How much BRS 2 Part? Help!

[Rick Gaas]

Tank Details:

- 210 reef
- refugium (chaeto, no sand)
- sump
- Live rock, sand, and fish only
- around 220 gallons of water
- 3 Ecotech Radions
- protein skimmer
- carbon/GFO reactor
- 2 mp40s
- auto top off
- 2 BRS dosing pumps 1.1ml per min
- Red Sea test kits

So I started dosing about a month ago, and could not get my levels correct. I started by testing and doing a one time unequal dose to get my levels up around where I want them (9dkh & 410calcium, 1400 mag). After starting with the recommended dose of 22ml of both, I would wait a few days and test again to find my levels dropping each time. I would add more time to the dosing pumps (would always dose equal parts of both cal and alk) each time to try and target the dose I needed to keep the levels from dropping. Once the levels would drop below 7dkh, I would manual dose to get my levels back up. After getting my dose up around 135ml each day, and alk still dropping I was almost sure I had a problem. I text BRS and they had me start over with my dosing about a week ago.

Please help me get my dose correct.

FYI.. All testing is done around 10PM

So far:

10/10 - alk 6..05 @ 9:30pm
Manually added 220ml of both alk & cal after this test.

10/11 - set dosing pumps to dose at the below times and started dosing:
4am - alk - 10 minutes
8am - alk - 10 minutes
4pm - cal - 10 minutes
8pm - cal - 10 minutes

Alk @ 9:30pm was 7dkh

Added 220ml of both alk & cal around 10pm about 45 minutes apart

10/12 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/13 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/14 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/15 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/16 - tested
Alk 5.75dkh @ 10pm
Cal 370 @ 10:25 pm
Mag is 1380

I am going to go ahead and dose 220ml of each tonight around 11:30pm (little time between alk & cal) to raise my levels some. Should raise alk to around 7.15dkh.

Please follow along to see if I am doing things correctly and please provide advise.

I am really looking forward to get things stable.

Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[Rick Gaas]

 

[Rick Gaas]

I know many people will say that I don't need to dose seeing I have no coral, but I want to get my dosing and levels correct before adding coral. Once I get everything stable, I will start adding coral and adjust my dosing accordingly.

Thanks again!

 

[Sabellafella]

Tank Details:

- 210 reef
- refugium (chaeto, no sand)
- sump
- Live rock, sand, and fish only
- around 220 gallons of water
- 3 Ecotech Radions
- protein skimmer
- carbon/GFO reactor
- 2 mp40s
- auto top off
- 2 BRS dosing pumps 1.1ml per min
- Red Sea test kits

So I started dosing about a month ago, and could not get my levels correct. I started by testing and doing a one time unequal dose to get my levels up around where I want them (9dkh & 410calcium, 1400 mag). After starting with the recommended dose of 22ml of both, I would wait a few days and test again to find my levels dropping each time. I would add more time to the dosing pumps (would always dose equal parts of both cal and alk) each time to try and target the dose I needed to keep the levels from dropping. Once the levels would drop below 7dkh, I would manual dose to get my levels back up. After getting my dose up around 135ml each day, and alk still dropping I was almost sure I had a problem. I text BRS and they had me start over with my dosing about a week ago.

Please help me get my dose correct.

FYI.. All testing is done around 10PM

So far:

10/10 - alk 6..05 @ 9:30pm
Manually added 220ml of both alk & cal after this test.

10/11 - set dosing pumps to dose at the below times and started dosing:
4am - alk - 10 minutes
8am - alk - 10 minutes
4pm - cal - 10 minutes
8pm - cal - 10 minutes

Alk @ 9:30pm was 7dkh

Added 220ml of both alk & cal around 10pm about 45 minutes apart

10/12 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/13 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/14 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/15 - did nothing, just let dosing pumps do the above.

10/16 - tested
Alk 5.75dkh @ 10pm
Cal 370 @ 10:25 pm
Mag is 1380

I am going to go ahead and dose 220ml of each tonight around 11:30pm (little time between alk & cal) to raise my levels some. Should raise alk to around 7.15dkh.

Please follow along to see if I am doing things correctly and please provide advise.

I am really looking forward to get things stable.

Thank you in advance for the help!

Going to have to test same time everyday. Note your drop in parameters per day, do some math, and add up to your correct dosage daily. Its very common in the early stages of an aquarium to have alot of alk consumption. Try to test alk everyday and report back, ill be glad to help getting your dose tuned for you.

 

[Sabellafella]

Im pretty positive 70ml of alk portion is around a 1dkh raise (witch is normal) per 100 gallons. So i wouldnt (or yourself) be surprised it takes over 150 ml to keep your levels in check.

 

[Rick Gaas]

With a fish and live rock only, BRS has told me to start a 22ml of each. Not sure why so little.

BRS calculator for 1dkh drop for 220 gallons:

Should I keep my dose at 22ml, or bump it up?

 

[Sabellafella]

With a fish and live rock only, BRS has told me to start a 22ml of each. Not sure why so little.

BRS calculator for 1dkh drop for 220 gallons:

Should I keep my dose at 22ml, or bump it up?

Thats just their recommended starting point. Better safe then sorry =). Lets say you test tomorrow and its 8dkh. Test the same time the day later, and if its 7.5 dkh. Your daily dose will run you around 70-80 ml.

 

[Rick Gaas]

10/17 - tested alk @ 9:30pm - 6.7dkh

Keep in mind that I dosed 220ml of both cal & alk last night, and that my dosing pumps are dosing 22ml of each throughout the day (24hrs)

Seeing that 220ml should have raised my levels 1.4dkh higher then yesterday... It looks to me that I am dropping .4dkh in 24hrs even with the dosing pumps dosing 22ml throughout the day (24hrs after I last tested)

This would make me think that I need to add an additional 62.8ml of both alk and cal a day.. Totaling 84.8ml (62.8 + 22) a day.

