I keep reading about people saying that they don't need to dose supplements (2 part) unless they have a large bio-load. I've had to dose 2 part for the last 8 months yet, in my opinion, my bio-load is pretty light. Currently I dose 1 cup of Alk (made with baked baking soda) and 1 cup of Ca (made with Prestone Driveway Heat) every day. I also add 1 cup of Mg (made with Epson Salts) every 7-10 days. For the last 4-5 months this has stayed pretty stable.
Average parameters and tank info:
Alk: 9-11 dkh
Ca: 400-450
Mg: 1300-1350
Salinity: ~1.025
I also add 2-3 tablespoons of pickling lime to my 12 gallon top-off reservoir every time I fill it up.
I do 5% water changes every 2 weeks.
Tank: 90 gallon with a 40 gallon sump w/fuge (actual water content is around 100 gallons). 1 canister. No skimmer.
Bio-load:
1 chromis, 1 cucumber, 2 shrimp, about 30 snails, 2 micro-hermits, 6 heads of candy cane, a 2"x2" galaxia, a 3"x2" leather, a 2"x2" favia, a 2"x2" chalice, about 10 heads of frogspawn, and a couple of mushrooms.
My question:
Would this be considered a light bio-load and if so why do I need to dose so much? Is this normal?
Thanks in advance for any responses or advice.
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