Tell Me About Dosing!

[GasGuzzler]

Hey Guys,

I'm working on setting up a new reef (57 gal, mostly SPS) and was curious about everyone's dosing methods. As of now, I'm leaning toward a BRS 2 part with their magnesium added, along with Tropic Marin part C. I'm looking for something that's easy, space/cost effective and that I can't screw up too bad haha.

 

[Duds]

I use Red Sea’s liquid foundation ABC even recently added in the trace colors and I use the reef energy ab+. It’s simple and easy to use and I’ve tested after dosing and it seems accurate and all my corals are happy healthy and thriving.

 

[chadfish]

For cost effective, can’t beat Randy 2-part. I use LiveAquaria anhydrous Calcium Chloride for the calc part (pretty cheap) and baking soda for the Alk part. I make gallon batches which last my 50-gal mixed reef about 2 months or so

 

[wdebenedettojr]

I use to use the BRS two part and it was adequate. Back in the day when I worked at an LFS we always used Bi-Ionic two part and got good results. I switched back to it about 1.5 years ago and found the results to be better than regular Brs two part

 

[Skmaiden]

I use B-ionic. Probably slightly less cost effective than BRS 2 part but includes magnesium and lasts me a while on a small tank. Bionic does make 5g buckets which would work well on larger tanks if you have the space, or just mix up BRS 2 part every now and then.

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

We may be having some ESV B-Ionic as a photo contest prize in the near future. Bob Stark has been a supporter of ours for years. Stay tuned

 

[Chris.Reef]

Been using BRS calcium chloride and magnesium and Randy’s method for baked sodium bicarbonate. Was using soda ash but my sand bed was turning into a rock. Depending on the amount of water changes you do and the demand you might not need part c.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I'm very good at water changes and do them religiously. Sounds like B-Ionic might be the way to go

 

[pugz508]

I'm newer to dosing as well. All my pervious tanks coral loads were so minimal, water changes matched demand. Recently I started dosing as well. I use bionic 2 part with mag at the moment. Not sure if youve seen it but Brs has a calculator for electrolytes usage based on drop in values over 24 hours. From there you can pick the solution and it will give you the volume you'll need to dose daily. This should be get you well into the ball park for your aquarium and adjust from there.

 

[Joe Rice]

I use B-ionic and I get it in the 5 gallon buckets. Way cheaper than getting it in the gallon jugs. Even though they both come as solutions, the alkalinity solution isn't fully dissolved so plan a day ahead to mix it up. It'll take a few stirs over the course of the day too.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Thanks for the tip. Once I get the calcium/alkalinity level correct with the B-Ionic, can I just test over the course of a few days and use the BRS calculator to get my daily dose? What about trace elements? Are you guys dosing them daily with the Ionic or a different schedule?

 

[Skmaiden]

Thanks for the tip. Once I get the calcium/alkalinity level correct with the B-Ionic, can I just test over the course of a few days and use the BRS calculator to get my daily dose? What about trace elements? Are you guys dosing them daily with the Ionic or a different schedule?

You should start tracking you alk/Ca levels now to determine how much is consumed per day/week as that amount is what you'll want to replace via dosing. Take multiple measurements throughout the week between water changes as the actual water change can skew results a bit -> Also need to consider what levels are in the salt you're using as frequent water changes may be able to make up for some (or even all) of the alk/Ca consumed. aka. Dosing only needs to replace any extra Alk/Ca beyond what naturally gets replenished during water changes.

I generally don't worry about trace elements on tanks that receive regular water changes. Amino acids can sometimes help but are generally not a make or break for a tank.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Good to know. It probably won't be ready for water for a month or so, but I'll start tracking those things after some corals go in. Just like to have a plan