Do you dose or just do water changes poll

[djkms]

Ah the pseudo scientist/chemist chimes in finally, I've been waiting for you my friend

See this is exactly why I know I shouldn't be trying to help people understand the chemistry of their tanks. I am not trying to make this personal, I dont understand why you are? I don't claim to be a scientist, I dont claim to be a chemist. I do however have a passion for reefkeeping beyond keeping a pretty tank in my house and selling/trading corals. Chemistry is a important part of reefkeeping and should be understood by those who partake in the hobby. If you chose not to care about testing your water and supplementing depleting elements thats your right, I just think its important for hobbyists to understand what it is their doing besides throwing salt water, rocks and fish into a glass box. Not testing and supplementing is a recipe for failure. It may not be a failure for you, it may not be a failure for the next guy but it should not be a failure for the newcomers to the hobby who need more than anyone to understand water chemistry encase a issue should arrise. When they read posts like these, "I dont test", "I don't supplement" they think they can just breeze through this now "easy" hobby. IMO that sends the wrong message. Don't get me wrong, I am probably more anal then most when it comes to aquarium husbandry but I still enjoy my tank everyday.

Kris are you saying that each and everyone of your maintenance clients is either manual dosing or is using dosing pumps? If not how come, considering
Wouldn't that make the tanks at a completely unbalanced and lopsided on their parameters? Are you just dosing large volumes of chemicals the one time you are there each week? Again doesnt that make the tank heavy the first part of the week and depleted at the end? Is it better to swing the params hard 1 time a week to get them from depletion to the correct levels?

Every single tank that we have with even a small amount of stony corals are on dosing pumps or a CA reactor. The only systems we have that are not on dosing pumps (maybe 1-2??) are softy tanks. We do not have large swings between weeks with out tanks. Our clients spend thousands upon thousands of dollars and entrust us to care for their animals, we do not take shortcuts.

Ah you maybe right I haven't stepped up to a full sps/"expert corals" tank, but I do have 12 dif sps in my tank and they are all doing fine with noticeable growth.

You would have even more noticeable growth if you maintained your parameters.

* disclaimer - none of my words above are to be considered "gold", "FACT", criticizing, argumentative, insulting and or rude. Just a hobbyist reefer, creating conversation and thought for others, be it for entertainment and or education

Sorry but calling me a "pseudo scientist" was insulting to me. I don't claim to be a know it all and I am sorry if I come off that way. I just want to try to pass along what I know or have read to maybe help another reefer along the way. In the end though this forum is not unlike any other. People will typically ask a question and wait for the answer they want to hear regardless if its the right way, best way or recommended way or not....

 

[CRW Reef]

lets see your progression pics, I'm sure they are amazing.

[attachment=62084:name] to now

crazy growth right

 

[SAZAMA]

I'm just enjoying some macallan, listening to my dosing pumps cycle on and off. and was hoping to see some pics, I know you have them...

 

[CRW Reef]

lol well pass the bottle bud, maybe then i will be able to see some growth in my tank and hear dosing pumps too jk

Ah Tony and Kris, Im sorry if I have offended either of you, I truthfully am. I am purely joking around and have no doubt that tanks with stable parameters indeed have greater growth speeds, brighter colors and a greater overall happiness of the corals. However in my own defense, I in no way was bragging or intended to represent my way of tank maintenance to be correct and or suggesting it be duplicated.

 

[09bumblebee]

I mean this thread was started for a reason, do you dose? do water changes etc etc and chad just simply replied what his method is. I've seen his tank and I was dumbfounded when I heard him say he just does water changes. Everything looked great. Everyone has a different method of reef keeping that's kind of the point. If we all did the same thing and kept the same thing, this hobby would be boring.

 

[SAZAMA]

http://www.marinecolorado.org/forum...-Progression-Shots&highlight=progression+pics

 

[coloagro]

Hmmmmm isn't changing water enough to keep params normal/par the same as dosing? I wise man once told me" what guy or thing have you seen testing ocean water, putting plastic pellets in reefs and dumping giant buckets of chemicals in the water?"

Lol well I must be the exception to the rule of that" no dosing, no growing" because I have a ton of growth and happy corals.

