Are you dosing trace elements in your tank?

[Gumbies R Us]

Alright, so this is a question I have had for a while. I have never once dosed trace elements, nor have I really considered dosing them before. Maybe it is because I don't fully understand trace elements, or fully understand their importance? However, I do see some people dosing them, and their tanks look incredible. My question for all of you is, are you dosing trace elements? Do you find that something more reefers should do, or do you not find it important to dose trace elements?

 

[Matt L]

I do because I have to. My display tank is highly concentrated with sps colonies and has an algae scrubber. I don’t recommend dosing trace to try to enhance something, especially in a newer tank. Regular maintenance will work for most tanks until the coral grow out. Save your money for salt.

 

[DJF]

I hadn’t for the longest time but after I started I haven’t looked back. I don’t dose individually but rather the Tropic a & k combo. If you keep acros, it matters more & took mine from surviving to thriving. Since dosing I’m more prone to cyano but, even with that, the positives outweigh the negatives.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I use RMS so yes, quite a lot. I would NOT begin dosing single trace elements unless you get an ICP first. There are some general products that have a lot of traces in it that would be a better choice vs. single elements.

Monthly after an ICP, I usually have to correct a couple of things with Potassium, Fluoride, Nickel, Zinc and Molybdenum being the most common. Periodically will need to up Strontium, Rubidium, Boron, Bromide and Barium.

This is my daily. Takes 5 mins tops to add.

Manganese - 20mL/day
Iodine - 1 mL/day
Chromium - 2.5mL/day
Cobalt - 1.5mL/day
Iron - 20 mL/day
Copper - 0.5 mL/day
Vanadium - 1 drop SATURDAY
Selenium - 1.0 mL/day
Fluoride - 25mL/day
Molybdenum - 15mL/day
Potassium - 15mL/day
AMINOS - 10mL/day
MUD - 1mL/day
Vitamins - 1 dropper/day

 

[NanoSteam]

I haven't and don't plan on it... just whatever is included in AFR and is refreshed by weekly 10% water changes. I don't plan on going down the ICP rabbit hole and don't like the idea of dosing something blindly.

 

[Hishman]

Get an ICP test first to establish if you need to or not. Livestock and WC interval will determine if you’re not replacing elements as quickly as they are being consumed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I do via AFR and via ammonia dosing.

I also occasionally add others as I think may be useful, such as silicate and some to boost my new salt water which may be deficient in a couple (nickel and molybdate).

 

[vlangel]

I haven't and don't plan on it... just whatever is included in AFR and is refreshed by weekly 10% water changes. I don't plan on going down the ICP rabbit hole and don't like the idea of dosing something blindly.

I am similar to @nanostream. I was using AFR and 10% water changes weekly but a couple of weeks ago I switched from AFR to Sea Lab #28 and still doing the weekly water change. I am adding a few SPS and some of my LPS are getting to be sizable colonies so I figured my alk and calcium usage are probably going up but I don't test. Supposedly Sea Lab# 28 you cannot overdose. Hopefully this works well. At the moment my coral have never looked better.

 

[exnisstech]

I haven't and don't plan on it... just whatever is included in AFR and is refreshed by weekly 10% water changes. I don't plan on going down the ICP rabbit hole and don't like the idea of dosing something blindly.

Thanks nanosteam. Saved me some typing.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I haven't and don't plan on it... just whatever is included in AFR and is refreshed by weekly 10% water changes. I don't plan on going down the ICP rabbit hole and don't like the idea of dosing something blindly.

I have 2 nanos that I do the same with. AFR + bi-weekly water changes.

 

[waterbox_joe]

Alright, so this is a question I have had for a while. I have never once dosed trace elements, nor have I really considered dosing them before. Maybe it is because I don't fully understand trace elements, or fully understand their importance? However, I do see some people dosing them, and their tanks look incredible. My question for all of you is, are you dosing trace elements? Do you find that something more reefers should do, or do you not find it important to dose trace elements?

