So I am about to start dosing All For Reef on a doser, and I am trying to figure out how water changes will have to be adjusted. For more context, I have a 32.5 gallon tank, and do a 5 gallon water change weekly. I recently discovered that my refractometer was off, and while I thought I was running the tank at 1.025 salinity, it was more likely 1.023. Not good but also didn’t have any casualties, but obviously little to no coral growth as well. I use Reef Crystals which is known to mix high as far as Ca, Mag, and Alk, but since I was unknowingly mixing at low salinity, my levels are also lower than they should be. Thru water changes at the correct salinity, (1.026) it has been slowly raising levels, but at the bare minimum. For instance, Alk has been exactly .01 higher each week right after a water change. Meaning week 1, it was 6.2 after a water change, week 2 it was 6.3, week 3 it was 6.4, etc. Said water changes have been raising alkalinity by exactly 1.0 each week. So for example, after today’s water change, Alk was 6.6, and was 5.6 immediately beforehand. This has been consistent for a month now so on average, 1.0 is being used up per week. Calcium and Mag changes aren’t as heavy. I float around 400 Calcium and 1310-1320 Magnesium. So just slightly under optimal levels.
SO my question is, once I get my All For Reef dosage dialed in and I’m keeping 9.0 Alk, 420 Calc, and 1350 Mag consistently, if I know that 5 gallon water changes raise the Alk by 1.0, that would mean I’m then raising levels too high, which would also throw off my dosage on the doser because keeping it on the same dose would keep it too high. Obviously simplest answer is simply don’t do water changes and let strictly the dosing keep levels in check, but due to nutrient export and keeping nitrates and phosphates in check, water changes are sometimes necessary regardless. So this will be my first time incorporating dosing to the tank, and I’m wondering how you all go about working water changes into all that.
SO my question is, once I get my All For Reef dosage dialed in and I’m keeping 9.0 Alk, 420 Calc, and 1350 Mag consistently, if I know that 5 gallon water changes raise the Alk by 1.0, that would mean I’m then raising levels too high, which would also throw off my dosage on the doser because keeping it on the same dose would keep it too high. Obviously simplest answer is simply don’t do water changes and let strictly the dosing keep levels in check, but due to nutrient export and keeping nitrates and phosphates in check, water changes are sometimes necessary regardless. So this will be my first time incorporating dosing to the tank, and I’m wondering how you all go about working water changes into all that.
