What Chemicals do you dose?
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Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: SPS
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions SPS corals.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29956
Printed Date: December 04 2024 at 1:48pm
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Topic: What Chemicals do you dose?
Posted By: Guests
Subject: What Chemicals do you dose?
Date Posted: December 08 2008 at 4:05pm
| Not sure if this is the right place for this, but what all do you guys dose in your tanks? I have been skimmerless for years but have always had a battle with nitrates, so i am trying the skimmer route, but worried i will need to start adding chemicals to replace whats being removed. I only keep soft corals nothing crazy, but would like to get a torch here pretty soon. What if anything should i be concerned with? |
Replies:
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 08 2008 at 5:39pm
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I only dose what I test for. Calcium, Alkalinity, Salinity.
Mike -------------  |
Posted By: Jake Pehrson
Date Posted: December 08 2008 at 6:03pm
I love it. Me too. Although I am not sure if you can really call adding salt "dosing". ------------- Jake Pehrson Murray http://coralplanet.com" rel="nofollow - coralplanet.com http://utahbeeranch.com" rel="nofollow - :) |
Mike Savage wrote:Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 08 2008 at 6:25pm
| So all those trace minerals and stuff are pointless? |
Posted By: Jake Pehrson
Date Posted: December 08 2008 at 9:23pm
IMHO, for the most part yes. Here is what I think is important, in this order.
Salinity (not an additive), Alkalinity, Calcium, & Magnesium. You can get all the other trace elements with a periodic water change. ------------- Jake Pehrson Murray http://coralplanet.com" rel="nofollow - coralplanet.com http://utahbeeranch.com" rel="nofollow - :) |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 08 2008 at 9:27pm
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I agree. I do test for Magnesium once in a while but have seldom needed it.
(I also test for heat and have to add it regularly to my tank that is lit by LEDs.
 )Mike ------------- |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: December 09 2008 at 11:04am
Mike's post was simple but elaborate  What is the Nitrate level? How do the coral look? Can you post a pic? And before doing anything further what are the levels of Alk and Ca? Skimmers are wonderful. Have you considered the alternatives? ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 09 2008 at 11:39am
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What is the Nitrate level? they are steady at about 40 no matter how many water changes i do
How do the coral look? What i have look fine, they grow like crazy, but we are talking about pom pom, differant types of mushrooms, kenya tree Can you post a pic? I can when i get home And before doing anything further what are the levels of Alk and Ca? I will be honest I dont test anymore as they were always stable and with my water changes never worried about it, and i dont have anything that needs calcuim Skimmers are wonderful. Have you considered the alternatives? Not sure what else i could do? I have a small HOB refugium with same celerpa(spelling), run carbon, tons of LR and about a 3" sandbed |
Posted By: CrimsRayne
Date Posted: December 09 2008 at 12:43pm
Not all of them IMO
I use several various additives (iodine for my 180g zoanthid tank, strontium for my tanks with LPS) sparingly (about once every 3 weeks) in my large reef tanks. I also use some of the coral excel (no it doesn't increase coral growth but they do like it) and (chroma, phyto, zoo)plex on occasion (every 2-3 weeks) as a treat.
 I don't do frequent water changes (Why? Because my tanks have been better since I cut back on water changes. It's not the same for everyone)
I DO have to top off at rate of about a gallon day for the large tanks. (So there is still the new water going in)
Other than that I of course make sure that the calcium, alk, and mag are all balanced.
A general rule of thumb when it somes to some of the additives is: If you can't test for it, don't add it. ------------- "What we know from this hobby is too hard to share with the people who just want to look and not get wet." -Rioreefer "The Puffer Girl" Zoo freak :) West Jordan |
Posted By: mr_tongate
Date Posted: December 09 2008 at 12:52pm
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posting pic's look in sig \/ ------------- 220 reef cell# 760.684.6122 POSTING PIC'S http://zip-zero.com/wmas/imageUpload.php |
Posted By: Jake Pehrson
Date Posted: December 09 2008 at 6:49pm
If this is the case then you need to check your makeup saltwater. Check your makeup water for nitrates after you mix it up. If it tests 0, then you CAN lower your nitrates by doing water changes. If you makeup water is high in nitrates then you need to find another water supply and/or salt. ------------- Jake Pehrson Murray http://coralplanet.com" rel="nofollow - coralplanet.com http://utahbeeranch.com" rel="nofollow - :) |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: December 10 2008 at 8:25am
I agree with Jake. Something isn't right if it stays at 40ppm no matter what you do. Check what he said and let us know.
