ESV B-ionic 2 part - dosing equal amounts

[Andreww]

Hey guys, I tested my water last night.

ALK: 10.5

CAL:450

Mag: 1450

 

Just got the ESV 2 part, it says to dose no more than 1ml/4 gallons of water as a starting dose. 

It indicates to dose EQUAL amounts once the parameters are where you want them.

 

So I know I should test to see how much my tank uses but people out there seem to dose the ESV 2 part “as each part gets depleted” which goes against what ESV labeling says.

So which is which?

Could it be just false drop of one element that gets us chasing low ALK then low CAL then numbers and pulling our hair out that would be easily fixable by just dosing equal amounts of each element once we have them in line where we want them?

 

There’s an interesting article on Reefkeepi g.com that explains this false drop in one element which I found quite interesting.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.php

 

Not trying to start a debate just confused on ESV labeling vs real life experience of some folks out there.

 

Also it doesn’t say how long to wait in between ALK and CAL dosing. Most people do ALK morning and CAL at night.

Dosing both a couple minutes apart seems like a bad idea because of the precipitation but ESV seems to suggest this approach by dosing one after another.

Anyone dosing ESV 2 part care to share what works best for you?

Thanks

[gone_PHiSHin]

i have been manually dosing about 7 ml a day in my 10 gal for almost 6 months.  

 

at first my calc was high and alk low, and i dosed in unequal amounts, thinking i needed to balance them out by adding more of what was needed.  it only got my calc/alk parameters further off and fluctuating more.  i learned i should do a series of larger water changes to get my numbers closer to what i wanted, and then i started dosing in equal parts. i have not had any large swings or changes over the past couple months since i started equal dosing.

 

i dose alk at around 6:30 am everyday, when the alk is low.  about 10 minutes later i add the calc.  i don't have any precip problems.  i am however looking into a couple dosers to lessen the amount of alk increase all at once.

[Andreww]

Thanks for your reply. I was also thinking of dosing my ALK first thing in the morning when PH is low but I forget sometimes...I do wonder though; I don’t check PH and don’t know how much it’s shifting ...but with a refugium on reverse light schedule vs the main tank, how drastic is the PH shift anyway?

A dosing pump would be nice. I tend to do most of the dosing in the evening because sometimes mornings are pretty busy and simply forget.

[OPtasia]

The pH shift can be pretty dramatic, half a point or more depending on your bio load and CO2 buildup. You need to invest in some test kits but I wouldn't chase pH values unless there's something drastically wrong. Running a refugium with macro algae on the opposite of your main tank's light cycle is a good idea because the algaes will consume CO2 and nitrates, helping keep your pH up at night. Macro algae also makes a great home for pods, which will naturally be a source of food for your inverts. 

 

Your two part is a calcium carbonate (CaCo3) mixture in part one and Calcium bicarbonate and Magnesium in part two. Your corals can use both forms of calcium to build coral skeleton. Magnesium isn't as important to coral skeleton as it is to keeping both forms of calcium from binding to each other and precipitating out of solution as little calcium flakes. The numbers in your original post look pretty good but the sweet spot is generally Calcium 420, Alkalinity 9 dKH and Magnesium 1350. Your pH is ideal anywhere from 8.2 to 8.4 and your salinity should be around 1.022 to 1.026. 

 

Good test kits will help you maintain those levels so you know when to dose. Generally, you do want to dose both parts of your 2 part. I like to space out my dosing by about six hours for thorough mixing in the tank water to avoid precipitate. If your numbers get too far out of balance, you can fix it with a water change. It's not a bad idea to perform a larger volume water change every three to six months or so to restore the balance.

[Andreww]

Yeah I’m using ELOS test kits for everything else but never tested PH. Maybe I’ll start looking into a reliable PH measurement of some sort.

Salinity always sits at 1.026

I also have a refugium on reverse light cycle , maybe the #1 reason I never bothered to test PH.

Again, not going to chase “perfect” parameters but rather try to match my salt ‘s numbers.

I just switched back to ESV salt and the numbers look pretty close to my values.

Newly mixed water comes at 9dKh , 1400 magnesium, 450CAL

As long I can keep that Im happy.

 

Talk about restoring balance with a large water change...I did a 50% water change to bring down Magnesium levels from an overdose.

Used ME Coral liquid magnesium supplement and going with their dosing recommendation , I shot for no more than 100ppm raise per day. My magnesium was 1150. 2 days later, 1600.

Snails stopped in their tracks and anemones started shrinking like crazy. I knew something was awfully wrong.

Snails back to grazing after the 50% water change that brought Mag down to a more reasonable rate.

Lesson learned. Dose less than the label says and test right after to see what it did to your numbers....

[markalot]

Just measure Alk and dose both parts according to the Alk usage.  Alk and Calcium will fall into line.  I dose a cap of each (different locations) every morning and evening in my 40 gallon.  ESV has Mag in it so I would still test every month or so but not sweat it unless you start having issues keeping Alk elevated.   Any time you are tempted to dose a lot of something put it off a day while thinking about it.  It's always the dosing that tends to do harm.

[Andreww]

@markalot, Thanks, Will do! Are you dosing both ALK and CA 2 times a day or ALK morning and CA in the evening?

[markalot]

1 minute ago, Andreww said:

@markalot, Thanks, Will do! Are you dosing both ALK and CA 2 times a day or ALK morning and CA in the evening?

Both two time daily.  Calcium in the return of my HOB sump, Alk in the front of the sump where the water comes in.  I have no idea if separating it is better or how much better, but I am able to hold params so it's working at the moment.  

[HarryPotter]

I dose b ionic equally, 40ml each daily split to 8 doses. Using BRS Drew’s dozer (1.1ml/minute) with  my apex. I consider this method to be highly successful for my tank, very stable and keeps parameters just where I want them. My calcium and alkalinity stay together, 450ppm and 9.5 DKH.

 

My only complaint (or more, a suggestion?) is that I would like B-Ionic to provide the concentration of their product. I would like to know what I’m putting in, in case I need to switch to another brand or something. 

 

Oh: I dose directly into my display because I was having precipitation in my sump. My sump is not particularly high flow, so that is more due to my sump layout than due to the product itself. 

[Andreww]

Interesting article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/joejaworski.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/the-right-way-to-use-2-part-additives/amp/

[gone_PHiSHin]

On 1/1/2018 at 6:30 PM, Andreww said:

Interesting article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/joejaworski.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/the-right-way-to-use-2-part-additives/amp/

 

ha, funny i was going to link that

 

after reading it a few times is when i decided i needed to add equal parts of 2-part instead of trying to correct the imbalance with more of one first.  

 

water changes and dosing equal parts has my tank back in balance!