New to Dosing need your tips and tricks..

artursm15 · 07/02/2017, 10:49 AM

Hello guys. so i had my small reef 120L now for a year or so its been doing fine but im now slowly building my 720L tank so i only just started to read about dosing and staff . today did a small test on my water and notice that my
KH is only 4.5 (way to low for sps lps is it not ?!)
Cal arround 380-400 and
mag 1380-1410

so started to search how to dose and what to dose
for example now i would like to rise my KH to right levels ( that would be arround 8 right ?!)
but im just thinking whats the best solution mix and etc to do it
and i have heard that rising only one thing i reef can cause unbalance is it right !? all this chemistry staff makes me dizii

!!
so would like to hear your advice and the right way to do it !

artursm15 · 07/02/2017, 11:00 AM

i been looking in buying these 3
http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/kh-buffer/
http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/magnesium/
http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/calcium/

This should do for main additives right?!

homer1475 · 07/02/2017, 11:54 AM

That 4.5 for Alkalinity, is that in DKH or meg/l?

If the latter your actually quite high at 12.6 DKH.

I like to use Randy's recipe(plain jane baking soda mixed in RO/DI) for Alkalinity, bulk chemicals from BRS for Calcium and Magnesium.

BPReefer · 07/02/2017, 11:56 AM

I little helper:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

artursm15 · 07/02/2017, 12:06 PM

its 4.5 dkh or 1,59Mg/l

Quote:

Originally Posted by homer1475

That 4.5 for Alkalinity, is that in DKH or meg/l?

If the latter your actually quite high at 12.6 DKH.

I like to use Randy's recipe(plain jane baking soda mixed in RO/DI) for Alkalinity, bulk chemicals from BRS for Calcium and Magnesium.

Ron Reefman · 07/03/2017, 05:34 AM

IMHO there is no need to buy 'expensive' Ca, Mg or sodium bicarbonate to dose your tank. I've been using Randy's Recipe for 5 or 6 years now, I have a great mixed reef with 60% or more sps corals and 3 other smaller tanks. I use Dowflake snow melt for Ca, swimming pool sodium bicarbonate for alk, Mag Flake for magnesium chloride and Epsom salt for magnesium sulfate. They cost WAY less than any LFS sold chemistry and they work just as well based on my experience.

artursm15 · 07/06/2017, 05:06 AM

Is this good for alk ?! https://www.ebay.com/itm/182446919387

artursm15 · 07/06/2017, 05:09 AM

And this for ca ?!

artursm15 · 07/06/2017, 05:10 AM

https://www.ebay.com/itm/300922655618

Ron Reefman · 07/06/2017, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artursm15

https://www.ebay.com/itm/300922655618

It says it's food grade, so I'd guess it's OK. However it is only 77% calcium chloride? I would guess most of the rest is moisture?

jda · 07/06/2017, 08:54 AM

If you live in a cold-weather state, find some DowFlake and MagFlake - it is easy to find if you look around. I never would have thought that it was available in Florida, but it apparently is and Ron is all over this... great products for cheap. It is the same stuff that other people package up to sell for more money.

Washing soda is like $3 for a huge box. Baking soda is like $5 at Costco or Sams for a whole bunch. Washing soda is the same as baking soda but won't temporarily lower the PH for a few hours. You can turn Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) into Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) if you bake it for a while - Dr. Holmes-Farley has instruction.

There is no need for anything more expensive.

solitude127 · 07/06/2017, 09:45 AM

I've used BRS supplements for many years with great success. I use their calculator as well to help understand how much to supplement.
Once you get your parameters where you want them, take note of it. Don't dose for the next 2 days and then see what your tank is consuming so that you know roughly how much to dose.

Ron Reefman · 07/06/2017, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jda

If you live in a cold-weather state, find some DowFlake and MagFlake - it is easy to find if you look around. I never would have thought that it was available in Florida, but it apparently is and Ron is all over this... great products for cheap. It is the same stuff that other people package up to sell for more money.

jda, I found that people who sell tennis supplies use Dow and Mag Flake to keep down dust on clay tennis courts! Several outlets in Florida sell the 50 pound bags at $18 to $22 a bag.

jda · 07/06/2017, 09:39 PM

Awesome. Of course it is no problem to find here, which is understandable.

To anybody who does buy the stuff, be sure and keep it dry or else it will get nasty from the damp. Old salt buckets with the O-Ring work great. Even if you don't need 50 lbs, you can always trade the locals for frags with a few pounds of it.

artursm15 · 07/07/2017, 01:00 AM

The problem is i live in Europe and all thiss downflakes and stuff is not possible to get they sell tons off salt here

artursm15 · 07/07/2017, 01:17 AM

Found this in my garage its for melting ice .. can i use it ?!?

Ron Reefman · 07/07/2017, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artursm15

Found this in my garage its for melting ice .. can i use it ?!?

