Best Sources for Single-Element Supplements

[Biokabe]

So, across multiple ICP tests, I seem to be chronically low in the same elements:

Iodine
Molybdenum
Manganese
Iron
Vanadium
and, to a lesser extent, Zinc.

I am using a combined trace element supplement (Tropic Marin A-) which is supplying those elements, but even with that they're still quite low. The rest of the elements supplied by that mix seem to be holding at the correct levels or sitting on the high side, so I don't really want to increase the overall dosage just to increase these elements.

So with that said - what are the best products to increase my levels on these elements? By "best," I mean two things. First, they should contain as few "mystery" ingredients as possible. Second, as affordable as possible.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Increasing the TM A and K is likely the easiest without too much risk of overdosing the already good ones (happy to review the ICP).

But beyond that, I would do DIY using mostly food grade supplements from Amazon:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-chemistry-archive.987116

 

[MikeYasin]

So, across multiple ICP tests, I seem to be chronically low in the same elements:

Iodine
Molybdenum
Manganese
Iron
Vanadium
and, to a lesser extent, Zinc.

I am using a combined trace element supplement (Tropic Marin A-) which is supplying those elements, but even with that they're still quite low. The rest of the elements supplied by that mix seem to be holding at the correct levels or sitting on the high side, so I don't really want to increase the overall dosage just to increase these elements.

So with that said - what are the best products to increase my levels on these elements? By "best," I mean two things. First, they should contain as few "mystery" ingredients as possible. Second, as affordable as possible.

Reef Moonshiners and Modern Reef USA are clean

 

[Biokabe]

Increasing the TM A and K is likely the easiest without too much risk of overdosing the already good ones (happy to review the ICP).

But beyond that, I would do DIY using mostly food grade supplements from Amazon:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-chemistry-archive.987116

Here's the ICP in question. https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/5017312c9f52b1edc8cf

I've only been dosing A on its own, no K, and dosing nothing else, other than starting up nitrate dosing again. One word of warning on this ICP - I took the sample on 7/6, but thanks to USPS using the World Cup as an excuse to not do their jobs, I only just got the result back today. I took the samples just before a water change, and since I strongly suspected that I was low on these elements (because I've been low on these elements) I started dosing 3ml/day of Trace A, and am also dosing about 7ml/day of NeoNitro.

When I was dosing A and K, my strontium (and several of the other K elements) were getting pushed up into levels that ATI and other posters here thought were concerning, so that's why I've only been dosing A.

I have already corrected the slightly low salinity shown in the test.

 

[TeeJay87]

This is what I use.

Iodine - Seachem’s Reef Iodide and ideally make it a daily dose and adjust up or down as new ICP data comes in.
Molybdenum - Captiv8 Aquatics
Manganese - DIY Alpha Chemicals brand from Amazon (but I would just add it to your Captiv8 order if going that route)
Iron - Brightwell’s ChaetoGro, but again could go Captiv8
Vanadium - Captiv8
and, to a lesser extent, Zinc. DIY Alpha Chemicals brand from Amazon, but again Captiv8 is easier

You can also get all of these elements from Reef Moonshiners, but they are more expensive. Except for Iodine, Reef Moonshiners recommends Seachem’s Reef Iodide.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This is what I use.

Iodine - Seachem’s Reef Iodide and ideally make it a daily dose and adjust up or down as new ICP data comes in.
Molybdenum - Captiv8 Aquatics
Manganese - DIY Alpha Chemicals brand from Amazon (but I would just add it to your Captiv8 order if going that route)
Iron - Brightwell’s ChaetoGro, but again could go Captiv8
Vanadium - Captiv8
and, to a lesser extent, Zinc. DIY Alpha Chemicals brand from Amazon, but again Captiv8 is easier

You can also get all of these elements from Reef Moonshiners, but they are more expensive. Except for Iodine, Reef Moonshiners recommends Seachem’s Reef Iodide.

I’m not a fan of secret ingredients and do not recommend Seachem Reef Iodide for that reason, as well as them having questionable products and chemistry knowledge. I do not trust their secret stuff.

Reef Iodide™is complexed to a stabilizing compound in order to keep it in the iodide form when added to the aquarium.

 

[dank.reefer]

Increasing the TM A and K is likely the easiest without too much risk of overdosing the already good ones (happy to review the ICP).

But beyond that, I would do DIY using mostly food grade supplements from Amazon:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-chemistry-archive.987116

Here's the ICP in question. https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/5017312c9f52b1edc8cf

I've only been dosing A on its own, no K, and dosing nothing else, other than starting up nitrate dosing again. One word of warning on this ICP - I took the sample on 7/6, but thanks to USPS using the World Cup as an excuse to not do their jobs, I only just got the result back today. I took the samples just before a water change, and since I strongly suspected that I was low on these elements (because I've been low on these elements) I started dosing 3ml/day of Trace A, and am also dosing about 7ml/day of NeoNitro.

When I was dosing A and K, my strontium (and several of the other K elements) were getting pushed up into levels that ATI and other posters here thought were concerning, so that's why I've only been dosing A.

I have already corrected the slightly low salinity shown in the test.

I just use the ATI supplements as they recommended them. It takes the guessing out of it. These are the recommendations from your test.