Dosing options

based on either personal opinion or on personal experience, would you dose each supplement like magnesium and calcium ext separately and buy them separately or buy nano reef part a & b and dose that instead? the concept of the a & b seems so much easier and much more convenient partly because its all in one and also because they contain a lot of essential dosing chemicals. but i dont do water changes frequently in my 22 gallon reef so what if i dose too much calcium and it isnt all being used? tell me what you think! after dosing each chemical separately for at least 2 months, this part a & b seems like such an easy loop hole and makes it much more care free. it also doses natural elements so i ask you, whats the catch?

 

No catch young man, just personal preference. Many use two part dosing for a variety of things. I myself used Kent Part A and B for some time. Now, for example, I use Sea-Lab #28 blocks for calcium (they last between 10-14 days) and Kent Magnesium (twice a week) to maintain mag and to maintain Alk I use Reef Builder twice a week. That is simple for me.

 

When you buy "part A and B (and maybe C)" supplements, all you're buying is the same thing as buying bulk supplements and mixing yourself. You're just paying more because they're premixed and branded with a name brand.

A small amount too much calcium is no big deal. 10ppm isn't going to hurt anything. Then again, before you dose anything at all, you should have the test kit for it. Go get the calcium, alkalinity and magnesium kits before you dose, whether you go with a Kent, SeaChem or bulkreefsupply supplement style. The dosing recommended on any bottle or other supplement is an average; it may very well not work for your tank, as you probably need more or less than they say.

 

Hmmm, +1: