Calcium and Alk dosing schedules

[ValG]

Wondering if there were preferred times throughout the day to dose Calcium and Alk? Is it better to equally spread dosing or have the pumps dose them in the morning or at night? Can Calcium and Alkalinity be dosed at the same time? Trying to figure out what to set my dosers to. Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Calcium timing is not very important, but dose it at times different than the alkalinity so it does not mix with the highly concentrated alkalinity before both mix in.

Alkalinity is more complicated because it impacts pH when dosed, and also is depleted to a greater degree (on a percentage basis) than is calcium. Some dose it through the daylight hours, some dose it spread through the full 24 h, and some once a day (if you elect that, pick night or early AM). Some find alk depletes more during the day than at night, so dosing just during the day may stabilize it more, but pH drops more at night, so dosing then helps stabilize pH. I doubt you
you'll detect much difference in the health of the tank either way.

 

[ValG]

Thanks Randy! Right now I am dosing equal amounts throughout the day. Alk is set to be dosed at the beginning of every odd hour and Calcium at the beginning the every even hour. My refugium light is set on the opposite light cycle from my main display. I have live rock and lots of macro algae in there. From testing it did not seem like pH was fluctuating too much.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That sounds like a fine plan.

 

[AdamNC]

Here's the schedule I follow:

6 times a day, every 4 hours.
Alk at 8:00am, 12:00pm, 4:00pm, 8:00pm, 12:00am and 4:00am.
Ca at 9:00am, 1:00pm, 5:00pm, 9:00pm, 1:00am, and 5:00am.

This way I feel I have the least fluctuation without dosing every hour.