Dosing questions. Need quickly

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 09:10 AM

I'm about to go get some test kits and supplements for my 20g nano. I plan on getting salifert test and Red Sea supplements. My cal is 400 and dkh is 9. I use coral pro salt. My question is do I need to dose mag or will weekly water changes keep up with the mag levels? I know they are depleted much slowly then cal and alk and it would save me money. Or is there a formula to dose mag to cal and alk supplements like BRS for every 1g of two part add 20oz mag? The mag test kit will cost me $25 and I'd rather save that if I don't need the mag test kit right now. Thanks

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 09:30 AM

Also anyone know how I should dose my system using Red Sea liquid starter kit ABC?

Darpan Dhawan · 09/14/2015, 09:44 AM

Dear if you are not dosing any supplements and only with water change Cal and alk are stable
Then you don't need any supplements

Dear are you using any supplements?
If Yes, then what supplement using now

If you wana buy RedSea
Reef Foundation ABC+ by Red Sea is good but you have to keep eye on level some time thay came imbalanced ....They should stay in Balance level is necessary

Thanks
Darpan Dhawan

Darpan Dhawan · 09/14/2015, 09:50 AM

RedSea A, B, C liquid is good one
I think its very easy to dose, Just read back side of bottle

And does how much you wana increase the level in how much time

Thanks
Darpan Dhawan

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 11:25 AM

I bought a sps and it's starting to change its texture. Not in a good way. I also been battling brown algae that's been leaching from my rocks. Upping the elements will help the overall health in my tank and keep parameters more stable

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 11:27 AM

My calium used to be at 420 and few months ago so it's clear that it is getting used up. Also I'm having trouble getting coralline to grow after a year of it being set up. Raising these levels should help right?

Yash · 09/14/2015, 01:43 PM

If your Ca and Alk levels are stable week over week, there usually is no reason to test Mg on a weekly basis. If you are having issues maintaining the Ca and/or Alk levels, then you might want to test Mg. Just weekly water changes should replenish the Mg that is used up, as long as it you are using a good quality salt mix.

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 02:02 PM

I use coral pro salt. I just picked up the the Red Sea pro test kit (cal,alk, and mag) and the Red Sea liquid foundation. It's been 9 days since my last water change. Just did testing: cal 410, mag 1600, dkh 8.4, phosphates 0.0, nitrate 0.0 salinity 1.025. Might have done something wrong on the mag test.... I'm going to do a water change now and will test again an hour after I do. My acro is starting to change and I know it's not phosphates, nitrates, temp, or ph. And coralline isn't growing except on my power heads. 1000gph wave maker led lights 15% spec 35% blues 10 inches of the water so it isn't flow or lights. I have leaching phos from dry rock that's lasted 6 months now with 4 months of rowa running. And corals growth has slowed a bit in the last couple months. I wanna get the levels up and stable. Need help doing so because I'm new to dosing and keep parameters stable. Any info would be very helpful. Thanks everyone

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 02:06 PM

Forgot to add that I have a protein skimmer and nano ATO that both work well. Chemipure and purigen in baskets. pH 7.8-8.0 and temp stays at 78.6 at all times, cobalt neo therm

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 04:44 PM

Anyone have any more ideas?

Yash · 09/14/2015, 05:29 PM

Are you dosing mag? If not I find it odd that your levels are that high. Did you test the water again?

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 06:04 PM

Yes I just tested again after a 2.5g water change. I didn't shake the bottle of the mag after each drop of the solution the first time. Supposed to add 5 drops shaking between each. I looked it up on YouTube and the others and I know I did each right this time. Cal 420, 8.7dkh 1400mag. I also found a calculator for Red Sea products.

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 06:05 PM

And no I don't dose anything yet. Just picked up the kits and supplements today

thegrun · 09/14/2015, 06:24 PM

I would get a magnesium test kit and only then think about dosing. Magnesium can be funny, some tanks do not seem to consume more than is provided by the salt mix, others need a fairly consistent dosing. My tank consumes about 30ppm of magnesium above what the water changes provide.

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 06:30 PM

I ended up getting the mag test kit that came with the Red Sea pro test kit. Testing mag can be tricky I heard but I just tested it at 1400. I'll test again before I try dosing tomorrow

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 06:31 PM

I followed the YouTube video exactly that Red Sea provided for the mag test kit so I know I didn't mess up something this time. I assume it is a little lower probably around 1360

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 06:56 PM

Red Sea recommends my dkh at 12. Seems high. Anyone run it that high?

Jdavis8824 · 09/14/2015, 11:51 PM

Bump

Sk8r · 09/15/2015, 09:51 AM

Your salt mix contains mg, and that may push it high. Oceanic brand is particularly high.

