to those dosing...

[mark]

... Randy's 2 part.

Write up says equal amounts and got a reply from the man himself that amounts are "nearly always equal", but real life, finding much variation?

[Myka]

Dose equal parts for a week, then test Sunday (or whatever day you choose), and add just the lower one to balance it out.

Or get a couple of dosers and adjust them individually so you don't care how many mL each day.

[Delphinus]

In real life, nope, not finding much variation, once outside of the dialing in period. Maybe not 100% equal but pretty close. I just have a ghetto dosing environment: two peristaltic pumps, one that is I think 1.1 ml/min and one that is 1.0 ml/min (they are not the same model) and these are on timers. I start with dosing each 3 times a day but alternating (not at the same time). So say I want to dose 40ml 3 times a day to make 120ml per day based on RHF's estimate of a "moderate" consumption based on tank volume. So I set both timers to 40 minutes each. Then I test after a couple days and adjust the "minutes on" up or down as needed to make the trend stabilize towards the numbers I like. During this time the amounts dosed end up being nowhere equal but it's because not only am I trying to find the right amounts to dose, because Alk levels influence Ca consumption rates and vice-versa; but also because the tank might not be starting at the levels where I want them to. So I first target Alk and once I get a steady reading there I leave it and then work on the Ca (while working on Alk, I do manual adjustments once per week on the Ca since it ends up being lower than target during this time). After about 2 weeks, maybe 3 weeks, I found the magic number of minutes for each to acheive steady levels. And from there I can see that the reservoirs are lowering at around the same rate.

Sounds like a pain but it really isn't. Automated dosers make the process even easier, if you're OK with the higher start up cost for those. Once you've got them dialed in it's pretty much set and forget. I test my numbers once or twice a week and they have been steady for months now. I expect that as corals grow I'll have to up the minutes on the timers but I expect it to be minute adjustments.

I love not worrying about CO2 though, or media turning to mush, or compaction of the media, or the reactor burping and releasing a cloud of milky water into the tank. I don't really miss my old reactors anymore.

Hope this helps.

[Lance]

+1 Tony. My dosing system is nearly identical to yours. And like you I test once a week and top up what is needed. Fairly easy set up I think.
Had a weird scenario awhile back though: Calcium requirements went up by about 30% all of a sudden. Increased the Ca doser to make up the difference. All was fine at the new levels for a couple of months and then the calcium levels were starting to get too high. Dialed back the doser to the original setting and all is fine again. Must have been some rapid growth in the corals, clams, corraline etc. Can't say as I really noticed anything though.

[imcosmokramer]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

In real life, nope, not finding much variation, once outside of the dialing in period. Maybe not 100% equal but pretty close. I just have a ghetto dosing environment: two peristaltic pumps, one that is I think 1.1 ml/min and one that is 1.0 ml/min (they are not the same model) and these are on timers. I start with dosing each 3 times a day but alternating (not at the same time). So say I want to dose 40ml 3 times a day to make 120ml per day based on RHF's estimate of a "moderate" consumption based on tank volume. So I set both timers to 40 minutes each. Then I test after a couple days and adjust the "minutes on" up or down as needed to make the trend stabilize towards the numbers I like. During this time the amounts dosed end up being nowhere equal but it's because not only am I trying to find the right amounts to dose, because Alk levels influence Ca consumption rates and vice-versa; but also because the tank might not be starting at the levels where I want them to. So I first target Alk and once I get a steady reading there I leave it and then work on the Ca (while working on Alk, I do manual adjustments once per week on the Ca since it ends up being lower than target during this time). After about 2 weeks, maybe 3 weeks, I found the magic number of minutes for each to acheive steady levels. And from there I can see that the reservoirs are lowering at around the same rate.

Sounds like a pain but it really isn't. Automated dosers make the process even easier, if you're OK with the higher start up cost for those. Once you've got them dialed in it's pretty much set and forget. I test my numbers once or twice a week and they have been steady for months now. I expect that as corals grow I'll have to up the minutes on the timers but I expect it to be minute adjustments.

I love not worrying about CO2 though, or media turning to mush, or compaction of the media, or the reactor burping and releasing a cloud of milky water into the tank. I don't really miss my old reactors anymore.

Hope this helps.

ha ha, well put. I actually loved dosing, but now I'm using a CaRX because I'm just away to much.

There is just so much more control when you physically put something in your tank. You'll never accidentally add a 2 liters instead of 50ml

[Myka]

You guys' dosing sounds really complicated.

I have dosers that dose 3x a day each, and I test once a week. Manually dose once a week if needed after testing, and if I have to manually dose two weeks in a row I will increase the doser by a few minutes. If something is too high I will unplug that doser to skip a dose or two.

Before I got dosers I would manually dose calcium in the morning and alkalinity at night using equal parts. Once a week I would test, and add whatever was needed to balance out. If something was too high I would skip dosing that one for the next day or two.

[Lance]

Originally Posted by Myka

You guys' dosing sounds really complicated.

I have dosers that dose 3x a day each, and I test once a week. Manually dose once a week if needed after testing, and if I have to manually dose two weeks in a row I will increase the doser by a few minutes. If something is too high I will unplug that doser to skip a dose or two.

Before I got dosers I would manually dose calcium in the morning and alkalinity at night using equal parts. Once a week I would test, and add whatever was needed to balance out. If something was too high I would skip dosing that one for the next day or two.

I'm not following you Myka. Why is ours complicated? I basically do exactly the same as you. Dosers on timers and check levels once a week. Top up manually if required.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Lance

I'm not following you Myka. Why is ours complicated? I basically do exactly the same as you. Dosers on timers and check levels once a week. Top up manually if required.

Maybe Tony just used too many words.

[mark]

seems setting up is pretty much like the reactor, get the Ca and Alk where you want them use either system just to maintain the levels. Little adjusting at the start to match consumption rate, it's just a little tweaking to keep up with changes in growth.

[lastlight]

Do the same as everyone else. I was usually finding due to growth that things dipped a bit between my testing so now if my numbers are ok I actually bump both alk and calcium up a little to account for growth increases between then and the next test.