importance of trace elements while growing SPS corals?

[rushbattle]

I agree. It's far more important to have stable values and the correct balance between alk and calcium.

7.5.dkh - 414ppm
8dkh - 417ppm
8.5dkh - 421ppm
9dkh - 424ppm
9.5dkh - 428ppm

(Google alk calcium calculators)

If having the exact concentration of Ca in the water was actually important as you state, we’d all be screwed because none of the hobby test kits come close to being able to tell even the difference between the lowest and highest values you give. Please try to give good and reasonable advice.

Now if you are just saying that Ca should be around 420ppm, I’d say that’s a fine target but there are so many examples of reefs with higher and lower concentrations that grow coral very well, I’d say you are misguided in that assertion as well.

 

[Greatreefer]

hello,

Sorry I don’t know how to quote the quote box for your questions so I will just start there . Thank you as well it’s been an interesting journey for sure.

1.) low nutrient is when your running nitrates and phospahates either at zero or very close to it. The ecosystem needs some nutrients to feed on and if there isn’t they simply starve. So for example if you have super low nitrates and phosphates but dose your alk Huber than 9 and calcium higher than 440, they tend not to color up as well or grow as well because there is lack of food and nutrients in the system, the water is tooo clean. Now granted some have found certain spots and are able to. Whats tricky is nobodies system is the same. Example 98% of all corals only need 200 par to grow and show their colors. When corals go brown it’s simply a parameter is off that it doesn’t like. Many times all of my coral do great and one doesn’t. Makes it harder to find what it doesn’t like (usually 1 by 1 step method works). But anyway when using a low nutrient system of you keep the alk and cal at the normal levels or tad lower then they thrive more. Another point is leds are a focused light. You may try turning them down 10% and see if there are any changes then obviously adjust where necessary. In a low nutrient system usually magnesium is still around 1390 but changes to like 1340 for lps sps and 1300 roughly for mixed reef.

2.) the redsea nopox is designed to lower po3 and Po4 aka nitrates and phosphates. So for example my tank is 240 gallons and I have 13 fish (five are tangs, 6 green chromies, bellus angle and a clown fish). I also have a very full reef, at one point I was changing up to 80 gallons a week because my nitrates would go to 20ppm. Now I have no idea why i
Haven’t figured that out yet, (can’t be feeding I feed five frozen cubes once a day for 13 fish), I use just coral reef food (it’s a fine powder but works pretty good (name is coral reef food it’s in a little bag). Some times twice a week sometimes once week depends). But I use an eye drop to feed each one, so again 160 gallons in two weeks every two weeks is over 50%. Plus I used filter socks, skimmer and fiber pads to catch left over. It wasn’t fun and my sps didn’t like the higher nitrates but the rest of the tank loved it. So instead of doing that I went to the nopox and it keeps it in check.
Nopox is I guess similar to gfo or vodka dosing per say, but there are some catches to it. First off even redsea clearly states on page 6 that once you start you basicslly can’t stop. You can go down to the minimum, and then maybe lower that once a week. But generally you will make your corals become addicted to it. So by stopping it suddenly will definitely kill them but even after time corals May have what we call withdrawal symptoms. It’s like alcohol in some cases and other like benzodiazepines, prednisone, opioids etc. one can ween off of it, but still suffer withdrawal symptoms for life. I have attempted to actually very slowly ween my tank off, two things happened quickly, nitrates went up and my corals went very upset. So something to strongly consider if you do. As long as you do the min for your water volume your fine. You can skip a day as well but I would not suggest two etc. it’s 30 for the bottle but lasts me a good six months where as water changes I was close to 150-200 so it’s cheaper and easier also (for me since a five gallon water jug is half my weight at 45 pounds roughly) carring 12 of those is no fun.

3 and 4 the instructions are better thrown away they are terrible. It took me awhile to figure it out also and I work in the medical field lol. But in short its based on calcium find out how many grams you dose a day and convert that to ml and your set. I have never had much luck in chasing numbers or extreme testing. I’m sure they make a test somewhere but haven’t seen one. I use the crappy api and they are close enough they work. Point to consider it’s been shown in scientific studies and papers that super stable systems actually weaken coral. The more your tank swings (not a lot) the better. If I go from an 8 to 7 alk that’s fine going to 6 or 9 or higher not so much. You want the tank to have some minor changes or swings it builds up the immunity of your corals and fish as well.

I feed just some cheap reef food it’s called coral reef food (literally lol). It’s like 5.99 st my lfs. They finally sell reef roids so may try that for the giggles. If you have more questions by all means ask and thanks for the compliments.

Cheers
Sarah

Sarah, Thanks for the info on NOPOX. Luckily I dont have corals that are "addicted" yet.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Low 8’s is not low dkh for an sps tank. There isn’t really a reason to have dKh higher than 8.5, and if one does one should have higher nutrient levels to support the possible increased growth from those high of levels.

Unless faster growth is a primary goal.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How many here dose trace elements into your systems?
The reason I ask is , I've been having problems keeping the colors of the SPS corals vibrant and I'm wondering if there is a correlation between these trace elements and the coloration of the corals?

IMO, the easiest way to answer, short of detailed ICP testing followed by careful dosing of individual elements, is to try a mixed trace element additive for a few weeks and see if it causes any apparent difference in your system.

 

[Reefahholic]

I went from Red Sea Trace Program ABCD, then used their Skeletal Elements to replace B + Trace AB, now I dropped Red Sea all-together for ESV B-Ionic which makes it CRAZY easy and best results I've seen yet.

Although ESV buffer does have major, minor, and trace elements. Some of these will be consumed over time in a acropora dominated system and need to be supplemented. Unless you're doing huge water changes.