Always base your dosing on a test done before dosing something and 8-12 hours after dosing. Do both. Keep a log, so you can see the trends. Do not rely on a test immediately after dosing. Takes time for circulation and dissolving. Do not let one element get into 'bad' territory before dosing to correct it.

Jdavis8824 · 09/15/2015, 11:54 AM

Ok. What should I get my levels up too? I was thinking 440cal, 11dkh and I'm gonna test mag again along with the others before I dose soon but that one seems to be good. And how much should I add at once?

Jdavis8824 · 09/15/2015, 11:58 AM

Calculator says to get from 8.7 to 11dkh I need to dose 12.2 ML in my tank which is around 14 total gallons. Also suggest I put alittle over 5 for two days then alittle under 2 on the third. Shouldn't I even it out to about 4ml a day? And should I spread the 4ml 3 times a day?

Happyschneider · 09/15/2015, 12:42 PM

from a chemical point of view it does not really matter how you spread it. Be aware that if you add it quickly (with a lot of volume) you might get precipitation which should dissolve later though.

From a biological point of view you do not want to raise the alkalinity too quickly. I would spread it out evenly, maybe even over 4 days to be on the safe side.

Take this with a pinch of salt though as I am not experienced in reef keeping and only speak as a chemist. I just get started myself and calibrate my dosing at the moment myself. I add daily alk to bring my levels up to where I want them and then will reduce the daily doses until I stabilise the values. The only negative point about this approach is that I might raise it too far (unlikely as alk seems to be consumed really quickly in my system) and that I am using up the alk test really quickly

Jdavis8824 · 09/15/2015, 01:15 PM

I just added 2ml of alk a few mins ago. The chart tells me to go to the 12dkh but I thought I'd stay on the safe side with 11dkh. I'm thinking about doing 2ml twice a day and test the day after til I get to where I need to be. I don't think my corals are consuming too much so I shouldn't have to dose much after I get to my target levels. Maybe once a week.

Jdavis8824 · 09/15/2015, 01:17 PM

I am a little low on the salinity at 1.025 too so raising that to .026 might have got me to 9dkh but I want accelerated growth and coralline so I'm gonna try to keep them stable at 440cal, 11dkh and mag is at 1360 so I don't have to mess with that right now

09/14/2015, 09:10 AM	#1
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Dosing questions. Need quickly I'm about to go get some test kits and supplements for my 20g nano. I plan on getting salifert test and Red Sea supplements. My cal is 400 and dkh is 9. I use coral pro salt. My question is do I need to dose mag or will weekly water changes keep up with the mag levels? I know they are depleted much slowly then cal and alk and it would save me money. Or is there a formula to dose mag to cal and alk supplements like BRS for every 1g of two part add 20oz mag? The mag test kit will cost me $25 and I'd rather save that if I don't need the mag test kit right now. Thanks

09/15/2015, 09:51 AM	#19
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Your salt mix contains mg, and that may push it high. Oceanic brand is particularly high. Always base your dosing on a test done before dosing something and 8-12 hours after dosing. Do both. Keep a log, so you can see the trends. Do not rely on a test immediately after dosing. Takes time for circulation and dissolving. Do not let one element get into 'bad' territory before dosing to correct it. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/15/2015, 12:42 PM	#22
Happyschneider Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Basel, Switzerland Posts: 350	from a chemical point of view it does not really matter how you spread it. Be aware that if you add it quickly (with a lot of volume) you might get precipitation which should dissolve later though. From a biological point of view you do not want to raise the alkalinity too quickly. I would spread it out evenly, maybe even over 4 days to be on the safe side. Take this with a pinch of salt though as I am not experienced in reef keeping and only speak as a chemist. I just get started myself and calibrate my dosing at the moment myself. I add daily alk to bring my levels up to where I want them and then will reduce the daily doses until I stabilise the values. The only negative point about this approach is that I might raise it too far (unlikely as alk seems to be consumed really quickly in my system) and that I am using up the alk test really quickly __________________ My build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2517452 180 liter, sumpless reef, no skimmer for the moment. Current Tank Info: Juwel VISION 180, currently only invertebrates, planning to have low bioload as I have no skimmer and no refugium for the moment.

09/14/2015, 09:30 AM	#2
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Also anyone know how I should dose my system using Red Sea liquid starter kit ABC?

09/14/2015, 09:44 AM	#3
Darpan Dhawan Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 34	Dear if you are not dosing any supplements and only with water change Cal and alk are stable Then you don't need any supplements Dear are you using any supplements? If Yes, then what supplement using now If you wana buy RedSea Reef Foundation ABC+ by Red Sea is good but you have to keep eye on level some time thay came imbalanced ....They should stay in Balance level is necessary Thanks Darpan Dhawan

09/14/2015, 09:50 AM	#4
Darpan Dhawan Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 34	RedSea A, B, C liquid is good one I think its very easy to dose, Just read back side of bottle And does how much you wana increase the level in how much time Thanks Darpan Dhawan

09/14/2015, 11:25 AM	#5
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	I bought a sps and it's starting to change its texture. Not in a good way. I also been battling brown algae that's been leaching from my rocks. Upping the elements will help the overall health in my tank and keep parameters more stable

09/14/2015, 11:27 AM	#6
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	My calium used to be at 420 and few months ago so it's clear that it is getting used up. Also I'm having trouble getting coralline to grow after a year of it being set up. Raising these levels should help right?

