Hi,
I currently dose Ca, Alk, Mg, NOPOX with a dosing pump.
I made the assumption that my corals need their additives during light hours, when they are open and presumably growing. (SPS/LPS)
My light schedule ramps up from 7am to peak at 2pm and down to moonlight at 7pm. I have my refugium lights on from 6pm to 8am.
I dose Mg at 6am, so it's in the system first,
then at odd hours , 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm i dose my Alk in equal amounts.
at even hours , 10am, 12pm, 2pm,4pm,6pm i dose my Ca in equal amounts.
I dose my NOPOX (red sea carbon dosing) once a day at 7pm, on the grounds that i've added all the food i'm going to, so it can get to work over the evening/night on the resultant nitrates/phosphates.
On testing, my Alk reads 1 dKH lower at 2am than it does at 2pm, so I guess its still being used up after the last dosing at 5pm. Interestingly, pH stays fairly stable at about 8.2 all day and night.
1. Should I spread my dosing over 24 hours? or ramp dosing up and down to follow my lighting schedule?
2. When should I dose NOPOX?
I'd like to try to keep my parameters stable over the whole day, as I have seen many people test at a fixed time (say 1pm) and dose whats needed afterwards... but surely that means that the parameters will be perfect only at that time only.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Rob
I currently dose Ca, Alk, Mg, NOPOX with a dosing pump.
I made the assumption that my corals need their additives during light hours, when they are open and presumably growing. (SPS/LPS)
My light schedule ramps up from 7am to peak at 2pm and down to moonlight at 7pm. I have my refugium lights on from 6pm to 8am.
I dose Mg at 6am, so it's in the system first,
then at odd hours , 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm i dose my Alk in equal amounts.
at even hours , 10am, 12pm, 2pm,4pm,6pm i dose my Ca in equal amounts.
I dose my NOPOX (red sea carbon dosing) once a day at 7pm, on the grounds that i've added all the food i'm going to, so it can get to work over the evening/night on the resultant nitrates/phosphates.
On testing, my Alk reads 1 dKH lower at 2am than it does at 2pm, so I guess its still being used up after the last dosing at 5pm. Interestingly, pH stays fairly stable at about 8.2 all day and night.
1. Should I spread my dosing over 24 hours? or ramp dosing up and down to follow my lighting schedule?
2. When should I dose NOPOX?
I'd like to try to keep my parameters stable over the whole day, as I have seen many people test at a fixed time (say 1pm) and dose whats needed afterwards... but surely that means that the parameters will be perfect only at that time only.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Rob