Hey everyone, I'm craving for some advice!! I have a 40 breeder with only softies, lps, and a rbta. To be honest total corals in my tank is about 8 frags. I'm not sure if I should be dosing and testing? I do wc on a regular basis. I don't really like sps and don't really plan on adding them to my build. I'm not sure if I should spend $100 on BRS 2 part and a Red Sea test kit just for what I consider a small reef ATM. Let me know what you guys think. Also I have a very important question. Do anemones use up a lot of these elements? And if there isn't enough of this what happens to the anemone? Do they use just the same amount as lps? Forgot to mention, over a year of keeping this reef, I haven't really seen anything bad happen with my corals, just some growth so far.
Do I Have To Dose??
- Thread starter Jake337
- Start date
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I mix with kent reef salts and do 25 gallon WC on a 180 gallon and levels stay perfect without dosing. I do add in trace elements every week but I do not auto dose them. I have an lps dominant reef but with minimal amount of coral. My corals did color up nicer with the trace elements being added once a week. I think with a good reef salt and regular WC you'll be fine unless your tank is loaded with corals. I never see my Ca, Mg, or Alk change much at all between WC. That's just my experience. I'd do some testing and if you levels are dropping from consumption then look at dosing.
Bectan01
Aquarium Advice Addict
I don't think you need to dose, If your tank is happy and healthy I don't see why you would change what's already working for you. I always thought that only heavily stocked tanks with sps required dosing and even then there are loads of people who still don't. Everything your corals need is in your salt mix 
if you don't have a phosphate test then that would be the only thing I suggest...
if you don't have a phosphate test then that would be the only thing I suggest...I don't think you need to dose, If your tank is happy and healthy I don't see why you would change what's already working for you. I always thought that only heavily stocked tanks with sps required dosing and even then there are loads of people who still don't. Everything your corals need is in your salt mix
+1 on the phosphate test kit. Id save the money for a GFO and carbon reactor if you don't already have one. Makes life much less stressful.
carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yep, with your stock I wouldnt be dosing either. Just do your weekly water changes and the salt mix will replenish any elements that your corals consume.
Holygral
Aquarium Advice FINatic
99% of all reefer do not need to dose, you dose ph buffer you throw your Alk off, now you add another chemical to adjust the Alk and on and on, My 125 has been up 5 years and I have never dosed anything, do regular WC and you will be successful. PH can run between 7.8-8.3 and if it gets low, get fresh air into your house. Xenia's , crabs and others critters that some say need to dose iodine, totally not necessary, I dose nothing and have to kill an LR or 2 loaded with Xenia's to keep them in check, WC are your friend
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