Isol8-MT (custom mix) & Kalkwasser

[Moe K]

I have been working on a kalkwasser to trace element dosing ratio for quite a while and I have finally narrowed down the dosage with a custom mixed version of Isol8 MT by Captiv8 to supply a handful of traces on one doser. This is specific to my system with no refugium or macro algae. You can try it at your own risk but thought I would put it out there as I have not found a good all around solution to dosing trace elements with correlating ratio to kalkwasser. There is still a bit to be desired but it covers iodine and iron which was my main focus at least for my system. Video clip of my corals at the end.

Here are the elements present in Isol8 MT

• Iodide
• Molybdenum
• Nickel
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Selenium
• Vanadium
• Iron
• Copper
• Cobalt

My initial problem with the standard Isol8 MT was that it was overdosing iodine above comfortable levels while still having most all elements undetectable in ICP testing. After a few short emails to Chris Wood he pointed me in the direction of making my own easy DIY Isol8 MT solution with only 10% of the iodine. Roughly $80 and nearly a decades worth for my 80g reef by my calculations .

This is all trial and error for my specific system and there may be tweaks needed in the amount of Iodine but so far so good.

Here is how I made the lower concentration Iodine Isol8 MT

The Mix: : 250ml Hexad, 50ml Triad and at least 53ml of Isol8 I.

I like to start by putting in 600ml of RODI water in the container first to keep elements from precipitating. Then put 250ml of Hexad, then 50ml of Triad, and finally the 53ml of Isol8 I. Make sure to top off the solution to a full 1 liter with RODI exactly. Recommended to use a magnetic stirrer.

This will make a full strength version of Isol8 MT with only 10% of the original in iodine.

In it's original form Isol8 MT is SUPER DUPER potent. To prepare for more reasonable dilution for dosing I then make 1/100 strength by mixing 10ml of Isol8 MT to 1 liter of RODI.

My final results for dosing ratio to kalkwasser is for every 100ml of kalkwasser dosed per day I dose 2ml of the custom (Diluted) Isol8 MT. If I find any elements increasing higher than desired I will drop it down to 1.5ml per 100ml kalk.

Disclamer for anyone that wants to try this method:
I am not a chemist or marine biologist.
If you wish to try this I suggest starting at 1.5ml per 100ml of kalk and test, test, test. This has all been trial and error on my part. If you decide to try this your results may vary and I would not attempt this method unless you do an icp test before dosing the traces to get a baseline and at least once every 2 weeks for the first couple months. My ratio should get you close and is better than just a blind recommendation.

If you run a refugium you can always skip the custom mix of Isol8 MT and just dilute 10ml to 1 liter of RODI water to the original Isol8 MT. The ratio to kalkwasser will be the same but you run the risk of overdosing Iodine. Keep in mind I was 10x the safe limit of Iodine with the default solution for comparison. I tested with multiple icp companies to confirm and a home Red Sea iodine test kit just to make sure.

It is not a complete trace element package but it has gotten me close to keeping mainly molybdenum, nickel, vanadium, iodine and iron in good levels. Some other elements (zinc, manganese, copper, cobalt) are still low on my last ICP test but dosing more will elevate (potential overdose) the others gradually. I mainly stopped at this level to keep a good buffer between monthly water changes and even if other elements are low on ICP testing, they are still present for biological uptake. Some is better than none.

About my system:
I have been running my tank on only kalkwasser and trace element dosing for several months now. I run a custom kalk reactor with BRS Pharma Kalk. I try to maintain monthly 20% water changes. Filtration consists of a roller mat, protein skimmer, and carbon dosing. No refugium with macro algae.
I will cap my kalkwasser dosing at 2,000ml per day which I am currently at and will continue extra supplementation with All For Reef as the demand increases.

The only downside about kalkwasser is that it has zero trace elements and without adding some form of trace elements you will be deficient rapidly. Oddly I could not find much if any information on a good dosing ration for traces to kalkwasser so here it is. Another option would be to try Tropic Marin's A and K trace elements. I am not sure if those can be mixed to put on one doser so if anyone knows please chime in. Also if you have another method that is simpler (not consuming 8 dosing heads of different traces) please feel free to comment.

I leave you with a short video clip of my reef tank. Tank is still young and acros were just nubs not too long ago. Things are going so well I bought about 5 new acros 2 weeks ago. I will try and post some before and after pics in another comment when I have more time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just as an FYI, I don't think it is optimal to tie trace element dosing to alk and calcium, but there are commercial trace element supplements that do so (e.g., Red Sea), and so knowing how much of those to dose based on the kalkwasser used is straightforward.

I'd also question this assertion:

"The only downside about kalkwasser is that it has zero trace elements and without adding some form of trace elements you will be deficient rapidly. "

Some things may certainly get depleted rapidly (e.g., iron), but trace elements come from both foods and water changes, so one should not assume they necessarily get depleted without supplements.

 

[Moe K]

Red Sea Trace Colors is a nice option but the number 1 reason I see others pass it by (myself included) is the need for multiple dosing heads unless you want to keep up with all that by hand daily/weekly.

I chose Isol8 MT for its simplicity even though it does not cover as much but the results have been great regardless. The next best or better option I could see is using Tropic Marin's A and K trace supplements.

With all that said I am sure you can get closer to optimum numbers with the supplements split like Red Sea traces but just basing on the my reef philosophy that some is better than none the other more simple options will work just fine.

 

[Moe K]

A few photos of some growth. Sorry for the inconsistent angles and color variance. Also don't mind any of the BA or aiptasia you see . Sadly I never took an old photo of some of the fastest growing corals.

Its really been taking off the last month and a half. Now I have some better reference photos it should be interesting 6 months from now.

 

[JM302]

I really want to try this - one question though. When I dilute the Isol8 into RO/DI and mix with a magnetic stirrer - do I have to worry about the isol8 settling in the mixture as it sits in a dosing container for a month or so?

 

[Moe K]

It has not settled any in my container since I mixed it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I really want to try this - one question though. When I dilute the Isol8 into RO/DI and mix with a magnetic stirrer - do I have to worry about the isol8 settling in the mixture as it sits in a dosing container for a month or so?

Fully dissolved chemicals, as in two part systems, do not settle .