2 Part Dosing Spacing

coryjac0b · 05/17/2018, 06:13 AM

I am just getting into 2-part dosing using BRS products. I can't remember where I read it, but I believe I read it was a good idea to not does the Alk and Calc solutions at the same time.

If that is true, what is a good recommendation for time in between dosings. Right now I have them dosing every 3 hours with a 20 minute space between them. Is that adequate?

nereefpat · 05/17/2018, 10:56 AM

That is definitely adequate.

You just don't want them to mix and precipitate before they individually are mixed in the tank.

bertoni · 05/17/2018, 01:03 PM

If you are dosing into the main display, a minute or so probably will be more than enough, given reasonable flow. For a very, very large tank, you might need to wait longer. For my 29g systems, a few seconds was enough to make sure that the first supplement was mixed well. So I added one a few seconds after the other.

If you are dosing into a smaller body of water, like a sump, you might need to spread the doses out quite a bit more.

ryeguyy84 · 05/17/2018, 01:25 PM

I just dose Calcium during the day and alk at night.

coryjac0b · 05/17/2018, 02:35 PM

The tank is a 30g JBJ Rimless AIO. The "sump" area is where i am dosing into, right about the return pumps. So I imagine it gets mixed rather quickly.

Is there any benefit to dosing at different parts of the day, or less broken up. I am dosing 20ml over 24 hrs, every 3 hours I am dosing 2.5ml. Does it benefit me to dose more solution less times a day?

Does it benefit me to does at certain parts of the day also, lights out, lights on etc.?

homer1475 · 05/17/2018, 02:48 PM

Best to dose in small doses round the clock.

The idea is stability, and small doses round the clock doesn't fluctuate the parameter as much as larger less frequent doses.

20 minutes is fine between ALK and CAL. I dose both supplements in the same place in my sump and space it out by 10 minutes.

hkgar · 05/17/2018, 02:49 PM

You should ideally dose at regular intervals over the day (24 hrs). It is not absolutely necessary but only benefits by not having large ( a relative term) fluctuation in dKH. You don't want to move dKH more than .5 at a time. Do you know what your dKH daily usage is?

coryjac0b · 05/17/2018, 02:58 PM

I do not. The tank is fairly new. It's been up and running about 3-4 months, and I have only recently added a coral (small frag of GSP). The dKH was fairly low initially. Test two days ago it was 5.6 dkh. I did not have a chance to test yesterday, but will test tonight to see what the level is at.

Are corals the only consumers of alkalinity and calcium?

bertoni · 05/17/2018, 09:46 PM

Dosing more frequently might help some touchy stony corals. Two of my soft coral tanks got 2-3 dKH at a shot, once a day, and they had more growth than I wanted.

Coralline algae and clams also can consume a lot of calcium and alkalinity. My soft coral tanks had a lot of coralline growth, thus the high consumption rate.

coryjac0b · 05/18/2018, 07:55 AM

My initial test (tuesday) had my dKH at 5.6, Calc was 500 and mag was 1650. I tested alk again last night and it was 7.7. To keep it from getting to high I dialed back the does to 70% of what I initially dosed and I'll test again this afternoon.

I know that as I add more coral and other livestock the consumption will increase. I suppose the only way to figure it out is to test.

That being said, are the Hanna checkers accurate enough to make their convenience worth it? Does anyone know?

I've thought about eventually investing in one of these new Apex Tridents, but that would require me to buy a new base unit, which would be an $1100 option with the trident. Maybe in the future if I breakdown the 120 FW to be a reef tank.

ryeguyy84 · 05/18/2018, 12:30 PM

I love my Hanna checker for Alk. I heard the Cal one wasn't the best, I just use red sea for CA.

you should get your levels to where you want them and then wait 3 days, test again, figure out the dose you need to get levels back up and then divide by 3 for your daily dose.

bertoni · 05/18/2018, 10:33 PM

I don't think we actually know the accuracy limits of the Checkers, or any of our kits, all that well. I would not buy a Checker for accuracy, but they are convenient. The ULR Phosphorus model is handy if you're worried about the phosphate level and don't want to have to interpret very faint colors.

oldhead · 05/22/2018, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryeguyy84

I just dose Calcium during the day and alk at night.

This is what I do, so basically 12 hours apart.

