I should have added - the pros with the auto-doser of a two part method are that the first part, alk, is dirt cheap and available at any local grocery store in the form of arm and hammer baking soda. Depending on how much I spill, I can make about 3 gallons of alk solution with one of the standard size boxes, and that lasts me around 2 months.
It takes a little more pre-planning if you want to buy bulk calcium, but if you do, bulk anhydrous calcium chloride is relatively cheap. In a pinch a large tin of Kent's turbo calcium isn't really that much money for long it lasts.
cons - if you do it wrong, you can end up over-dosing your two part and cause all sorts of precipitation problems in your tank that can fry your pumps. Also, the doser doses at the rate you set it, so it's up to you to check semi-regularly to make sure the consumption demand in your tank hasn't changed. Adding new corals, sudden growth spurts, or stress that causes growth rates to slow all need to be kept on top of to prevent wild swings in alkalinity.
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02-10-2013, 08:12 PM
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