DIY 2 Part doser?

almost certainly

1 minor problem - in that the 3 reef calculator does not include the Kent product you have
but it does include the Calcium product you have

caution

test - and go slowly
you do not want to add to much of either at any 1 time - ( less than 1 degree of DKH and 20ppm Calc per 24 hour period is your target)
you do not want to add them both at the same time ( I am doing alternate days at present and always at night time)

testing is key
dont be adding anything, if you dont know where you are currently


Steve

 

Alright thanx Steve, I will keep you updated. I'm going to try to set this up tonight testing daily. K+

 

Ive read alot about mixing your own stuff and like 3 seconds ago ordered from BRS you can do it with those, ive been less pro and been dumping stuff in here and there and checking levels, but with BRS they tell you what exactly to dose by a calculator and I for one dont want to keep reinventing the wheel, which is why i spend a couple ohurs a day on here and RC, though mostly here.

 

welcome

testing daily may be excessive
I was probably over the top, when I started on the dosing and tested twice weekly
I did this because I wanted to be able to fine tune my additions so that I neither increased ( added more than was needed to maintain) or allowed to decrease ( not allowing demand to exceed the amount I was supplying) the levels I had and was happy with

after 2 weeks of this and me being happy that was I was adding was keeping the numbers where they where, I then went back to testing once per week


the main thing is - knowing where you are today, before adding anything tonight
and secondly , being certain that what you do add tonight , does not exceed the maximum daily recomendation for increase on the level

one more thing - when calculating how much to add, dont just consider size of tank - you have a 55 , but have rock, sand etc
calculate your dosing based on having a 45 gallon tank ! that way your always going to be on the safe side when adding and if your levels start to drop, then you add a small amount more to your nightly drip routine to fine tune it

less is better than more, where additives are concerned
you can always add a little extra, but you cant take out anything you added to much of. (well OK you can do a water change etc, but you know what I mean)


Steve

 

Very true this is all so help full thanx

 

Heh, that's a very handy piece of advice I forgot about yesterday. I dosed Mag for the first time, and did the calculator based on 65G instead of 50G - ended up raising by a decent amount over 100ppm.

 

One more thing, What Alk & Ca should I aim for?
dkH- 8,9,10?
Ca- 400 or 450 ?

 

Bump

 

studies show that increased CA+ do not show increased growth in SPS and LPS so i would try to keep it anywhere in the range of nateral seawater 350-450 is fine. But from what I'ce read your DKH should be in line with your PH for optimal grow. If your tank runs on the low side, your carbonate hardness can be lower, on the high side it needs to be higher. So as far as I've learned if you have a SG of 1.025 and PH 8.0 you can get away with an 8 DKH but if your PH is 8.4 you need it closer to 12 DKH. Anyone smarter want to confirm?

 

+1 on natural seawater levels
but I always aim for the high side on Calc - 440 presently and at present 9DKH

my reasoning is not that scientific really
I know 7- 12 is OK for DKH - but if I was at 8 and it drops to 7 then I might worry and over react ( skew up my progress and put my corals at risk)
If I am at 9 and it drops to 8 , I know Im OK and dont need to do anything to quickly

same with Calcium - whislt Im still getting used to the demand, which will increase as they grow by being on the higher side but within tolerance I have a greater flexibility in my reaction time and can gradually increase my additions rather than hit a low point and have to re build

Steve