Modern ReefKeeping

Since deciding that dosing a two part kit was the way I wanted to handle my reef tank, I learned some interesting information:

1) If you dose, doing it slowly is important. If you dose the mixture too quickly corals will go into shock or die.

2) Dosing becomes a chore. It is time consuming but you cannot stop doing it if you want your reef to thrive. And, who does not want that?

3) Just because you dose does not mean that your levels are just going to jump to normal. You have to calculate how much you need to dose to get your levels to normal, and then maintain it. Luckily, there are several different calculators on the Internet that can tell us specifically how much we need to get the desired levels we want.

My Levels

That being said, my levels before doing all of this work were as follows:

Magnesium (Mg) – 1300 ppm
Alkalinity (KH) – 7 dKH
Calcium (Ca) – 370 ppm

It’s important to figure out where your levels are before you dose. That is just common sense, but always worth mentioning. The above readings are not horrible. However, I would like them to be (and stay) at around 1350-1400 ppm, 9-10 dKH, and 430-450 ppm, respectively. If I were to go into how and where I got my desired numbers from, it would take more explaining, citing, and time; so, let us just assume that those are optimal for “me,” and move on.

After figuring what I wanted, I just plugged all information into a calculator. I used the one on Bulk Reef Supply’s (BRS) site. After getting the recommendations needed, to get me to those levels, I dose the recommendation given (slowly, of course) and then maintain it. Simple right?

Consistency is Key

As I said before, dosing our tanks can really get old, quick. A lot of people are onboard with the belief that “consistency” is important in our hobby. I do not just mean consistency as in “I’ll do it tomorrow,” but down to the second if possible. For example, if you are a person that is into physical fitness, you know that your body gets used-to working out at the same time every day. It learns to look forward to it. After awhile, you get the results you want, and you maintain it. I know that sounds peculiar to some, but that is kind of the way I look at dosing. If you dose, I feel that you should dose at the same time, every day. I guess another good example (and probably one that some of us would find easier to relate to) would be when the metal halides in my tank go off for the night… My hippo tang immediately goes and visits my cleaner shrimp. It is really like clockwork! See what mean? So, I feel that it is a good and reliable assumption to feel that “we” are not the only creatures of habit. Our reef worlds are too. Corals like “things” to be as consistent as possible or they will throw a tantrum or die.

Bulk Reef Supply’s 2 Part Peristaltic Dosing Pumps

So, I knew I wanted to dose 2-part and I knew that it would require a lot of time and consistency. It did not take much for me to conclude that I wanted some pumps setup on a timer to dose the 2-part. Why? Well, again, consistency is very important. When lights come on, when you feed your fish, when you do water changes, etc… all are important. Dosing is no exception. I figured that pumps are the way to go.

I called many places and looked at many products. Trust me on this one… Some of the places that I called just made me feel like a “number,” some got overly aggressive and acted like used car salesmen, some tried to sell me on other “gotta-have” items, and some had no idea what I was talking about. I, literally, scoured the Internet sites for information. Information on the Internet is good, but sometimes it is those “colorful anecdotes” that sell me on something, someone, or some company. You know… life experiences that the sales guy has had or heard about. I appreciate the “human element” when I am about to spend some of my hard earned money.

Russ (Bonneville08 on MRK) had told me about BRS in the past. I thought BRS had some nice looking stuff, but their prices were cheaper than most of the reef supplies you see elsewhere. When I first got into this hobby I was told, “You get what you pay for, Leo.” I just assumed that was the way it was. I mean the same holds true for many other aspects of our lives, so why not have that train-of-thought in this hobby, right? Wrong.

I finally built up the courage to call BRS. I got Ryan on the phone and he could tell I was a bit confused about the pumps and dosing. He asked me if I had a few minutes to spare and explained all the intricate details of how reef aquarist could dose their tanks. I remembered him saying, “Well, let me try to explain this in layman’s terms, Leo…” Let me tell you guys something… If that was “layman’s terms,” I would really hate to hear him get technical on me because the guy knew what he was talking about, and communicated it clearly. After getting off the phone with him, I was confident in my purchase with their organization. I not only felt good about the purchase, but I cannot wait to show all my reefin’ buddies what they are missing out on.

Why Peristaltic Pumps?

1. No back siphoning concerns.
2. Pumps are more efficient when pushing rather than pulling.
3. Extremely slow rates can be attained. Perfect for dosing.
4. Long lasting.
5. Energy efficient.
6. Dosing a desired amount is a simple calculation. Increase timer time for more, decrease for less.
7. Other pumps would deliver too fast and crash system.

Finally! The PUMPS!

On August 3rd, I ordered The Total Two Part Package, Recipe 1 and two BRS 2 Part Peristaltic Dosing Pumps. I was going to buy a third pump for the Mg, but Ryan said that it would not be necessary. Ryan had me convinced that their Two Part Package was a great kit to start out with and their peristaltic pumps are designed by a company in Italy that specialize in peristaltic pumps “only.” I have seen a lot of peristaltic pumps in this hobby. I sometimes wonder how people could even buy some of them because some of them are made with cheap, brittle plastic. I told Ryan that “looks” are nowhere near as important to me as quality and he said that I would not be disappointed.

Boy was he right! I got everything on August 6th (that was fast for standard delivery, by the way) and I was like a kid on Christmas.

Well packaged.

Here is everything I ordered. The pumps are on the right.

Here is how the hoses hook up. VERY solid connections!

Side shot.

Another front shot. The clear plastic cover is also heavy duty and helps keep the rollers from becoming misaligned. Not something you see on most peristaltic pumps.

Mounting is as simple as screwing this bracket in place. This bracket makes it extremely easy to service the unit when needed.

Here are the pumps in place. I know they are a little crooked, but it is hard to get under my tank with the sump in the way. The instructions say that the pumps must be mounted like this, but you have 15 degrees of play.

All of the hose is included with the pumps. There’s the stiffer line, similar to the stuff you see on RO/DI units, and the flexible airline tubing that most of us have a roll of in the utility drawer.
Testing It Out

The instructions were pretty clear, but I will explain what I did:

1. I mixed up all of the solutions that came and plugged one of the pumps into my timer.
2. I let the line fill with solution. (Took awhile, at 1.1 mL/min.).
3. Set the timer for 10 mins. and let it drip into a measuring cup.
4. After timer shut off the pump, measured what was in the cup. (I had 10 mL).
5. Plug that number into your calculations for attaining, and maintaining levels.

Simple as that! My “maiden run” is going on right now, as I’m typing this. At around 9AM, I’ll test my parameters to see if they have climbed at all. It takes a little bit to get calibrated, but once set, I’m set!

I plan on posting some follow-ups in the future.

Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions!