Need help setting up doser-Calgary

blacknife · #1 08-01-2012, 06:36 AM

Epsom salts. Aka magnesium sulphate. Found at pharmacys or bulk food stores.

#2 08-02-2012, 01:28 AM

I would highly recommend that you setup the doser. At 6dkh alk, your tank can crash if it is dropping 1dkh each day. Just set it to the maintenance dose for each day. Remember to have a plastic check valve on both ends. That's one inside your solution container, and one at the tube holder. Prime the doser so that the tubes are completely filled.

Oh and be aware that if you don't have the doser led set so that you see current time, it will not work. Meaning your stuck in a menu so it will simply pause.

I don't understand why your mag is all over the place. That's usually the only element that we don't have to dose often.

Coralgurl · #3 08-02-2012, 03:01 AM

I don't have any check valves so I will have to run out and find some. Not sure if we are going away this weekend now, looks like all campsites are full already...

Prior to setting up this tank, my alk has always been at 6 in my small tank, it caused issues with SPS but nothing else, figured if everything was ok, don't mess with it. Had great growth from everything

I understand the relationship between calcium and alkalinity, so last nights results were not surprising there. I don't have a lot of corals in this tank as stated ive lost a lot, for lps I have a wall frogspawn, bubble coral (has grown significantly in the last few weeks) fox coral, brain, duncans - have 2 heads out of 11 left, some zoas, mushrooms (blue rics just split) gsp, and green polyps. My pectina and goniopora are almost dead. I did move my button coral to the other tank, only because i had a fish flipping it. I haven't moved the frogspawn, am moving it to a different location to see if it's flow. Most of these were transferred to this tank in March this year.

I'm diligent when testing and have double tested to make sure results are accurate. My elos test kit (mag) is about a year old, API is about 8 months.

I dosed mag and all last night, I expect they should be at 1350 mag and 8 alk, haven't tested yet tonight but will to confirm.

warriorcookie · #4 08-02-2012, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blacknife

Epsom salts. Aka magnesium sulphate. Found at pharmacys or bulk food stores.

I would recommend using magnesium sulphate and magnesium chloride. Using just magnesium sulphate you run the risk of sulphate building up in your system over time.

Why do so many people say to use 1 way valves on both the input and output of the doser? I have used a valve just before the pump head and have not had any issues. Is it a redundancy thing? If so why not just two valves, one immediately after the other?

Sorry I can't offer any help, if I was in Calgary I'd offer to come over...

Coralgurl · #5 08-02-2012, 03:48 AM

I found what I'm using, it's fauna Marin mag chloride.

I just tested again and alk is still 6, mag 1350.

I must not have mixed the alk right. Will test it.

Thanks for the offer warriorcookie.

Here's another dumb question, and maybe it will make sense after doser is set up, but why the check valves?

warriorcookie · #6 08-02-2012, 05:21 AM

The check valves stop the solution from flowing backwards out of the tube. When this happens, the doser turns on for the set time, but has to pull the fluid up the tube again before it starts coming out the end. This means it wont dispense the correct amount of fluid, or none at all. Usually you only need them for some of the cheap 3 roller pump heads. The better 4 roller heads generally dont have that issue.

Have your Alk numbers been fluctuating like that alot? The loss of corals might be more from fluctuating alk rather than low alk.

Coralgurl · #7 08-02-2012, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warriorcookie

The check valves stop the solution from flowing backwards out of the tube. When this happens, the doser turns on for the set time, but has to pull the fluid up the tube again before it starts coming out the end. This means it wont dispense the correct amount of fluid, or none at all. Usually you only need them for some of the cheap 3 roller pump heads. The better 4 roller heads generally dont have that issue.

Have your Alk numbers been fluctuating like that alot? The loss of corals might be more from fluctuating alk rather than low alk.

Ah, that makes sense on the valves.

Fluctuating alk has only been since I started dosing otherwise it's always been at 6, the coral loss has been on going for a while, however the frog has been dieing over the last few days and is worse on a daily basis.

Coralgurl · #8 08-03-2012, 03:13 AM

I've moved my frogspawn over to my other tank. I read through my journal over the last year and the parameters in the 55 have been the same since I set it up. The frog is deteriorating daily, unfortunately we are going away for the weekend and there's nothing I can do over the next few days. My daughter deals with the tank while we are away and she doesn't have enough experience to do more than adding water to the top off. if I was around I'd find someone who could take it for me right away until I can get things stable. I'm so sad about this, crazy eh...a coral making me sad.....

Coralgurl · #9 08-08-2012, 04:58 AM

I got my doser set up last week before we went away but didn't have time to get the check valves or test before we left. I tested today, alk at 6, mag at 1150.

I mixed the alk at 1/4 cup to 20 cups or water and this was fine when manually dosing. for alk I was dosing 2cups to raise 2'points, mag was 1 cup to raise 100.

Ive got the doser set to pump 1 cup of each throughout the day. I had the mag and alk at 1350 and 8 before running the doser but my settings are not right. I'm grabbing the check valves tomorrow.

Do I increase the dosing until its where it needs to be or do I add more mag and alk to the ro water?