Dosing advice

[D Rose]

Hello,

Ok so today I went to my LFS and asked bout dosing. I am currently dosing ESV B-Ionic Calc/Alk buffer daily and that is it. They told me (1) Not to dose that daily, thats only initially until levels are reached and then it is on an 'as needed basis'. (2) I should dose strontium and iodine as well.

Shouldn't I does the ESV Cal/Alk daily?

I am now doing the weekly dose of ESV strontium and Iodine to see if it really improves my corals. Any1 think it is worth the money to dose these?

 

[duke62]

dose only when needed.the day after i do my water changes i check my alk and cal if i need to add i add

 

[Awibrandy]

And only what you test for.

 

[NYreefNoob]

i dose daily, but have a higher demand for calcium and dont dose for what you arent checking, strontium you really dont need to dose if yur doing wc same for iodine

 

[ShaunW]

You need to understand the requirements of the livestock you keep. Dosing is the replenishment of that which is used by their growth. So what do the critters YOU keep need? (your requirements are different than everybody else, since what is in your tank is probably different than everybody else).

As an example, if you are a dog owner, what to you do to keep your pet happy? Answer: water, nutritional food, shelter, love. If your dog whines because it is hungry what do you do; if it is over fed what do you do? Marine creatures are no different, you just need to "listen" to their needs and respond accordingly.

But the analogy is simple since the dog is ONE species, while your tank is equivalent to the amazon rainforest in diversity and inter-species requirements (assuming it is an actual reef).

 

[dmr2000]

listen to the fish whisperer sorry LOL hay shawn waz up:sgrin:

 

[ShaunW]

But my tank looks like this:

 

[masterswimmer]

Shaun wth have you been? Must still be considered a newlywed :biggrin: and too busy for the rest of us :sad2:

D Rose, Shaun said it best. Listen to the scientist

swimmer

 

[pecan2phat]

Shaun,
Have you noticed that strontium drops like a rock? Almost the same if not more then magnesium.
So I disagree about not dosing strontium on a regular basis.

 

[ShaunW]

Shaun,
Have you noticed that strontium drops like a rock? Almost the same if not more then magnesium.
So I disagree about not dosing strontium on a regular basis.

Yes, I do dose strontium, and ESV B-ionic.

I never meant to say not to dose, just that what you dose depends on the critters we keep and how many are present. I actually go through huge amounts of Ca/Alk, about 1 gallon every two weeks.

 

[D Rose]

Shaun,

So basically I need to buy a stontium test an dose my ESV strontium as needed from my test results just like I will be doing for Ca/Alk....thanks for the help

 

[ShaunW]

Hi D Rose,
Yes the best way to address any dosing regiment is to test while you dose and work out the input (amount to dose) vs. output (the tanks utilization of the chemical).

Is your tank well established? I think many reefers make the mistake of dosing consistently the same amount all the time, even when the output (coral growth) isn't occurring. As my tank changes, i.e. goes through growth spurts or recessions, I change the dosing amounts (but I guess this is obvious common sense).

As for the other trace elements, I feel that water changes are the best way to replentish. I do a 1/3 volume water change once a month religiously.