Tank Journal Archive

[Ben Broadfoot]

So I've finally got around to working out a regular dosing scheme...

I'm going with Randy's Recipe #1 as my pH was about 7.7 when I measured it yesterday. I haven't tested pH the entire time I've had the tank, only salinity, temp, alk and calc plus amonia, nitrites and nitrates during the cycle.

So I've got all of my ingredients, and I know roughly what I'll be dosing each day.
But how do you start? Is there an equation for working out how to get your parameters to the desired level before maintaining them with Randy's?

 

[izzywitt]

Usually it is just a matter of getting the parameters to the desired level and then at the same time the next day test and see how much they dropped by. This should then be able to be used to work out the daily consumption by the corals and therefore how much you need to dose.

Hope this helps :D

 

[MagicJ]

You will find all you need here - http://thereefuge.com/threads/randys-recipe-maintaining-calcium-alkalinity-and-magnesium.376/

Including a link to a calculator to determine how much you need to add to get to a certain level.

It won't be 100% accurate as your ingredients are likely to have different purity levels to the 'standard' ones but it will get you pretty close.

 

[webber555]

Have you thought of using kalkwasser to help with the ph level?

Depending on how heavily stocked you are it may cover (or partially take care of) your alk and cal needs.

 

[Aspidites]

Lol. I was going to say that Magic J posted something on here a while ago.
I have used randys for alk only so far as I have not a high damand on Ca not having any sticks yet. It is really good for my needs so far.
Work out the tanks demand first and go from there.

Good luck

 

[Andrew B]

when i first looked at the picture in the new feed part of the forum i thought you had bought a whole lot of drugs :)

 

[MagicJ]

Lol. I was going to say that Magic J posted something on here a while ago.

I while ago - it was almost 4 years :p

 

[Ben Broadfoot]

Thanks all. I was actually after a way to get my parameters in check (which I don't know how to do) before turning to maintain those parameters (which I do know how to do).

The calculator @MagicJ linked is perfect :)

 

[Ben Broadfoot]

Solutions are made and dosing has begun :) (It should have begun a long time ago...)

Sodium Bicarbonate is in the oven here

My 4.6lt buckets have all the instructions I need to keep remaking these solutions at the same concentration, and they look the same which makes me happy.

So using @MagicJ's thread on dosing, and (Randy's original thread) I decided to go with Recipe #1 (my pH measured at 7.7!) and used this calculator to work out how much I needed to dose just to catch up to desired parameters: 142ml of the calcium solution, 57 of the alkalinity and 224 of the magnesium.

I'm splitting this catchup dose over a couple of days, and measuring pH, alk, calc and mag before each dose.

If all goes according to plan I'll start daily dosing the next day.

 

[MagicJ]

How did you go with getting all the ingredients into solution?

 

[Ben Broadfoot]

How did you go with getting all the ingredients into solution?

Yeah it was fine. Lots of stirring :) And some of the measurements are in cups, so it's hard to be accurate, especially for the Magnesium Chloride.