Red Sea Trace elements

Treefer32

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I've been doing 10 ml per week of Red Sea Trace Elements A, B, C, and D. I've been dosing up to 30 ml a week of Red Sea Trace element Potassium + as I've red Potassium isn't necessarily toxic at high levels. So, I dose more of that than the iodine+ and iron+ etc.

Without trying to use a hobby grade test kit to measure trace elements, how do I know if 10 ml a week is sufficient in 350 gallons of salt water at 1.025 - 1.026 ppt? Just curious if there's an easy way other than shipping off for an ICP test. I did one in January before dosing trac elements and I was only using IO salt and the ICP test revealed 0 beneficial trace elements. My corals are doing amazing since dosing them and just don't want to be playing with fire. Just stick with what I'm doing if it's working?
 

Jekyl

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I wouldn't be dosing anything without testing for it.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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The only ways to gauge trace element dosing are by aquarium observation or ICP testing.

FWIW, normal IO has as many trace elements as most salt mixes, but water changes likely do not maintain the faster depleting ones such as iron or manganese.
 

Jekyl

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Salifert and red sea offer some tests for trace elements also.
 

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The only one I'm aware of is iron, and it cannot be detected at anything close to natural levels.
They have strontium and iodine from salifert. Not sure on red sea but advertised as trace tests
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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They have strontium and iodine from salifert. Not sure on red sea but advertised as trace tests

OK, I see the issue. Strontium is not a trace element by definition, and iodine is not by some definitions and I was not counting it.

Anything above 1 ppm is not a trace element. Iodine can be considered a minor element or a trace element.
 

Jekyl

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OK, I see the issue. Strontium is not a trace element by definition, and iodine is not by some definitions and I was not counting it.

Anything above 1 ppm is not a trace element. Iodine can be considered a minor element or a trace element.
shooting star GIF
 

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What are you using to dose calcium? You can dose by calcium uptake per the directions. Or slightly under dose the recommendation until you get some ICP results back to make sure you're close to target. If you're using Randys 2-part mix/BRS 2-part you dose 1ml for every 51ml of 2-part dosed (approximately 20ppm of calcium uptake).
If you have not seen this thread from BRS. Check it out for reference.

 
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Treefer32

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What are you using to dose calcium? You can dose by calcium uptake per the directions. Or slightly under dose the recommendation until you get some ICP results back to make sure you're close to target. If you're using Randys 2-part mix/BRS 2-part you dose 1ml for every 51ml of 2-part dosed (approximately 20ppm of calcium uptake).
If you have not seen this thread from BRS. Check it out for reference.

I had not seen that one! Thanks! I dose 240 ml of alk and 240 ml of calcium per day. Maintains my alk at 8 dkh and my calcium at 500 (alk Hanna tester and Calcium via NYOS calcium test kit). MG is just over 1500. I'm dosing 48 ml of mgcl and mg sulfite (mixed). So, that's why I'm dosing the elements separately. Corals really seem to love it. My acros were all fully open more than I've ever seen them open yesterday, a day or two after my last manual dose of all the elements. It could be coincidental. Not making any other changes right now, just maintaining.
 
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I just watched the video. That helped a lot 50:1 Calcium to each trace element. Makes it so much easier. So, 240 per day / 50 . would be around 4.5 ml per * 7 would be around 30 ml per week of each. On weeks I'm not doing a water change. That's my answer! Thanks!
 

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I just watched the video. That helped a lot 50:1 Calcium to each trace element. Makes it so much easier. So, 240 per day / 50 . would be around 4.5 ml per * 7 would be around 30 ml per week of each. On weeks I'm not doing a water change. That's my answer! Thanks!
That looks correct to me. I would still dose even on the water change weeks tho or your elements may start to fall. I would also recommend dosing slightly under what Red Sea says to make sure your not overdosing anything until some ICP tests to confirm.
I dose Red Sea coral colors as well and noticed a difference after dosing too. I think it’s mostly because my iodine and potassium levels were too low before hand tho.
 
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That looks correct to me. I would still dose even on the water change weeks tho or your elements may start to fall. I would also recommend dosing slightly under what Red Sea says to make sure your not overdosing anything until some ICP tests to confirm.
I dose Red Sea coral colors as well and noticed a difference after dosing too. I think it’s mostly because my iodine and potassium levels were too low before hand tho.
I've got two goals. One I got a tiny lime green gonipora frag (not even half inch) with three tiny heads on it for $40. I expected it to be larger. Based on what I've seen is they need manganese to be successful. I haven't seen how to keep manganese up outside of Red Sea. It sounds like it can be quickly consumed by algae and I've got an ATS. So, I may just be feeding my turf scrubber. I don't know.

Secondly I've got two acan frags that haven't grown at all in 2 years, but they haven't died or receded either. They've gotten new color, plumped up more, and look way better in since dosing the trace elements than they've ever looked in the past two years. I'm hoping they start growing more as well.
 

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What are you using to dose calcium? You can dose by calcium uptake per the directions. Or slightly under dose the recommendation until you get some ICP results back to make sure you're close to target. If you're using Randys 2-part mix/BRS 2-part you dose 1ml for every 51ml of 2-part dosed (approximately 20ppm of calcium uptake).
If you have not seen this thread from BRS. Check it out for reference.

Is there any formula if dosing kalk?
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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To accomplish what? Dose Red Sea Trace elements?

Use this calculator to determine how much calcium you are actually adding, then use the Red Sea recommendations.

Yes, I was referring to the fact that there are directions for dosing the Red Sea Trace Elements based on how much 2 part solution you dose but as I dose Kalk, those directions don't pertain to me. I looked at the calculator you linked and didn't see anything that would help me figure out how much calcium I am adding with my kalk dosing setup, but I might have missed something. I just want to know what the equivalent of say 100ml of saturated kalk is to the calcium component of the BRS 2 part.
 

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Yes, I was referring to the fact that there are directions for dosing the Red Sea Trace Elements based on how much 2 part solution you dose but as I dose Kalk, those directions don't pertain to me. I looked at the calculator you linked and didn't see anything that would help me figure out how much calcium I am adding with my kalk dosing setup, but I might have missed something. I just want to know what the equivalent of say 100ml of saturated kalk is to the calcium component of the BRS 2 part.

You can do it several ways. Here's what I meant:

1. Use the calculator to figure out ppm of calcium dosed per day by entering the tank volume and amount of kalkwasser dosed.

Then follow the Red Sea directions:

". (Add 1ml of Color supplement for every 20ppm of Calcium added per 100 liters (25 gal) of aquarium water or for every 2g of calcium uptake.)"


2. If you want to rely on someone else's calculations, then kalkwasser is 46 times less potent than the calcium part of my DIY two part recipe #1, which BRS uses for their two part (the one using sodium carbonate not sodium bicarbonate).
 
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