Let's Talk Trace Elements

[rcpiv93]

My ProClear200 is about to hit the 6-month mark. I have been dosing AFR since I started adding coral. Over the last two months, I have started doing regular ICP tests. Most things are right where they should be. However, I always bottom out on Iron and Manganese. As a result, I've added Brightwell Ferrion and Captiv8 manganese. These are in addition to biweekly water changes (15%) and the AFR that I've always added.

Now, here's my question. I currently dose manually but just purchased a four-head dosing pump. One line will be for AFR, another for Acropower, and the third and fourth are up for grabs. I plan to use the third line for Ferrion, but I do not know what to do about the manganese. The dose is so small (four drops per day) and I don't know how to automate this. Can I add this to my AFR? If so, how do I know what the ration should be? Otherwise, is there a less concentrated additive that you would recommend?

Having said all of this, I know that Julian Sprung has an Iron Concentrate that also includes manganese. However, my sulfur levels tend to be high, and the Iron Concentrate uses iron sulfate. Would this be a problem? Is sulfur that big of a deal? What do you guys think?

Here's a video from this morning, just to show you what I'm working with:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Iron and manganese deplete quite fast, and I dose them in addition to the low doses of AFR that I need for alk. I dose it manually once a week. Once or twice a week is plenty.

There’s zero sulfate concern from any trace element. The amounts are vanishingly small.

You can add iron and manganese to AFR.

 

[SandNRocks]

Iron and manganese deplete quite fast, and I dose them in addition to the low doses of AFR that I need for alk. I dose it manually once a week. Once or twice a week is plenty.

There’s zero sulfate concern from any trace element. The amounts are vanishingly small.

You can add iron and manganese to AFR.

how would you add iron/manganese to afr? And any specific products? Icp said my manganese and iron were 0 and I have afr on a dosing pump. It’d be super convenient for me to be able add small amounts of both just to keep levels detectable. Thanks

 

[gbroadbridge]

Implementation is left as an exercise for the reader :-)

Honestly, I'd just dose weekly ...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

how would you add iron/manganese to afr? And any specific products? Icp said my manganese and iron were 0 and I have afr on a dosing pump. It’d be super convenient for me to be able add small amounts of both just to keep levels detectable. Thanks

There are diy in the diy thread. I use ferrous gluconate and manganese gluconate. Should be ok in AFR, but I dose them separately.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

how would you add iron/manganese to afr? And any specific products? Icp said my manganese and iron were 0 and I have afr on a dosing pump. It’d be super convenient for me to be able add small amounts of both just to keep levels detectable. Thanks

What type of icp? Not all can detect natural levels.

 

[SandNRocks]

What type of icp? Not all can detect natural levels.

Ati.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Which one? ATI uses ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Only the latter can readily quantify some trace elements such as iron at natural levels.

Labs - ATI North America

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[drtechno]

I am using Triton so that looks like ICP-OES? Is the ATI ICP test better? I am struggling to get the manganese dose off of zero using. Julian Sprungs Iron Concentrate at the recommended dose (40cc to a 225g system weekly). Should I be coming up on this dosage or am I risking overdosing the iron in seeking to raise the manganese levels?

As an aside, can I add any of these into the soda ash, calcium chloride or brs (chl+sulf) magnesium two parts solutions to simplify dosing?