In my experience I use Red Sea coral pro salt because I’m lazy and it contains elevated levels. With that I dose 80 ml’s of all for reef by tropic Marin and the tank looks awesome. Stability of trace elements ensures that corals are receiving what they need to consistently grow.

 

[waterbox_joe]

I haven't and don't plan on it... just whatever is included in AFR and is refreshed by weekly 10% water changes. I don't plan on going down the ICP rabbit hole and don't like the idea of dosing something blindly.

Thanks nanosteam. Saved me some typing.

I agree with this

 

[rayadog]

I have a general all encompassing korallen-zucht product that gets added occassionally. Or red sea colors if I need to adjust calcium. But I’m not worried regardless. No ICP. It’s not a big concern; depends on length between water changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Supposedly Sea Lab# 28 you cannot overdose. Hopefully this works well. At the moment my coral have never looked better.

That’s not accurate. It’s a seriously flawed product. It should not even take a test to show that cannot possibly be true, but someone recently found it to not be true when they tested it.

It merely dissolves, whether you need those things released or not.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I use RMS so yes, quite a lot. I would NOT begin dosing single trace elements unless you get an ICP first. There are some general products that have a lot of traces in it that would be a better choice vs. single elements.

Monthly after an ICP, I usually have to correct a couple of things with Potassium, Fluoride, Nickel, Zinc and Molybdenum being the most common. Periodically will need to up Strontium, Rubidium, Boron, Bromide and Barium.

This is my daily. Takes 5 mins tops to add.

Manganese - 20mL/day
Iodine - 1 mL/day
Chromium - 2.5mL/day
Cobalt - 1.5mL/day
Iron - 20 mL/day
Copper - 0.5 mL/day
Vanadium - 1 drop SATURDAY
Selenium - 1.0 mL/day
Fluoride - 25mL/day
Molybdenum - 15mL/day
Potassium - 15mL/day
AMINOS - 10mL/day
MUD - 1mL/day
Vitamins - 1 dropper/day

Good point! I only ever did one ICP test, but it did help me realize I had rust leaching into my tank due to a sandwich clip.

 

[ColorMeGone]

I used to dose Fuel but stopped since I didn't see any changes in Coral health.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I haven't and don't plan on it... just whatever is included in AFR and is refreshed by weekly 10% water changes. I don't plan on going down the ICP rabbit hole and don't like the idea of dosing something blindly.

That's how I got mine was because of AFR. Also used AFR becuase I was too scared to dose kalk and other stuff, haha.

 

[sgdnycct]

Alright, so this is a question I have had for a while. I have never once dosed trace elements, nor have I really considered dosing them before. Maybe it is because I don't fully understand trace elements, or fully understand their importance? However, I do see some people dosing them, and their tanks look incredible. My question for all of you is, are you dosing trace elements? Do you find that something more reefers should do, or do you not find it important to dose trace elements?

In my experience I use Red Sea coral pro salt because I’m lazy and it contains elevated levels. With that I dose 80 ml’s of all for reef by tropic Marin and the tank looks awesome. Stability of trace elements ensures that corals are receiving what they need to consistently grow.

Same here with no water changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Same here with no water changes.

IMO, water changes get credit for boosting trace elements when in reality, they cannot possibly keep up with those that are rapidly depleted, unless the salt mix has vastly more of those elements than the target level. If iron or manganese deplete in a few days, how could a small water change once every couple of weeks actually maintain it?

But the big offsetting addition of trace elements that really gets no love are foods. Foods add far more of many trace elements than do typical water changes.

 

[vlangel]

That’s not accurate. It’s a seriously flawed product. It should not even take a test to show that cannot possibly be true, but someone recently found it to not be true when they tested it.

It merely dissolves, whether you need those things released or not.

Oh ok Randy, I had seen a post of another reef keeper on here that has beautiful tanks, so that was the basis of my switch. That and a lot of old time reef keepers used it. Based on what you are telling me, I wont recommend it anymore but I probably will finish up the box as it is not cheap. I can alternate between it and AFR every other week.