That is Sodium Chloride, not Calcium Chloride. That would be closer to a replacement for your saltwater mix. But it won't have any of the trace elements that even a basic salt like Instant Ocean would have. I would NOT use it.

artursm15 · 07/07/2017, 04:04 AM

Found baking sooda they sell it in shops only 150g packages..

But what about CaCl2 where i could find that ? In what produtcs !

07/02/2017, 10:49 AM	#1
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	New to Dosing need your tips and tricks.. Hello guys. so i had my small reef 120L now for a year or so its been doing fine but im now slowly building my 720L tank so i only just started to read about dosing and staff . today did a small test on my water and notice that my KH is only 4.5 (way to low for sps lps is it not ?!) Cal arround 380-400 and mag 1380-1410 so started to search how to dose and what to dose for example now i would like to rise my KH to right levels ( that would be arround 8 right ?!) but im just thinking whats the best solution mix and etc to do it and i have heard that rising only one thing i reef can cause unbalance is it right !? all this chemistry staff makes me dizii !! so would like to hear your advice and the right way to do it !

07/02/2017, 11:54 AM	#3
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	That 4.5 for Alkalinity, is that in DKH or meg/l? If the latter your actually quite high at 12.6 DKH. I like to use Randy's recipe(plain jane baking soda mixed in RO/DI) for Alkalinity, bulk chemicals from BRS for Calcium and Magnesium. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

07/02/2017, 11:56 AM	#4
BPReefer Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 47	I little helper: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator __________________ 36X34X20 mixed peninsula. 2 Radion XR30 G4 Pro's, 40 gal sump, Apex, Vectra M1, Reef Octopus 3000SSS, Osmolator 3155 ATO, 2 Tunze Stream 6105.

07/03/2017, 05:34 AM	#6
Ron Reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Cape Coral, FL Posts: 10,431	IMHO there is no need to buy 'expensive' Ca, Mg or sodium bicarbonate to dose your tank. I've been using Randy's Recipe for 5 or 6 years now, I have a great mixed reef with 60% or more sps corals and 3 other smaller tanks. I use Dowflake snow melt for Ca, swimming pool sodium bicarbonate for alk, Mag Flake for magnesium chloride and Epsom salt for magnesium sulfate. They cost WAY less than any LFS sold chemistry and they work just as well based on my experience. __________________ The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. (Neil deGrasse Tyson) Visit my build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2593017

07/06/2017, 09:45 AM	#12
solitude127 Proud user of IO Salt! Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 9,136	I've used BRS supplements for many years with great success. I use their calculator as well to help understand how much to supplement. Once you get your parameters where you want them, take note of it. Don't dose for the next 2 days and then see what your tank is consuming so that you know roughly how much to dose. __________________ Mike <)))>{ <)))>{ <)))>{ <)))>{ ReefKeeping.com TOTM Nov 2012 Socalireefs Featured Reef Oct 2011 Current Tank Info: 603020, 8x54 ATI Powermodule, ReefBrite XHO, ATB Elegance 200, Aquamaxx CTech CaRx, Ecotech Vortechs, Apex Controls, WM Ecobak powered. RedSea Reefer 170, MP10, Apex Jr, Ecotech Radion XR15, Aquamaxx WS-1

07/02/2017, 11:00 AM	#2
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	i been looking in buying these 3 http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/kh-buffer/ http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/magnesium/ http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/calcium/ This should do for main additives right?!

07/06/2017, 05:06 AM	#7
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	Is this good for alk ?! https://www.ebay.com/itm/182446919387

07/06/2017, 05:09 AM	#8
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	And this for ca ?!

07/06/2017, 05:10 AM	#9
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	https://www.ebay.com/itm/300922655618

07/06/2017, 08:54 AM	#11
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	If you live in a cold-weather state, find some DowFlake and MagFlake - it is easy to find if you look around. I never would have thought that it was available in Florida, but it apparently is and Ron is all over this... great products for cheap. It is the same stuff that other people package up to sell for more money. Washing soda is like $3 for a huge box. Baking soda is like $5 at Costco or Sams for a whole bunch. Washing soda is the same as baking soda but won't temporarily lower the PH for a few hours. You can turn Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) into Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) if you bake it for a while - Dr. Holmes-Farley has instruction. There is no need for anything more expensive.

07/06/2017, 09:39 PM	#14
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Awesome. Of course it is no problem to find here, which is understandable. To anybody who does buy the stuff, be sure and keep it dry or else it will get nasty from the damp. Old salt buckets with the O-Ring work great. Even if you don't need 50 lbs, you can always trade the locals for frags with a few pounds of it.

07/07/2017, 01:00 AM	#15
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	The problem is i live in Europe and all thiss downflakes and stuff is not possible to get they sell tons off salt here

07/07/2017, 01:17 AM	#16
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	Found this in my garage its for melting ice .. can i use it ?!?

07/07/2017, 04:04 AM	#18
artursm15 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 86	Found baking sooda they sell it in shops only 150g packages.. But what about CaCl2 where i could find that ? In what produtcs !