05/17/2018, 06:13 AM	#1
coryjac0b Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Metairie, LA Posts: 823	2 Part Dosing Spacing I am just getting into 2-part dosing using BRS products. I can't remember where I read it, but I believe I read it was a good idea to not does the Alk and Calc solutions at the same time. If that is true, what is a good recommendation for time in between dosings. Right now I have them dosing every 3 hours with a 20 minute space between them. Is that adequate?

05/17/2018, 10:56 AM	#2
nereefpat Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Central Nebraska Posts: 3,190	That is definitely adequate. You just don't want them to mix and precipitate before they individually are mixed in the tank. __________________ Pat Current Tank Info: 125 in-wall , 40b sump. 6 bulb T5. ASM G2 skimmer. LPS and leathers

05/17/2018, 01:03 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	If you are dosing into the main display, a minute or so probably will be more than enough, given reasonable flow. For a very, very large tank, you might need to wait longer. For my 29g systems, a few seconds was enough to make sure that the first supplement was mixed well. So I added one a few seconds after the other. If you are dosing into a smaller body of water, like a sump, you might need to spread the doses out quite a bit more. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

05/17/2018, 01:25 PM	#4
ryeguyy84 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,753	I just dose Calcium during the day and alk at night. __________________ Current tank: 90G mixed reef. Current Tank Info: 90 gallon

05/17/2018, 02:48 PM	#6
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	Best to dose in small doses round the clock. The idea is stability, and small doses round the clock doesn't fluctuate the parameter as much as larger less frequent doses. 20 minutes is fine between ALK and CAL. I dose both supplements in the same place in my sump and space it out by 10 minutes. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

05/17/2018, 02:35 PM	#5
coryjac0b Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Metairie, LA Posts: 823	The tank is a 30g JBJ Rimless AIO. The "sump" area is where i am dosing into, right about the return pumps. So I imagine it gets mixed rather quickly. Is there any benefit to dosing at different parts of the day, or less broken up. I am dosing 20ml over 24 hrs, every 3 hours I am dosing 2.5ml. Does it benefit me to dose more solution less times a day? Does it benefit me to does at certain parts of the day also, lights out, lights on etc.?

05/17/2018, 02:49 PM	#7
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	You should ideally dose at regular intervals over the day (24 hrs). It is not absolutely necessary but only benefits by not having large ( a relative term) fluctuation in dKH. You don't want to move dKH more than .5 at a time. Do you know what your dKH daily usage is? __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

05/17/2018, 02:58 PM	#8
coryjac0b Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Metairie, LA Posts: 823	I do not. The tank is fairly new. It's been up and running about 3-4 months, and I have only recently added a coral (small frag of GSP). The dKH was fairly low initially. Test two days ago it was 5.6 dkh. I did not have a chance to test yesterday, but will test tonight to see what the level is at. Are corals the only consumers of alkalinity and calcium?

05/17/2018, 09:46 PM	#9
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Dosing more frequently might help some touchy stony corals. Two of my soft coral tanks got 2-3 dKH at a shot, once a day, and they had more growth than I wanted. Coralline algae and clams also can consume a lot of calcium and alkalinity. My soft coral tanks had a lot of coralline growth, thus the high consumption rate. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

05/18/2018, 07:55 AM	#10
coryjac0b Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Metairie, LA Posts: 823	My initial test (tuesday) had my dKH at 5.6, Calc was 500 and mag was 1650. I tested alk again last night and it was 7.7. To keep it from getting to high I dialed back the does to 70% of what I initially dosed and I'll test again this afternoon. I know that as I add more coral and other livestock the consumption will increase. I suppose the only way to figure it out is to test. That being said, are the Hanna checkers accurate enough to make their convenience worth it? Does anyone know? I've thought about eventually investing in one of these new Apex Tridents, but that would require me to buy a new base unit, which would be an $1100 option with the trident. Maybe in the future if I breakdown the 120 FW to be a reef tank.

05/18/2018, 12:30 PM	#11
ryeguyy84 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,753	I love my Hanna checker for Alk. I heard the Cal one wasn't the best, I just use red sea for CA. you should get your levels to where you want them and then wait 3 days, test again, figure out the dose you need to get levels back up and then divide by 3 for your daily dose. __________________ Current tank: 90G mixed reef. Current Tank Info: 90 gallon

05/18/2018, 10:33 PM	#12
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I don't think we actually know the accuracy limits of the Checkers, or any of our kits, all that well. I would not buy a Checker for accuracy, but they are convenient. The ULR Phosphorus model is handy if you're worried about the phosphate level and don't want to have to interpret very faint colors. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni