Captiv8, low Flourine, and water changes...

[IPT]

This a pretty broad and convoluted question with multiple moving parts. In essence I am using the Captiv8 program but have chronically low Flourine (.64mg/l per the last ICP, .66mg/l the time before). I spoke to Chris at Captiv8 and he believes it all stems from Salt mix (I'm using Instant ocean and only mix 15 gallons at a time).

In the spreadsheet I add volume to the MDS (Master dosing solution) via the Purple tab recommendations (slated as corrective and addressing depletion for the determined time frame) but my F hasn't budged (ATI ICP-ME testing).

I guess I am just frustrated that the F is so low and not coming up. I might skip the WC's for a few weeks and see if that changes anything. For sure I can see my blues are not as good as they had been in the past when the F was in range.

Anyone else using the Captiv8? Are your levels coming up and staying up as expected with MDS solution based on the spreadsheet? What else am I overlooking or missing? Open to thoughts and suggestions.


I should add that I used to use tropic Marin A and K with great results (fairly immediately the blues and purple in the tank exploded - I think because of it addressed the lacking flourine) but I eventually started getting really elevated Iodine and realized the shotgun approach wasn't going to cut it anymore. Hence the move to Captiv8.

Here is one of the last ICP's (and the Salinity was a little low which I have addressed).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t see a reason to dose fluorine, but while IO is a bit lower in fluorine than some others,,it rapidly gets trapped in calcium carbonate and will drop regardless of the salt mix.

 

[IPT]

I don’t see a reason to dose fluorine, but while IO is a bit lower in fluorine than some others,,it rapidly gets trapped in calcium carbonate and will drop regardless of the salt mix.

Randy, that's interesting that you feel that way. You prompted me to do some searching and reading and there was a thought that at first it will be rapidly depleted until all the receptor sites in the corals, rocks and sand are filled, then it becomes easier to maintain.

I can say anecdotally I noticed a significant color improvement once I started dosing trace elements and I attribute a lot of it to the flourine. I can't say for sure that F was it because I started with a broad trace element product. However, based on my ICP tests it was the lower of them all. Even now, ever since it's dropped and has not come back up I can see a huge difference (less) in the blues.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy, that's interesting that you feel that way. You prompted me to do some searching and reading and there was a thought that at first it will be rapidly depleted until all the receptor sites in the corals, rocks and sand are filled, then it becomes easier to maintain.

I can say anecdotally I noticed a significant color improvement once I started dosing trace elements and I attribute a lot of it to the flourine. I can't say for sure that F was it because I started with a broad trace element product. However, based on my ICP tests it was the lower of them all. Even now, ever since it's dropped and has not come back up I can see a huge difference (less) in the blues.

I started a thread a while back asking for folks who started fluoride dosing to chime in with experiences. As I recall, about half saw no effect and among those who did, there was no agreement what that effect was. Given that and the way that fluorine just chemically gets into calcium carbonate that is depositing, and that fluoride is rarely used for anything biochemically (and not known at all in corals) leads me to be very skeptical of any real benefit.