Switching to Reef Crystals...

[Animal-Chin]

I've considered a doser too but they're a bit pricey. then again i i've dropped like a million dollars into this tank what's another couple of hundred...lol

I have adhd so I like keeping busy so mixing up my alk and calcium every day and doing it manually is actually ok with me. I need stuff to tinker with to keep me sane...ish...lol

 

[jeffaquarius]

I started with FOWLR using regular IO. I then slowly added corals and switched to Reef Crystals. Even then I just can't get the right param without dosing specially calcium. After I started using Kent which is high in calcium, it stayed on high and no dosing. If you prepare different salt mix at same salinity you will know the difference. A pro can say it's no biggy but for some just like me it does matter.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I think in most cases even with some coral, IO works fine. I prefer RC as I have a lot of coral and even then need to dose. But I only do 5% water changes every other week. Those of you that exchange more need less addition supplements, or none at all. In a 500 gallon system, it's cheaper to supplement and do additional filtering in my case.

For example, lets assume saltwater costs at least $4 per gallon to make. A 10% water change every week is about 50 gallons a week, or $20 per week.

I spend 1/4th that or about $5 a week plus about $.25 in supplements. $5.25 per week. Add another buck for electricity to run my algae scrubber and Purigen/bio bead reactors and I am at just over $6 per week.

 

[mr_X]

I wouldn't use IO, simply because it's not as close to NSW as many of the others (allegedly). The worst thing that would happen would be corals don't grow too fast.
I use many different salts as I mentioned earlier, and also have multiple volleyball sized sps colonies and sustain these with 10% weekly water changes. No dosing anything. I do have a decent water volume though, so this may not work with an sps packed nano or 40 breeder (and when I say "sps packed" I do not mean fifteen 1" frags).
It costs me about a bucket of salt a month. My system is set up in such a way that water changes are pretty easy, and I like doing them for the filtration aspect as well.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I wouldn't use IO, simply because it's not as close to NSW as many of the others (allegedly). The worst thing that would happen would be corals don't grow too fast.
I use many different salts as I mentioned earlier, and also have multiple volleyball sized sps colonies and sustain these with 10% weekly water changes. No dosing anything. I do have a decent water volume though, so this may not work with an sps packed nano or 40 breeder (and when I say "sps packed" I do not mean fifteen 1" frags).
It costs me about a bucket of salt a month. My system is set up in such a way that water changes are pretty easy, and I like doing them for the filtration aspect as well.

My fish room is in the basement and carrying 50 pound bags of salt got old ages ago.

We both have volleyball sized SPS corals, but approach it from very slightly different angles. Your way is certainly simpler.