whats your CA/KH dosing and testing schedule?

[marie]

I use a calcium reactor and test, ummmmm....yes, I test....ummm, yup


Seriously, before my old reactor packed it in, I was testing every 2 or 3 months. When the reactor packed it in the first day I tested alk and cal 4 times throughout the day trying to figure out how much 2 part I needed to add. Thankfully I have a new reactor and sometime within the next week I can put the test kits in the back of the cupboard again

[Delphinus]

I dose RHF's recipe for 2-part using a ghetto automated process. I run 2 timers for one minute every 6 hours but offset 3 hours. Ie., one runs at 12am, 6am, 12pm, 6pm; the other at 3am, 9am, 3pm, 9pm. These in turn run 4 aqualifter pumps (2 for each timer; these feed 2 separate tanks) that drip into the sump, and I use irrigation dripvalves to control the drip rate. So I'm not too sure what the daily doses are but I just sort of adjust the driprate up or down depending on whether the parameter needs a bump or some slack. One tank is bigger than the other so it has a slightly faster driprate. With this routine I seem to go through about 1gallon of each additive in a month.

I test big 3 numbers weekly, or more often, as needed, if I'm doing an adjustment.

[Myka]

I'm bad...I dose once per week (15 mL Turbo Calcium, 35 mL Reef Buffer 8.3, 45 mL littlesilvermax's Mg mix), and test the big three once a month or so, although I try to check alkalinity once per week, since I have troubles keeping it steady.

As of late I have started dosing twice per week instead of weekly.

[Ephraim]

i dose 50mL of Ca an KH 3 times daily, using randy's recipe. BRS calcium chloride is used and Arm and Hammer baking soda for KH(not baked). Mag is dosed everytime i go through a gallon of two part and mix up a new batch.

I test alk weekly, test mag when i do a h20 change, and never test ca. As long as i mix the 2 part properly and ensure the same volume of liquid is dosed in batches, calcium should remain at a constant. Alk is easier to test and cheaper so when i test for alk i can plug the result into a spreadsheet to get an assumed calcium.

Dosing is done with 2 aquamedic pumps on a timer.

[Canadian]

I dose B-Ionic parts A and B with a Profilux Standalone doser. Each component is dosed every 4 hours with a 2 hour offset between parts A and B to ensure they don't mix in the sump and form a precipitate.

I test maybe once a month.

[banditpowdercoat]

umm, once a month??? LOL. I never seem to have time to measure and all that stuff. I don;t have much in my tank yet either. But thats changeing, I better get a handle on this dosing...

[Lance]

I test every 2 weeks, just before a water change. I use RHF recipe: 80ml Ca, 60ml Alk, 50ml Mg per day via dosing pump.

[BlueAbyss]

I test before every water change (Ca, Mg, alk). I dose the water change to 440 ppm Ca, and 1320 ppm Mg, using IO salt (which tends to mix up with relatively high alk, mine is generally 11). I dose Tailored Aquatics products (Calcium Plus, Reef Magnesium) for Ca and Mg, and use a tiny bit of Arm and Hammer baking soda (to keep alk up) in between water changes. Since I do a water change every week (though I have occasionally gone 2) and I know how much my tank uses in a day, I directly dose the tank once daily for Ca and Mg (I dose a lot less Mg, unless I forget completely I just remembered I didn't dose yesterday). The baking soda I use once a week, in between water changes. Seems to work for me so far, but I don't have any SPS, just coralline and an open brain. I may have to try something different when I get some SPS in there.