Yet another dosing calculator

[subodhs]

Hey Reefers!

So, I might be in the minority here, but I wasn’t exactly throwing a party when ICP Analysis went out of business. Sure, some folks didn’t mind the gap they left behind, but I had a few reasons to feel a little "oh no, not again." First, I’ve still got four tests left with them—great, right? Except they’re now as useful as a chocolate teapot. On top of that, now I get to pay almost double the price and wait longer than a Lord of the Rings marathon to get test results. And when I do, surprise, surprise, Triton recommends only their own supplements.

I mean, I’ve got a perfectly good mix of Aquaforest, Red Sea, and Brightwell that I’d rather stick with. Why make things harder, right? It was like a puzzle trying to convert their dosages. But the real kicker? The app. Now, while ICP was around, I probably grumbled about how clunky it was, but boy, did I miss it when it was gone! That app gave me dosing recommendations for what I actually had in hand, plus handy sea-level values for elements. What more could you want?

I wandered through the reef2reef forums (kudos to the folks there for all their hard work!), looking at threads like this one and this other one. But I quickly realized some of the data was outdated—hello, packaging changes and updated concentrations and there were no updates in a while. Sigh.

Then I took a deep dive (pun intended) into Randy Holmes-Farley’s work one more time. I realized I could probably cook up something of my own, you know, like ICP's app but maybe... better?

Introducing Reef.Tools!

I know, I know, there are calculators out there, and mine’s not going to win a Nobel Prize, but I built something that works for me—and maybe it’ll work for you too! The cool part? This tool goes way beyond just calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. We’re talking all the major and minor trace elements. It’s like a one-stop shop for dosing, whether you’re using Triton, Aquaforest, Red Sea, or even Randy Holmes-Farley’s suggestions (I hope Randy doesn’t mind me borrowing his reference values. @Randy Holmes-Farley , if you’re reading this, thanks and please don’t sue me!)

You can pick reference sets like Triton’s, Aquaforest’s, or even Randy’s, and get values for both major and minor trace elements—because, yes, we care about the little guys too! Plus, I’ve tried to include research-based suggestions for dosing. Not saying I nailed it 100%, but hey, I’m open to feedback! If you’re using a solution I missed, let me know, and I’ll add it. Seriously.

Anyway, enough from me. Check out the tool, give it a whirl, and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you!

https://reef.tools

 

[akossard]

Nice job, bookmarked

 

[djkms]

Nice, thanks for your work on this. Would you maybe be willing to add Captiv8 products as an option?
Their concentrations are listed on the labels. I use their products and their excel sheet but I cant put in my own target level like you can with your calculator.
https://www.captiv8aquaculture.com/shop

 

[subodhs]

Nice, thanks for your work on this. Would you maybe be willing to add Captiv8 products as an option?
Their concentrations are listed on the labels. I use their products and their excel sheet but I cant put in my own target level like you can with your calculator.
https://www.captiv8aquaculture.com/shop

Hey, thanks for the kind words! Captiv8 products have now been added, so you're good to go! Feel free to play around with your target levels and let me know how it goes.

If you think of anything else, just give me a shout. Happy dosing!

 

[djkms]

Hey, thanks for the kind words! Captiv8 products have now been added, so you're good to go! Feel free to play around with your target levels and let me know how it goes.

If you think of anything else, just give me a shout. Happy dosing!

Man this is awesome, I look forward to using your calculator. Thanks!

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Hey Reefers!

So, I might be in the minority here, but I wasn’t exactly throwing a party when ICP Analysis went out of business. Sure, some folks didn’t mind the gap they left behind, but I had a few reasons to feel a little "oh no, not again." First, I’ve still got four tests left with them—great, right? Except they’re now as useful as a chocolate teapot. On top of that, now I get to pay almost double the price and wait longer than a Lord of the Rings marathon to get test results. And when I do, surprise, surprise, Triton recommends only their own supplements.

I mean, I’ve got a perfectly good mix of Aquaforest, Red Sea, and Brightwell that I’d rather stick with. Why make things harder, right? It was like a puzzle trying to convert their dosages. But the real kicker? The app. Now, while ICP was around, I probably grumbled about how clunky it was, but boy, did I miss it when it was gone! That app gave me dosing recommendations for what I actually had in hand, plus handy sea-level values for elements. What more could you want?

I wandered through the reef2reef forums (kudos to the folks there for all their hard work!), looking at threads like this one and this other one. But I quickly realized some of the data was outdated—hello, packaging changes and updated concentrations and there were no updates in a while. Sigh.

Then I took a deep dive (pun intended) into Randy Holmes-Farley’s work one more time. I realized I could probably cook up something of my own, you know, like ICP's app but maybe... better?

Introducing Reef.Tools!

