Reef Discussion

[Woody Mackay]

Just finished reading and calculating what I need for randies when I get my dosing pump,
Just want to know if I have correctly calculated?
Based on recipe #1, in a 80Gal total volume tank, using the 0.5ml/gal rule as I have a fairly mixed tank now as a baseline.


ALK: 594g/gal or 3.8L
CALC: 500G/Gal or 3.8L
MAG: 291G/610mL (1814g/Gal opr 3.8L)


dosing 40mL over 24 hours (80 Gal @ .5mL a gal)
or 1.66 mL p/hour.

Are my calcs right or am I going to kill everything haha ?

 

[NiCd]

looks pretty close to what I do I think I user 150g, 125g and 75g respetively in a 1l jug as I just find it too hard to mix it properly in 4l containers

I think the dosage amount is a bit low but probably a good starting point, my 20g nano used around 55ml/day and my softy tank 25g tank uses 20ml/day

 

[Woody Mackay]

Yehp thats what Im hoping, I would rather start low and have to increase, than burn my corals like I have already done its a pain in the a#se. need to get some salifert kits though, so I know I can trust them. Thabnks for the help :D

 

[NiCd]

You can swear here just not excessively, also keep an eye on your alk and cal not being used equally, alot of the time I used nearly 50% more alk than I did Ca

 

[Woody Mackay]

haha alright ill keep hat in mind. Just didn't wana upset anyone :) Yehp im going to get my parametres straight, start testing daily for a week and figure an average to see how much my tank uses over a day.

 

[NiCd]

once you get it dialed in and stable to some degree you will find after about 4 weeks or so it will then go up again as things grow alot faster with things being more stable.

 

[Woody Mackay]

ill keep that in mind. I think it will happen sooner rather than later because coralline has started to take off finally, and I have seen some good growth in the dallas in the last week or 2.

 

[Puffy#79]

Don't listen to my advise but I was dosing a shot glass of both damp rid and baking directly to my sump.
Cal one day alk the next and mag once a month. Seemed to keep levels consistently the same as mixing it to the recipes
I know bad bad bad

 

[Woody Mackay]

Puffy,
I actually do a similar method now. Managed to leave my tank alone long enough for the alk to come down to 8dkH. I have found my tank uses around 20ppm alk per day, or 1.12dKh. So I now know to dose about 12 grams of bi carb a day, as I have found just plain mackenzies bi carb from the shop increases alk by 20ppm in 100 L with 4 grams or a level teaspoon. My tank is approx 300, therefore I just tripled that.

 

[NiCd]

I dont think there is anything wrong with that, I worked out my rough usage and used to dump a tablespoon a day into the return section of my sump and test it at the end of the week to make any minor adjustments

 

[Puffy#79]

Shit I though I was the only reefer cowboy riding round on my silver sea horse

 

[NiCd]

I dont think its that cowboyish, as longs as the chunks dont make it onto corals etc, dosnt seem to cause any grief. I wouldnt be dumping it in the display thats for sure.

I think the main reason people disolve it first is to put it through dosing pumps, I have heard of people using automatic fish feeders dumping bi carb in as well but after about a week it tends to clog

 

[192k]

Don't listen to my advise but I was dosing a shot glass of both damp rid and baking directly to my sump.
Cal one day alk the next and mag once a month. Seemed to keep levels consistently the same as mixing it to the recipes
I know bad bad bad

I don't think this is bad at all.
This is how it was done before dosing pumps were readily available.
As long as its in an area of your tank, like you pointed out the sump, where is has a chance to dissolve and mix before it enters the display tank, it is fine.

The only additive I wouldn't recommend doing this is with Kalk as it has a more profound effect if dumped. That's a little bit different though :)