Easy Reefer® Series: A Simpler System for New Reef Keepers
Introduction
A simpler dosing routine sounds like it has to leave something out.
Fewer bottles, the thinking goes, must mean fewer elements reaching your corals.
The manufacturer's Aqua Care Guide™ describes Easy Reefer® differently. The line combines the products of Step 3 – Aragonite Enhancers™ and Step 4 – Bioactive Color Elements™ into two bottles: Easy E™ and Easy Z™.
Between them, those two bottles carry calcium and alkalinity, plus magnesium, strontium, potassium, iodine, boron and a range of metals.
In this article, we break down what each bottle supplies, how to dose and test it, what you give up for the simplicity, and when it fits a new reef tank.
What Is the Easy Reefer® Series?
Easy Reefer is one of three product lines the Aqua Care Guide offers for dosing Steps 3 and 4. The other two are the separate Reef Essential® products and Reef Essential® Signature Series™.
The Guide says Easy Reefer is designed to simplify the aquarium keeping experience. It's for keepers who have minimal cabinet space or limited time, or who simply want two products that provide the major, minor and trace parameters.
Both bottles are based on typical uptake ratios. When you dose for calcium or alkalinity, the manufacturer says the other elements in that bottle rise with it.
Easy Reefer changes only how Steps 3 and 4 are dosed. You still start from Step 1 – Environmental Parameters™, your salt and water, and you still run Step 2 – Algae & Nutrient Control™ and Step 5 – Bioavailable Nourishment™.
For how it compares with the other two lines, see Which Quantum Saltwater Line Is Right for You?
What Easy E™ and Easy Z™ Each Supply
Dosed side by side, the two bottles work as two-part dosing, with the elements split between them.
Easy E™: Calcium, Magnesium and Metals
Easy E provides calcium along with magnesium, strontium, barium, iron, manganese, vanadium, molybdenum and other minor and trace elements.
The manufacturer describes it as helping to build strong aragonite and enhance coral color.
These are the targets on the manufacturer's Easy E page:
- Calcium: 405–440 ppm
- Magnesium: 1230–1310 ppm
- Strontium: 6–10 ppm
- Iron: about 0.01 ppm
Easy Z™: Alkalinity, Potassium and Halogens
Easy Z provides alkalinity along with potassium, boron and other minor and trace elements. It also carries iodine, bromine and fluorine, the group the manufacturer labels halogens.
Like Easy E, it's made to help build strong aragonite and enhance coral color.
These are the targets on the manufacturer's Easy Z page:
- Alkalinity: 7.4–10.5 dKH
- Potassium: 375–400 ppm
- Iodine: 0.06–0.09 ppm
- Bromine: 55–75 ppm
- Boron: 4.0–6.5 ppm
Magnesium is in Easy E only. Neither bottle covers the full list on its own, which is why the manufacturer pairs them.
How to Dose Easy Reefer®
The Guide gives Easy E and Easy Z the same daily dose, set by how heavily your tank is stocked:
- Lightly stocked: 0.5 mL/day per 100 L (26 gal) of each
- Moderately stocked: 0.75 mL/day per 100 L (26 gal) of each
- Heavily stocked: 1.0 mL/day per 100 L (26 gal) of each
Alternatively, the Guide says to dose as required to maintain the parameters stated on the bottle.
The manufacturer gives a rule of thumb for that. One mL of Easy E per 100 L (26 gal) raises calcium by about 1 ppm, and 1 mL of Easy Z per 100 L (26 gal) raises alkalinity by about 0.1 dKH.
Like the Step 3 and Step 4 products it combines, Easy Reefer is daily dosing that runs for the life of the tank.
Q Tip Break down doses of major, minor and trace elements to help increase efficiency and decrease parameter swings.
What to Test When You Dose Easy Reefer®
The targets on each bottle are your testing list.
The manufacturer's directions are to dose Easy E as required to hold calcium, magnesium, iron and strontium in range. Easy Z is dosed to hold alkalinity, potassium, iodine and boron.
Calcium and alkalinity are the two the manufacturer gives a per-mL rise for.
The bottle ranges are wider than the Guide's Step 3 targets for each type of tank. The Guide gives calcium 420–440 ppm for LPS and soft coral, 430 ppm for a mixed reef and 405–420 ppm for SPS, and the Easy E range covers all three.
The same holds for alkalinity and magnesium. Step 3 Explained lists the Guide's targets for each tank type in full.
The Trade-Off: Less Control Over Single Elements
The Guide is direct about the cost of simplifying. With two bottles, you have less control over individual parameters.
Each bottle moves several elements at once. When you add Easy E to lift calcium, the magnesium, strontium and metals in it rise too.
The formula is built on typical uptake ratios. The Guide notes that the natural biodiversity of each reef means its own uptake ratio can vary slightly.
It names two other causes. Alkalinity can be lost through pH fluctuation, and phosphate can bind calcium. Either can make a test read as though your corals used more than they did, which the Guide calls false uptake.
The trade-off isn't in what the two bottles carry.
It's in how separately you can adjust each element.
For that, the Guide's answer is a top-up, if one is required. Easy Reefer is compatible with Reef Essential and Signature Series, so a single element that runs short can come from one Step 3, Step 4 or Signature Series product.
Step 4 Explained covers the Step 4 color elements in more detail.
Is Easy Reefer® a Good Fit for a New Reef Tank?
It can be. With Easy Reefer, you learn two bottles, one dose table and the targets printed on each.
It isn't the only choice for a new keeper. The Guide matches its lines to how you like to maintain your tank and how much time you have.
A new keeper who wants separate control over each element can start with the Reef Essential Step 3 and Step 4 products instead.
Whichever line you choose, the Guide's advice for every reef keeper applies. Take your time, make small adjustments and keep your husbandry consistent.
You can see both bottles side by side on the Easy Reefer Series page.
Key Takeaways
Here's what to remember about Easy Reefer:
- Easy E and Easy Z combine the Step 3 and Step 4 products into two bottles. Steps 1, 2 and 5 stay the same.
- Easy E carries calcium, magnesium, strontium and metals. Easy Z carries alkalinity, potassium, boron and the halogens.
- Both bottles get the same daily dose: 0.5–1.0 mL/day per 100 L (26 gal) of each, by stocking level, or as required to hold the targets.
- The targets on each bottle are your testing list.
- The trade-off is less control over single elements. A Step 3, Step 4 or Signature Series product can top one up.
- Easy Reefer can suit a first reef tank, but it isn't the only line a new keeper can start with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Easy Reefer® a Two-Part Dosing System?
Yes. Easy E supplies the calcium side and Easy Z the alkalinity side, dosed side by side. Each bottle also carries its own set of minor and trace elements.
What Types of Reef Tanks Is Easy Reefer® Made For?
The manufacturer lists Easy E and Easy Z as suitable for LPS, mixed, SPS and NPS reef tanks.
Is There a Free App to Work Out Easy Reefer® Doses?
Yes. The free Quantum Aqua app works out a dose for your tank from the details you enter. Our dosing app page has the download.
How Much Is a Capful of Easy E™ or Easy Z™?
The manufacturer says a capful is about 10 mL on the 500 mL and 1 L bottles, and about 20 mL on the 5 L bottle. That's well above the daily dose for a 100 L (26 gal) tank.