Iphantom Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 from what I gather dosing is the act of dosing your tank with calcium ect... I bought a reef kit thing that I can dose and test with but I have heard mixed things about this should I do it ? can someone explain it to me? should I wait until I get corals? -matt Link to comment
sauer Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 Originally posted by Iphantom I bought a reef kit thing that I can dose and test with but I have heard mixed things about this give some more detail on what you bought Link to comment
Iphantom Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 ok it is from Red sea its called 'reef lab" and it has test kits for nitrate phosphate and calcium it has 6 supplements trace green calcium strontium iodine molybdenum I have NO idea what most of these are this kit is probley the most confusing thing I have encountered I really need some help on this subject and maybe some tips or sites that can help with reef keeping and coral keeping thanks- matt Link to comment
sauer Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 I would forget about those additives. Get your tank running, and don't worry about dosing or adding anything for the first 2-3 months. After that, you might want to look into dosing kalkwasser or maybe doing a 2 part additive such as ESV B-Ionic. Trace elements are replenished when you do water changes, which with a nano you should be doing every 1 or 2 weeks. Link to comment
sauer Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 er, you've got a tank, nm. how long has it been running? Link to comment
Iphantom Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 about a month I am very confused on this subject could you break it down for me? Link to comment
sauer Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 in very very simple terms: You have corals and they need calcium to grow. Some of the calcium they need come from synthetic salt through water changes. If you want to provide more calcium, you need to add it. However, when you add calcium, it messes with your alkalinity. Alk and Calc have an inverse relationship. The key is using two balanced additives, one that adds calcium and one that buffers the water, to prevent a change in alkalinity. Not sure if all that is right, but you get the idea. It is all about balance. Kalkwasser is one of the best solutions out there; however, it can be a chore to prepare and you may find yourself getting lazy. An easy alternative is B-Ionic. It is a two part additive that you dose in equal amounts. Pretty fool proof. Link to comment
Iphantom Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 ok cool is this readily availible? is most fish stores? Link to comment
sauer Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 many LFS's will carry it. or you can order from marinedepot.com Link to comment
Iphantom Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 ok...is that all I will need to keep soft corals? Link to comment
sauer Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 many soft corals can be kept w/o dosing, but I will let others give opinions on that. night Link to comment
Iphantom Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 ok thanks alot.....see ya Link to comment
Iphantom Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 any other opinions on this ?? Link to comment
harbingerofthefish Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 Like above... if you plan on doing mostly softies, dosing something like B-Ionic may just be a matter of choice. Corralline will appreciate it, but most soft corals will probally care less. But if you want to go into LPS corals (blastomussa,candy cane, etc...) eventually, you might go ahead and start getting your Cal/Alk levels up and stable. Basically, a 2 part additive is about the only thing I see most people here using (there are other that have the mad scientist lab running ). A weekly water change should be able to pelinish any of the other trace elements. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 phantom, imo before you start buying a whole lot of additives, chemicals, test kits, and DEFINITELY before more livestock i would highly recommend buying one of the basic marine books ($15~$30). that small amount will probably save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars, depending on how bad you're addicted to this hobby. there have been many good books recommended in this forum. now i don't disagree with the suggested additives but i recommend going slow and learning the basics before getting everything and then learning you don't really need that much of this or that. ols are going to be better priced than any lfs ime. hth Link to comment
CRG Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 Yes, my LFS is selling the 64oz. B-Ionic for about $27, whereas Marine Depot sells is for $12.50:o. In other words, by online whenever possible. Link to comment
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