True Tank Volume & Dosing

The bottle says 1 tsp. per 10 gallons etc. So you have a 30 gallon or 100 gallon tank and you dose 3 tsp. or 10 tsp. Correct??? I think wrong. I measured my tank which is a 75 gallon. But the actual inside dimensions are a bit less. This alone would not throw off the bottle instructions but what aquascaping you add to the tank will. After adding gravel, rocks and driftwood; my true tank volume drops from 75 to about 58 gallons. Another word for it is called displacement.

So if your tank is 3 to 4 inches depth; then you need to subtract this displacement and your best calculated guess on the rest such as rock and driftwood, to come up with a reasonable figure on just how many gallons of water you have. Don't forget to add your sump volume (if you have one) to your true tank volume.
Now how many are dosing (whatever) and overdosing and wasteing their money? Your thoughts?

 

Good morning,

You've brought up some very good points. For my tanks, I simply dose according to my stated tank size and additional wet/dry filter water. I'd rather add a bit too much water conditioner than not enough.

Ken

 

That makes sense. Though I don't really think it matters if you dose a little too much. Most everything you put in a tank isn't harmful if you put a little too much in. Now, for certain meds, I can see where that might come into play.

 

Right,
Medications dosed too much may cause a problem. When I had a reef and was dosing copper in my quarantine tank, the warning was there.

 

I dose water conditioner to tank size. Using Prime a little extra just gives me a boost when I've stirred up to gravel.

I dose dry ferts based on my plants. If deficiencies are noticed, that one component is increased. If signs of overdosing then I cut back.

The few times I have needed meds I used a QT that was bare, so no displacement to account for.