I am going to adjust my dosing pumps to dose alk at night and cal during the day - total of 84.8ml of cal and alk.

Seeing my levels are low, I am also going to go ahead and hand dose another 220ml of both cal and alk tonight. This should raise my dkh another 1.4dkh.

Thoughts?

 

[Sabellafella]

10/17 - tested alk @ 9:30pm - 6.7dkh

Keep in mind that I dosed 220ml of both cal & alk last night, and that my dosing pumps are dosing 22ml of each throughout the day (24hrs)

Seeing that 220ml should have raised my levels 1.4dkh higher then yesterday... It looks to me that I am dropping .4dkh in 24hrs even with the dosing pumps dosing 22ml throughout the day (24hrs after I last tested)

This would make me think that I need to add an additional 62.8ml of both alk and cal a day.. Totaling 84.8ml (62.8 + 22) a day.

I am going to adjust my dosing pumps to dose alk at night and cal during the day - total of 84.8ml of cal and alk.

Seeing my levels are low, I am also going to go ahead and hand dose another 220ml of both cal and alk tonight. This should raise my dkh another 1.4dkh.

Thoughts?

Sounds great! Ok, so dose to tonight to get the levels to where you want them. And continue to dose 80ml every day. Give it a few days of testing, then you should find your exact dose. Remember, if your doing weekly or biweekly water changes, make sure you account for the sudden raise/drop provided by the water change.

 

[Rick Gaas]

Thanks. I am going to hold off on water changes until I get my dosing down. Hopefully that will not take long.

When I do get back to water changes, I plan on hand dosing my newly mixed saltwater to the exact same alk,cal, & mag as the tank before changing out the water in hopes to keep things stable.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks. I am going to hold off on water changes until I get my dosing down. Hopefully that will not take long.

When I do get back to water changes, I plan on hand dosing my newly mixed saltwater to the exact same alk,cal, & mag as the tank before changing out the water in hopes to keep things stable.

In many cases that isn't readily accomplished since salt mixes often have more of these (especially alk) than the tank does.

 

[Rick Gaas]

Thanks for the reply Randy.

10/18 - so I did not get a chance to adjust my dosing pumps last night, but I did add 220ml of both alk and cal around 11:30PM last night.

I tested again tonight @ 9:30pm and alk is at 7.45dkh.

So yesterday it looks like Alk dropped .4dkh and tonight it looks like it dropped .65dkh

I don't understand why this would not be consistent?

I am going to go ahead and dose the 220 ml of both alk and cal to boost my levels and go ahead and adjust my dosing pumps to dose the 84.8ml each day.

Please let me know your thoughts and if I am thinking about this wrong.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for the reply Randy.

10/18 - so I did not get a chance to adjust my dosing pumps last night, but I did add 220ml of both alk and cal around 11:30PM last night.

I tested again tonight @ 9:30pm and alk is at 7.45dkh.

So yesterday it looks like Alk dropped .4dkh and tonight it looks like it dropped .65dkh

I don't understand why this would not be consistent?

I am going to go ahead and dose the 220 ml of both alk and cal to boost my levels and go ahead and adjust my dosing pumps to dose the 84.8ml each day.

Please let me know your thoughts and if I am thinking about this wrong.

One day is not enough to see the small day to day differences of 0.2 dKH or less. I expect that is just random variation of the tank and the testing.

 

[Rick Gaas]

10/19 - tested alk @ 9:30pm - 7.8dkh

Not sure how/why it would be this low. It was at 7.45 yesterday and I hand dosed 220ml of both alk and cal last night around 11pm. I also adjusted my dosing pumps to dose 84.7ml of both alk and cal throughout the day/night.

That is a total of 304.7ml in the last 24hrs. How would the level only raise .35dkh?

Not sure what I am doing wrong.

 

[Sabellafella]

10/19 - tested alk @ 9:30pm - 7.8dkh

Not sure how/why it would be this low. It was at 7.45 yesterday and I hand dosed 220ml of both alk and cal last night around 11pm. I also adjusted my dosing pumps to dose 84.7ml of both alk and cal throughout the day/night.

That is a total of 304.7ml in the last 24hrs. How would the level only raise .35dkh?

Not sure what I am doing wrong.

It happens. Dont hand dose anything just yet, give it about 3 days and then test. Lets say tonight its 7.8.. then 3 days from now its 6.6-6.8...then add an extra 90ml to that 3 day period(30ml per day), witch would give you around 110ml every day.

 

[Rick Gaas]

Ok, I will just let the dosing pumps do the work (84.7ml each day) for the next 3 days and test again.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Eggyoke]

From my experience, I had better success with dosing every hour alternating ALK and Cal. I tested everyday and adjusted. I have a cheap Jebao doser but it's easy to set up. Not sure I have the patience to set a timer for those BRS dosers. Takes about a week or so. I did the daily hand dosing but couldn't get it stable.

 

[Rick Gaas]

From my experience, I had better success with dosing every hour alternating ALK and Cal. I tested everyday and adjusted. I have a cheap Jebao doser but it's easy to set up. Not sure I have the patience to set a timer for those BRS dosers. Takes about a week or so. I did the daily hand dosing but couldn't get it stable.

Thank you for the reply.

The timers are very easy to program and only takes a few seconds each.

Hopefully I will get the dosing amount figured out soon.

Thanks again!

 

[Rick Gaas]

10/20 - alk @ 9:30pm - 7.5dkh

 

[Rick Gaas]

10/21 - alk @ 9:30pm - 7.3dkh