Dosing Red Sea Reef Foundation Daily

[NickNiz]

Hello everyone! I recently invested in the Red Sea Reef Foundation, parts A, B, and C. The directions say to test your water, and then from the test results, to determine how much of each part to add...

I don't have the proper test kits for the entire program (I only have Calcium and KH), so I was going to try a daily dosage consisting of 1 mL of each part, for my 12 gallon nano cube. Is this a decent dosage, or should I maybe dose higher st 1.5 or 2 mL per day? I'm trying to lengthen the time between water changes (going to be gone for a few months, so someone else will be doing them) so I want to try and maintain water chemistry...

 

[Reeferdood]

Only dose based on results from your test kits. If you don't have a kit for Mg, don't dose Mg until you do..

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If the directions do not set a specific ratio of dosing the magnesium to the calcium, then absent a kit, if you dose 10% as many ppm of magnesium as calcium, you'll be OK for quite a while.

 

[Reeferdood]

If the directions do not set a specific ratio of dosing the magnesium to the calcium, then absent a kit, if you dose 10% as many ppm of magnesium as calcium, you'll be OK for quite a while.

Even if you don't have a baseline reading to start with??

 

[NickNiz]

Thank you both for your input! I can atleast start with some sort of baseline by going to my LFS and getting my water tested there... The reason I asked about daily dosage was so that the person who will be looking after the tank won't have to make weekly runs to the LFS or do water changes 1-2x per week.

Maybe I can start with a small dosage and then get the water tested again after a week or two... If my levels are still good, then that would be a decent daily dosage amount to do.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Even if you don't have a baseline reading to start with??

A true two part or CaCO3/CO2 reactor using coral skeletons adds the amount of magnesium that is likely to be consumed in relation to to the amount of calcium and alkalinity dosed. I'm just suggesting the same here, which is also how my DIY two/three part works. it keeps magnesium about where it is, regardless of where it starts.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thank you both for your input! I can atleast start with some sort of baseline by going to my LFS and getting my water tested there... The reason I asked about daily dosage was so that the person who will be looking after the tank won't have to make weekly runs to the LFS or do water changes 1-2x per week.

Maybe I can start with a small dosage and then get the water tested again after a week or two... If my levels are still good, then that would be a decent daily dosage amount to do.

Magnesium depletion is very slow. Maybe 0.1 to 2 ppm per day. It takes a long time to see that with a kit.

 

[adam@army]

Just started with redsea reef foundation but I'm using the powder and made a stock out of them. As I was mixing the CA it turns really hot and almost melted the plastic container I was mixing it in. I have to put it a cold bucket of water to save the plastic jar. As of the alk it dissolve completely but the MAG has some salt that need to be desolve. Any way you guys have problem within alk ? When I dose it my ph went down from 8.3 to 7.8. I didn't see any words in the instruction that it will affect the PH.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just started with redsea reef foundation but I'm using the powder and made a stock out of them. As I was mixing the CA it turns really hot and almost melted the plastic container I was mixing it in. I have to put it a cold bucket of water to save the plastic jar. As of the alk it dissolve completely but the MAG has some salt that need to be desolve. Any way you guys have problem within alk ? When I dose it my ph went down from 8.3 to 7.8. I didn't see any words in the instruction that it will affect the PH.

No alk solution should drop pH that much. Probably a testing issue. Sodium bicarbonate will drop it a little, but not that much.

 

[ReefAddiction34]

I find that my calcium and magnesium are always within an acceptable range both after a water change and just before. The issue I have is that alkalinity drops out of the range I like and I prefer to keep it more stable. Would just dosing part B Red Sea foundation to keep my alkalinity up create any issues I might not be considering?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I find that my calcium and magnesium are always within an acceptable range both after a water change and just before. The issue I have is that alkalinity drops out of the range I like and I prefer to keep it more stable. Would just dosing part B Red Sea foundation to keep my alkalinity up create any issues I might not be considering?

That is likely because your salt mix has very high calcium, but just dosing that alk part is likely fine.

 

[ReefAddiction34]

That is likely becasue your salt mix has very high calcium, but just dosing that alk part is likely fine.

Yup, I’m using Red Sea coral pro which when mixed to a SG 1.025 has a Ca of about 450-475. My Ca runs about 430-440 though. I just wanted to be sure that dosing alk (part B) alone would be an issue or throw my other parameters off. I think it would be fine if I stick with my usual water change/maintenance schedule and just fine tune the supplementing of alk. Thanks for the reassurance!

 

[O'l Salty]

I find that my calcium and magnesium are always within an acceptable range both after a water change and just before. The issue I have is that alkalinity drops out of the range I like and I prefer to keep it more stable. Would just dosing part B Red Sea foundation to keep my alkalinity up create any issues I might not be considering?

I dose part B all the time. 2ml every three days. Each tank consumers a certain amount and you have to test to find out what that is.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I dose part B all the time. 2ml every three days. Each tank consumers a certain amount and you have to test to find out what that is.

To be clear, unless you have unusual things happening (such as a sulfur denitrator depleting alkalinity or nitrate rapidly rising or falling (depleting or adding alkalinity), the actual demand ratio in each tank is very nearly identical.

The thing that mostly messes with the apparent demand is water changes with mixes that do not match the tank, and, of course, test error.

The real demand in most tanks is going to be quite close to 18-20 ppm calcium for each 2.8 dKH (1 meq/L) of alkalinity. That ratio does not vary a lot between tanks.

 

[chegz]

Thank you both for your input! I can atleast start with some sort of baseline by going to my LFS and getting my water tested there... The reason I asked about daily dosage was so that the person who will be looking after the tank won't have to make weekly runs to the LFS or do water changes 1-2x per week.

Maybe I can start with a small dosage and then get the water tested again after a week or two... If my levels are still good, then that would be a decent daily dosage amount to do.

Go to your lfs and get them to give your water a test. I did this a two weeks ago and they found I had to dose more mag than normal to get it up to a base level. Then I can do normal daily doses. You should invest in some kind of test though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Go to your lfs and get them to give your water a test. I did this a two weeks ago and they found I had to dose more mag than normal to get it up to a base level. Then I can do normal daily doses. You should invest in some kind of test though.

I think that advice is good, but a little late for this thread from 2018.

 

[chegz]

I think that advice is good, but a little late for this thread from 2018.

Hahaha well hopefully it helps any newbies that might read it