09/14/2015, 01:43 PM	#7
Yash Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 56	If your Ca and Alk levels are stable week over week, there usually is no reason to test Mg on a weekly basis. If you are having issues maintaining the Ca and/or Alk levels, then you might want to test Mg. Just weekly water changes should replenish the Mg that is used up, as long as it you are using a good quality salt mix.

09/14/2015, 02:02 PM	#8
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	I use coral pro salt. I just picked up the the Red Sea pro test kit (cal,alk, and mag) and the Red Sea liquid foundation. It's been 9 days since my last water change. Just did testing: cal 410, mag 1600, dkh 8.4, phosphates 0.0, nitrate 0.0 salinity 1.025. Might have done something wrong on the mag test.... I'm going to do a water change now and will test again an hour after I do. My acro is starting to change and I know it's not phosphates, nitrates, temp, or ph. And coralline isn't growing except on my power heads. 1000gph wave maker led lights 15% spec 35% blues 10 inches of the water so it isn't flow or lights. I have leaching phos from dry rock that's lasted 6 months now with 4 months of rowa running. And corals growth has slowed a bit in the last couple months. I wanna get the levels up and stable. Need help doing so because I'm new to dosing and keep parameters stable. Any info would be very helpful. Thanks everyone

09/14/2015, 02:06 PM	#9
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Forgot to add that I have a protein skimmer and nano ATO that both work well. Chemipure and purigen in baskets. pH 7.8-8.0 and temp stays at 78.6 at all times, cobalt neo therm

09/14/2015, 04:44 PM	#10
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Anyone have any more ideas?

09/14/2015, 05:29 PM	#11
Yash Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 56	Are you dosing mag? If not I find it odd that your levels are that high. Did you test the water again?

09/14/2015, 06:04 PM	#12
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Yes I just tested again after a 2.5g water change. I didn't shake the bottle of the mag after each drop of the solution the first time. Supposed to add 5 drops shaking between each. I looked it up on YouTube and the others and I know I did each right this time. Cal 420, 8.7dkh 1400mag. I also found a calculator for Red Sea products.

09/14/2015, 06:05 PM	#13
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	And no I don't dose anything yet. Just picked up the kits and supplements today

09/14/2015, 06:24 PM	#14
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I would get a magnesium test kit and only then think about dosing. Magnesium can be funny, some tanks do not seem to consume more than is provided by the salt mix, others need a fairly consistent dosing. My tank consumes about 30ppm of magnesium above what the water changes provide.

09/14/2015, 06:30 PM	#15
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	I ended up getting the mag test kit that came with the Red Sea pro test kit. Testing mag can be tricky I heard but I just tested it at 1400. I'll test again before I try dosing tomorrow

09/14/2015, 06:31 PM	#16
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	I followed the YouTube video exactly that Red Sea provided for the mag test kit so I know I didn't mess up something this time. I assume it is a little lower probably around 1360

09/14/2015, 06:56 PM	#17
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Red Sea recommends my dkh at 12. Seems high. Anyone run it that high?

09/14/2015, 11:51 PM	#18
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Bump

09/15/2015, 11:54 AM	#20
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Ok. What should I get my levels up too? I was thinking 440cal, 11dkh and I'm gonna test mag again along with the others before I dose soon but that one seems to be good. And how much should I add at once?

09/15/2015, 11:58 AM	#21
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	Calculator says to get from 8.7 to 11dkh I need to dose 12.2 ML in my tank which is around 14 total gallons. Also suggest I put alittle over 5 for two days then alittle under 2 on the third. Shouldn't I even it out to about 4ml a day? And should I spread the 4ml 3 times a day?

09/15/2015, 01:15 PM	#23
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	I just added 2ml of alk a few mins ago. The chart tells me to go to the 12dkh but I thought I'd stay on the safe side with 11dkh. I'm thinking about doing 2ml twice a day and test the day after til I get to where I need to be. I don't think my corals are consuming too much so I shouldn't have to dose much after I get to my target levels. Maybe once a week.

09/15/2015, 01:17 PM	#24
Jdavis8824 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 371	I am a little low on the salinity at 1.025 too so raising that to .026 might have got me to 9dkh but I want accelerated growth and coralline so I'm gonna try to keep them stable at 440cal, 11dkh and mag is at 1360 so I don't have to mess with that right now