But I guess in the end, the old wise man's saying of "what works for me may not work for you" trumps all

Chad has a point... That tank of his is not only stocked to the brim but is by far one of the healthiest well grown out tanks I've seen yet.

 

[coloagro]

But what makes this hobby so fascinating is the fact that everyone has a unique method to their glass box madness. It's safe to say no one setup is alike and therefore what works for one may or may not work for another. Thus, the beauty of this hobby and the husbandry techniques used to keep these beautiful creatures in our living rooms Great topic btw... I look forward to hearing from others about their techniques.

 

[yOdaddy]

I'm still lost. So should I dose or not?

 

[WatercolorsGuy]

Do I dose? Hardly. Some calcium here, some iodine, strontium, mag there, with a splash of kalk now and then. Would I like to... yes, can I afford everything I want to do right now...no.

I have learned alot from the people on this forum. I have learned what works for others (albeit sometimes not for others) and have seen the results of their experience in the tanks they keep. I have learned there are many ways of doing things to get to the end result of a happy healthy tank. Both on budget builds and high dollar builds.
I think being able to take and apply what I can from others in my own quest for the best tank I can have is what is making my attempt successful. Successful IMO.
I appreciate opposing viewpoints and seeing what those viewpoints have created in their glass boxes. I believe there are many ways to get to that final result.
Part of the fun for me in keeping my tanks has been the learning process, including the trial and error aspect.

I don't dose on a regular basis, I want to as I can see from a scientific point that it would greatly help. Maybe at this point my tank doesn't require it as much as it will someday, and that my weekly water changes and slight addition of additives is enough. The SPS and LPS and Zoos I have are growing well for me.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Do I dose? Hardly. Some calcium here, some iodine, strontium, mag there, with a splash of kalk now and then. Would I like to... yes, can I afford everything I want to do right now...no.

I feel that dosing is cheaper than water changes and once you have it dialed in, much less work.

I dose calcium(CaCl2), Alk(NaHCO[SUB]3[/SUB] and Na[SUB]2[/SUB]CO[SUB]3[/SUB]) and magnesium(MgSO[SUB]4[/SUB] and MgCl[SUB]2[/SUB]). Cal and Mag are from BRS.

Magnesium is adjusted approximately every 3-4weeks.
Calcium is dosed using an aqualifter and timer(comes on once a day)
Alk is dosed using a different aqualifter and different timer(comes on 4 times a day).
Chaeto is pruned about once every 3-4 weeks.

I should perform more water changes, maybe 5 gallons a month on my 58gallon+29 refugium. 2 blue/green chromis, 2 clowns, 1 foxface, 2 mandarins, 1 royal gramma. Some SPS, 2 nems, zoas, pallys, lps.

It would help with the deterious(sp) that settles to the bottom of the tank, however the clean up crew usually takes care of it. Deterious(sp) isnt too noticeable, it would help with peace of mind though.

I feed relatively heavily and my nitrates are undetectable with an API test. I don't have a phosphate checker and the LFS doesn't have an open kit to test.

 

[Lowenbrau]

Dosing on a daily rotation.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

I think the point is to test your water and dose if your tank needs it. Find a method and research, then stick to it for a few months.

 

[reefmaster719]

how often should I do water changes with my 75 mixed reef? Usually I pull out 7gallons a week. Should I do more? And I dose tech m. Stronitum and molybdenum. Essential elements. And tech I every 2 weeks.

**IN LOVE WITH A LIFESTYLE I CAN'T AFFORD**

 

[reefmaster719]

Oh I don't have a sump either. Just two cans running

**IN LOVE WITH A LIFESTYLE I CAN'T AFFORD**

 

[hurrafreak]

General rule of thumb is 10% of the water volume every 2 weeks, but that's just a rule of thumb. Everybody does it differently haha.

Oh I don't have a sump either. Just two cans running

**IN LOVE WITH A LIFESTYLE I CAN'T AFFORD**

I don't understand this, what are "two cans"??

 

[CRW Reef]

I believe he means 2 canister filters

 

[reefmaster719]

Lol yeah. Canister filters...pretty obsolete for saltwater Haha. So every two weeks 10 gallons is good?