I just got Component 1+, 2+, 3+ Bundle - Aquaforest. I was wondering who uses it and what others to consider? My tank has some SPS, LPS, and softies. Also looking for a table of what my parameters should be for a setuplike mine.
Has anyone did research on dosing as far as who is best for the buck?
- Thread starter charlieborg
- Start date
You set up for the hardest. So, the SPS.
The best bang for the buck is Kalk.
The best bang for the buck is Kalk.
calcium reactor......i don't dose anything else.
but for your tank, i would agree with Adam that Kalk is the best bang for your bucks.
but for your tank, i would agree with Adam that Kalk is the best bang for your bucks.
Red Sea has a nice calculator that suggests parameters based on the population of your tank. Of course it is tied to their products, but Parts A, B and C are typically Calcium Chloride, Soda Ash (Alkalinity) and Magnesium Sulfate. Some vendors add trace elements in addition to the Magnesium in part C. For a new tank as long as your are doing regular water changes with a reputable salt mix, you probably don't need to dose trace elements. You will need to add this in as your corals grow out and mature.
I'm not familiar with Aqua Forest's pricing, but if you are sticking with the Balling Method (which is ABC above), Bulk Reef Supply has the basic ingredients prepackage for self mixing with RO/DI water. BRS also has calculators on their site to tell you how much of each solution to add based upon your currently tested parameters. You can purchase the ingredients elsewhere for a little cheaper, but BRS is simple enough and cheap enough for me.
I would agree with the guys above on the Kalk reactor, but it does require some investment in equipment which will mix it and dose it slowly throughout the day. It can be done manually, but you need to be careful to not add too much at a time.
FYI, I've been in and out of this hobby since Bulk Reef Supply was actually that, a supplier of parts A, B and C rather than the Private Equity backed juggernaut they have become.
I'm not familiar with Aqua Forest's pricing, but if you are sticking with the Balling Method (which is ABC above), Bulk Reef Supply has the basic ingredients prepackage for self mixing with RO/DI water. BRS also has calculators on their site to tell you how much of each solution to add based upon your currently tested parameters. You can purchase the ingredients elsewhere for a little cheaper, but BRS is simple enough and cheap enough for me.
I would agree with the guys above on the Kalk reactor, but it does require some investment in equipment which will mix it and dose it slowly throughout the day. It can be done manually, but you need to be careful to not add too much at a time.
FYI, I've been in and out of this hobby since Bulk Reef Supply was actually that, a supplier of parts A, B and C rather than the Private Equity backed juggernaut they have become.
Tropic Marin All For Reef powder is pretty cost effective. BRS has videos on the monthly cost of various options. I've done Kalkwasser and calcium reactors but prefer dosing. For dosing, a one-part like All For Reef is the easiest option out there.
I usually just mix my own solution.
If you are dosing most of the trace elements you need and controlling your alkalinity and pH you might consider offsetting some of the cost of dosing by using a less expensive but still quality salt mix like IO. If you are controlling your nutrients really well could you not also reduce your water changes for more savings?
Sounds logical.
I was dossing Component 1+, 2+, 3+ Bundle - Aqua forest. Man did my hair algae love that! So I stopped that for now. Cut back on my hours my lights are one, and turned off two of them altogether. Still dossing Nopox. Live and learn!
I was dossing Component 1+, 2+, 3+ Bundle - Aqua forest. Man did my hair algae love that! So I stopped that for now. Cut back on my hours my lights are one, and turned off two of them altogether. Still dossing Nopox. Live and learn!
I am making a similar journey right now. I just got some Red Sea ABCD and some AB+ for my main display. At the same time I am using Quantum trace minerals and Aquavitro Fuel for my other two tanks. Currently the only thing I dose with a pump is KNO3. If I don't nitrate just goes to zero. Everything else I add manually.
I have been fighting PO4 for months. The wife and I have tried GFO, special PO4 removing mediums, NOPOX, reactors, and Brightwell Phosphat E. The only one that works is Phosphat E. I cannot recommend it enough. It is Lanthanum Chloride essentially which will precipitate the PO4 out so it can be removed in the filters and skimmer. It works fantastic. You want to be careful how fast you go. I am dosing about half of what is suggested and targeting a 0.05 ppm drop per week. The other thing to know is you need to dose it into your filter socks or into your skimmer inlet. If you dose it in the display it can aggravate your Tangs if you have any. The precipitate gets in their gills.
I just bought a Tunze algae reactor that I am hopeful will get me the rest of the way there with my PO4. I will let you know how it does.
Since my phosphate is really high I am fighting hair algae too. I am hoping it will die off once I get the PO4 under control.
I have been fighting PO4 for months. The wife and I have tried GFO, special PO4 removing mediums, NOPOX, reactors, and Brightwell Phosphat E. The only one that works is Phosphat E. I cannot recommend it enough. It is Lanthanum Chloride essentially which will precipitate the PO4 out so it can be removed in the filters and skimmer. It works fantastic. You want to be careful how fast you go. I am dosing about half of what is suggested and targeting a 0.05 ppm drop per week. The other thing to know is you need to dose it into your filter socks or into your skimmer inlet. If you dose it in the display it can aggravate your Tangs if you have any. The precipitate gets in their gills.
I just bought a Tunze algae reactor that I am hopeful will get me the rest of the way there with my PO4. I will let you know how it does.
Since my phosphate is really high I am fighting hair algae too. I am hoping it will die off once I get the PO4 under control.
When I had an algae scrubber it would drive nitrate to 0, but I'd still have phosphate. I had good luck dosing nitrate so that I kept at least a 16:1 N ratio, which helped the algae pull out more phosphate and was pretty easy to do. I just added it to the top-off water once a week. Everyone was going for "Ultra Low Nutrients" back then. I think these days the consensus is that you want at least some free N and P, but given how efficient algae reactors are, you might have trouble keeping any.
ratio, which helped the algae pull out more phosphate and was pretty easy to do. I just added it to the top-off water once a week. Everyone was going for "Ultra Low Nutrients" back then. I think these days the consensus is that you want at least some free N and P, but given how efficient algae reactors are, you might have trouble keeping any.