I know, I know, there are calculators out there, and mine’s not going to win a Nobel Prize, but I built something that works for me—and maybe it’ll work for you too! The cool part? This tool goes way beyond just calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. We’re talking all the major and minor trace elements. It’s like a one-stop shop for dosing, whether you’re using Triton, Aquaforest, Red Sea, or even Randy Holmes-Farley’s suggestions (I hope Randy doesn’t mind me borrowing his reference values. @Randy Holmes-Farley , if you’re reading this, thanks and please don’t sue me!)

You can pick reference sets like Triton’s, Aquaforest’s, or even Randy’s, and get values for both major and minor trace elements—because, yes, we care about the little guys too! Plus, I’ve tried to include research-based suggestions for dosing. Not saying I nailed it 100%, but hey, I’m open to feedback! If you’re using a solution I missed, let me know, and I’ll add it. Seriously.

Anyway, enough from me. Check out the tool, give it a whirl, and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you!

https://reef.tools

Awesome! Thank you for sharing!

 

[Backtolifemassage]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do the math for me! I have 230 gallons. I have neglected testing and discovered that my magnesium is 930. I supplemented with red sea and brought it up to 1000. I found your calculator. I inputted my information and it pops up with an error. I inputted different values that are close to the target but still get the same error. It basically reads that the system isn’t comfortable with the supplemental value. Thank you in advance.

 

[subodhs]

I was sort of on the fence about it, and I do realize it may not be the right approach. But I have also seen that when the numbers are way off, like needing more than 1200 ml of any solution, it is better to err on the side of caution. Was the test result accurate? Do you really need to pour in more than 1.2L of a solution? Have you double-checked that your Magnesium is that low? What are the other (Ca, Alk) values?

You can also avoid the error by targeting a lower value first. If you/the community feel this check should be bypassed, I can remove the limit check.
In the meantime, here's how you can circumvent it: Choose a Custom target concentration, such as 1250 ppm of Magnesium, and see what dose you need to go from 1150. I would probably also look for advice from experts here (@Randy Holmes-Farley ?). I'm quite sure there has to be a maximum Magnesium raise cap per day, too.

Let me know how it goes @Backtolifemassage

 

[subodhs]

Hey again @Backtolifemassage !

I’ve had a change of heart and decided to take off the training wheels on the calculator! The limits are gone, so now you’ll get your dose results without the error. That said, I’m still erring on the side of caution with a friendly warning at the bottom of calculations—you know, just in case pouring in a small ocean of supplements isn't the best idea.

Feel free to try it out and let me know if it’s working better for you now. Also, let’s hear from others—did I do a good thing, or am I dancing too close to the reef’s edge here?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do the math for me! I have 230 gallons. I have neglected testing and discovered that my magnesium is 930. I supplemented with red sea and brought it up to 1000. I found your calculator. I inputted my information and it pops up with an error. I inputted different values that are close to the target but still get the same error. It basically reads that the system isn’t comfortable with the supplemental value. Thank you in advance.

It seems far more likely that 930 ppm magnesium is test terror than real. It would take a very long time of dosing a lot of calcium for magnesium to get that low. You’d need to have dosed more than 3700 ppm of calcium over time with no magnesium or water changes.

 

[Backtolifemassage]

I was sort of on the fence about it, and I do realize it may not be the right approach. But I have also seen that when the numbers are way off, like needing more than 1200 ml of any solution, it is better to err on the side of caution. Was the test result accurate? Do you really need to pour in more than 1.2L of a solution? Have you double-checked that your Magnesium is that low? What are the other (Ca, Alk) values?

You can also avoid the error by targeting a lower value first. If you/the community feel this check should be bypassed, I can remove the limit check.
In the meantime, here's how you can circumvent it: Choose a Custom target concentration, such as 1250 ppm of Magnesium, and see what dose you need to go from 1150. I would probably also look for advice from experts here (@Randy Holmes-Farley ?). I'm quite sure there has to be a maximum Magnesium raise cap per day, too.

Let me know how it goes @Backtolifemassage

Thank you! I’m going to go home and retest before I add anything. These are the values from yesterday’s test.

The other screenshot is of my testing 36 days ago. I added tropic marin all for reef that dispenses 45 mL over a 24 hour period. I wonder what is taking up so much magnesium? I have a mixed reef. Mostly frags of lps. Some sps but those look great and are growing just fine.

Thank you all for your help

 

[BetteMidler]

I am liking the calculator. Started using it to bring up my Calcium level. For some reason my Alkalinity is/was high. My question is about the "balanced alkalinity level" for a given calcium level. Do I keep dosing just calcium until I am in the recommended balanced level? It seems the more calcium I dose by itself, the more the alkalinity drops. I am at 390 mg/L calcium after several days dosing after my calcium bottomed out. My alk sitting at 10.2 dKh.

