.

[flananuts]

Thanks! Getting a bunch of new frags from bayondai tomorrow, will have to monitor alk.


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[plyle02]

Originally Posted by Cyberdude

Another 10ml a day. This stuff is crazy. Up to 15 doses at 13 ml a day.

I have only been checking weekly, and every week the same result, I have not had to bump mine up in several weeks. You will rise on your levels and then eventually it dials in, once it does so, your changes in bumping up will slow down... Cheers

[Cyberdude]

Originally Posted by plyle02

I have only been checking weekly, and every week the same result, I have not had to bump mine up in several weeks. You will rise on your levels and then eventually it dials in, once it does so, your changes in bumping up will slow down... Cheers

I can't wait for that to happen lol

[M007]

Went from 140ml of ESV to 200ml of 1-2-3 per day to maintain same values of DKH 6.4-CA 370-MG1280. It took 3 weeks to get there, started with 100ml of 1-2-3 week one. Bumped to 140ml week two, bumped 200ml week three. I hope to settle at DKH 7.5-CA 425-MG 1350. I also water change 100G a week using AF reef salt. Planning to hold dosing amounts for 7 days with continued WC at the current interval and see values then. Side note; this product is hard to purchase locally here in Toronto, Canada. AF might want to look into that as Amazon.ca is hit or miss. Won't be able to get another couple of 1-2-3 packs until middle/end of August

[fessoclown]

Originally Posted by M007

Went from 140ml of ESV to 200ml of 1-2-3 per day to maintain same values of DKH 6.4-CA 370-MG1280. It took 3 weeks to get there, started with 100ml of 1-2-3 week one. Bumped to 140ml week two, bumped 200ml week three. I hope to settle at DKH 7.5-CA 425-MG 1350. I also water change 100G a week using AF reef salt. Planning to hold dosing amounts for 7 days with continued WC at the current interval and see values then. Side note; this product is hard to purchase locally here in Toronto, Canada. AF might want to look into that as Amazon.ca is hit or miss. Won't be able to get another couple of 1-2-3 packs until middle/end of August

I have been waiting for Aquatic Kingdom to reopen.... they carry AF everything but have moved.... they should be open soon.... I hope...