Alk and Ca are used up by the growth of many diverse organisms. Here is a partial list in order of magnitude for a typical hobbyist tank: Coralline Algae (lack of growth is directly related to low Alk, Ca and Mg) Snails (for their shells...duh...I was waaay into this hobby before that one hit me one day )Crabs and 'pods of all types (for their exoskeletons. they cannot molt if Alk and Ca are not right) Feather Duster Worms (large ones but especially the small and tiny ones that build a hard tube Soft coral (for example Leather coral build millions of tiny slivers of Calcium Carbonate to give stability to their form, even Xenia need the Alk and Ca to be right) Seastars, Urchins and their relatives Vermitid Snails (I like calling them "mucous net worms") Fish (for their skeleton and teeth of course) Next to salinity and temperature the Alk and Ca levels are the next most important parameters of a Marine Aquarium. If Alk and Ca are out of whack, the entire tank suffers which can also lead to a problem with N compounds. Check this and let us know. So now the next question is, Water changes? How often, how much and what brand of salt? ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Jake Pehrson
Date Posted: December 10 2008 at 9:35am
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Well said Mark. I also notice that keeping my alkalinity up keep my fish healthier. I am not sure if the alkalinity directly helps them or if it just help maintain a more stable environment, but I notice a difference. ------------- Jake Pehrson Murray http://coralplanet.com" rel="nofollow - coralplanet.com http://utahbeeranch.com" rel="nofollow - :) |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 10 2008 at 11:57am
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Okay i stand corrected, So I have lots of things in my tank that use up the avail CA, I will Test them tomorrow and let you know, I have Work and a final tonight so i got a full day wont be home til late. My Coral Banded Shrip has molted 3 times in 6 months not sure if this is alot or a little but i figured that was a good sign . . .
As far was water changes i do 10% on a weekly basis or at least try to keep it weekly, I have tried differant salts as well as the LFS, currently I am using Instant Ocean. Any suggestions on better salt to use?
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Posted By: tazman1982
Date Posted: December 10 2008 at 12:00pm
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I like Instant Ocean reef crystals. They seem to disolve faster and it adds more CA then the other salts. IMO good stuff. ------------- 75 Reef 55 Reef |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 14 2008 at 10:45am
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Parameters:
12/12
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites:0
Nitrates: 20 - lowest i have ever been
Phosphate: .25
Calcium: 490
Alkalinity: 12
Results this morning
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites:0
Nitrates: 20
Phosphate: 0.00
Calcium: 400
Alkalinity: 10
I did do a 30 Percent water change on 12/10 as my one of my anonomes was not looking to good |
Posted By: Jake Pehrson
Date Posted: December 14 2008 at 12:21pm
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Basically here is what should happen with a water change.
If your nitrates are at 100 and you do a:
100% water change your nitrates should be 0
75% water change your nitrates should be 25
50% water change your nitrates should be 50
25% water change your nitrates should be 75
10% water change your nitrates should be 90
In your case if your nitrates are 20 and you do a 30% water change it should lower them down to 14.
Here is the formula (I just made this up
)CNL = Current Nitrate Level
WCP = Water Change Percentage
NNL = New Nitrate Level
((CNL*WCP)-CNL)*-1=NNL ------------- Jake Pehrson Murray http://coralplanet.com" rel="nofollow - coralplanet.com http://utahbeeranch.com" rel="nofollow - :) |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 14 2008 at 1:49pm
| I have also tested my water source as well as after i made up my salt water everything texted zero, so i am not sure why my natrates had not been declining in the past. I will be doing another large waterchange today and see if that helps. Quess i wont need a skimmer ater all. |