Sept 22nd = 380 mg/L alk at 10.2dKh
~Oct 10th = <300 mg/L (tested it twice) alk above 11dKh
Oct 20th = 390mg/L alk is again 10.2dKh

Never dosed any Alkalinity part, just Calcium Part. Specifically, Seachem Reef Fusion 1
I guess I keep dosing just the calcium & hope the alkalinity will meet the balanced level? Hopefully, they will eventually need dosing together. It is just strange my tank is acting this way, a 40G breeder. I'll try to keep a log of what days I test & dose manually from now on

 

[subodhs]

@BetteMidler , glad to hear you're liking the calculator!

Something feels a bit off here—normally, alkalinity drops faster than calcium as things grow. Is there another source of alkalinity sneaking in? Water changes, or maybe something in the salt mix? Have you tested that recently?

As for the balance, yes, you can keep dosing calcium until it catches up. But what's your magnesium level? Low magnesium can mess with calcium, causing it to precipitate out, which might explain the calcium drop and the high Alk. And don’t forget to double-check the test kit—sometimes fixing a problem that doesn’t exist makes things worse, especially if corals are not showing signs of being stressed!

Let me know what you find—this one’s got me curious!
Also, here's Randy's Calcium and Alkalinity relationship article. It's a good read!

 

[subodhs]

Thank you! I’m going to go home and retest before I add anything. These are the values from yesterday’s test.

The other screenshot is of my testing 36 days ago. I added tropic marin all for reef that dispenses 45 mL over a 24 hour period. I wonder what is taking up so much magnesium? I have a mixed reef. Mostly frags of lps. Some sps but those look great and are growing just fine.

Thank you all for your help

With calcium at 465 ppm, alkalinity at 9.7 dKh, and magnesium at 930 ppm, plus a salinity of 1.022, something’s definitely off. If these numbers were accurate, your tank would likely be in trouble already, with calcium precipitating and other imbalances wreaking havoc.

I’d strongly suggest double-checking the values, especially the salinity first, then magnesium and calcium. It might be a good idea to retest with a different kit or take a sample to your local fish store for confirmation. A wrong test result can send you chasing problems that aren’t really there!

Let me know what you find, and good luck!

 

[BetteMidler]

@BetteMidler , glad to hear you're liking the calculator!

Something feels a bit off here—normally, alkalinity drops faster than calcium as things grow. Is there another source of alkalinity sneaking in? Water changes, or maybe something in the salt mix? Have you tested that recently?

As for the balance, yes, you can keep dosing calcium until it catches up. But what's your magnesium level? Low magnesium can mess with calcium, causing it to precipitate out, which might explain the calcium drop and the high Alk. And don’t forget to double-check the test kit—sometimes fixing a problem that doesn’t exist makes things worse, especially if corals are not showing signs of being stressed!

Let me know what you find—this one’s got me curious!
Also, here's Randy's Calcium and Alkalinity relationship article. It's a good read!

Sorry for side tracking the subject at hand. For one, I don't have any Corals besides a recently added Gorgonia. Serious Aiptasia issue.

Goal is to stabilize the water parameters long term. I noticed my Coraline growth fluctuates. Hopefully, I can get that to take off consistently.

I did do a 15% water change with Nyos salt the other day before testing the day after.

I'll just go with dosing the calcium for now & be a bit more consistent with testing. The tank is over a year old now. I recently ran all my salifert test against freshly mixed Nyos salt & they match close to the bucket label, but the tank has higher Alk & considerably lower calcium. Tank magnesium measures 1280.

I've had previous tanks that simply were a bit easier to see the alk drop along with the calcium. I just found it strange my Alk is consistently high for a couple months now without dosing the alk part.

 

[Backtolifemassage]

Thank you! I’m going to go home and retest before I add anything. These are the values from yesterday’s test.

The other screenshot is of my testing 36 days ago. I added tropic marin all for reef that dispenses 45 mL over a 24 hour period. I wonder what is taking up so much magnesium? I have a mixed reef. Mostly frags of lps. Some sps but those look great and are growing just fine.

Thank you all for your help

With calcium at 465 ppm, alkalinity at 9.7 dKh, and magnesium at 930 ppm, plus a salinity of 1.022, something’s definitely off. If these numbers were accurate, your tank would likely be in trouble already, with calcium precipitating and other imbalances wreaking havoc.

I’d strongly suggest double-checking the values, especially the salinity first, then magnesium and calcium. It might be a good idea to retest with a different kit or take a sample to your local fish store for confirmation. A wrong test result can send you chasing problems that aren’t really there!

Let me know what you find, and good luck!

Good news! I think my salifert mg was expired. I used a new one and tested at 1275. thank you for your help!