Should I do repair dose of some missing trace elements per ICP test?

[mtealeaves]

I have a 7 month old 30 gal mixed reef tank. Things are going pretty good - just auto dosing AFR and adjusting dosing every 2 weeks to hit ALK of 8. I also have to add magnesium which for some reason is being consumed faster. I'm doing 20% WC with Red Sea Blue salt every 2 weeks as well.

I just did a reeflabs ICP-OES test which found the following results below. I'm questioning if I should get some trace elements like moonshiners or PJs and do a repair dose to bring them into optimal ranges. Thanks for any experienced advice!

Element	Status	Measured	Optimal Range	Possible Effect	Correction
Boron	deficient	3.291 mg/L	4 - 5 mg/L		trace element additive
Iron	deficient	not detected	0.001 - 0.010 mg/L	accumulation of excess nutrients, Dinos
Potassium	deficient	359.9 mg/L	380 - 480 mg/L	poor coloration, nutrient control problems	macro element additives
Manganese	deficient	not detected	0.0001 - 0.002 mg/L	reduced polyp extension, poor growth	trace element additives
Sodium	deficient	9538 mg/L	9800 - 11400 mg/L	PE, reduced growth	water change
Nickel	deficient	not detected	0.003 - 0.008 mg/L	poor growth and reduced coloration	trace element additives
Vanadium	deficient	not detected	0.002 - 0.008 mg/L	poor coloration, growth and nutrient uptake	trace element additives

 

[skey44]

I have a 7 month old 30 gal mixed reef tank. Things are going pretty good - just auto dosing AFR and adjusting dosing every 2 weeks to hit ALK of 8. I also have to add magnesium which for some reason is being consumed faster. I'm doing 20% WC with Red Sea Blue salt every 2 weeks as well.

I just did a reeflabs ICP-OES test which found the following results below. I'm questioning if I should get some trace elements like moonshiners or PJs and do a repair dose to bring them into optimal ranges. Thanks for any experienced advice!

Element	Status	Measured	Optimal Range	Possible Effect	Correction
Boron	deficient	3.291 mg/L	4 - 5 mg/L		trace element additive
Iron	deficient	not detected	0.001 - 0.010 mg/L	accumulation of excess nutrients, Dinos
Potassium	deficient	359.9 mg/L	380 - 480 mg/L	poor coloration, nutrient control problems	macro element additives
Manganese	deficient	not detected	0.0001 - 0.002 mg/L	reduced polyp extension, poor growth	trace element additives
Sodium	deficient	9538 mg/L	9800 - 11400 mg/L	PE, reduced growth	water change
Nickel	deficient	not detected	0.003 - 0.008 mg/L	poor growth and reduced coloration	trace element additives
Vanadium	deficient	not detected	0.002 - 0.008 mg/L	poor coloration, growth and nutrient uptake	trace element additives

I personally do not dose traces beyond all for reef and water changes. I run about the same levels of as you with all reef I think with your water changes and Alreef you’re probably good. It’s just coming out of the water really quickly and you don’t really necessarily want those elements to test high in an ICP I know some people do moonshiners and that’s all good, but are you having any issues in your tank?
I’ve considered “Chaeto grow” as an all-in-one solution. You can also make the elements relatively inexpensive if not in bulk with DIY recipes. I’m a little surprised you have no manganese at all, but I’m sure someone else will chime in and explain that.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What is the salinity? Low salinity is a common cause of low potassium. I’d dose it if salinity is close to 35 ppt. DIY is cheap
And easy for it.

The AFR is likely adding enough of the mothers and the icp-oes does not have the proper sensitivity to detect them, but how much alk are you dosing?

 

[slingfox]

I would not act on any of the “not detected”’since you used an ICP-OES rather than ICP-MS test. Only the MS version can be used to assess trace element levels. For a 30g tank a large water change is probably an easier way to go than Moonshiners. Nothing wrong with Moonshiners if you don’t mind the upfront cost and enjoy the constant ICP and dosing required.

 

[AKReefing]

Do you have any test results prior to this ICP test, such as prior to dosing AFR and mag?

 

[ReneReef]

Judging from the sodium concentration your salinity will be ~31.5 ppt.

If you increase your salinity to 35 ppt, your potassium will automatically increase with it to 400 mg/L. And boron will increase appropriately as well.

P.S. if the device you use to measure salinity says it's 35 ppt or close to it. 99% certain, that device is wrong. Salinity measurement can be finicky and errors happen a lot.

 

[mtealeaves]

Judging from the sodium concentration your salinity will be ~31.5 ppt.

If you increase your salinity to 35 ppt, your potassium will automatically increase with it to 400 mg/L. And boron will increase appropriately as well.

P.S. if the device you use to measure salinity says it's 35 ppt or close to it. 99% certain, that device is wrong. Salinity measurement can be finicky and errors happen a lot.

Thank you!! .. my refractometer was indeed off. I recalibrated and am adjusting salinity up

 

[mtealeaves]

Do you have any test results prior to this ICP test, such as prior to dosing AFR and mag?

No but thanks for the idea!

 

[mtealeaves]

What is the salinity? Low salinity is a common cause of low potassium. I’d dose it if salinity is close to 35 ppt. DIY is cheap
And easy for it.

The AFR is likely adding enough of the mothers and the icp-oes does not have the proper sensitivity to detect them, but how much alk are you dosing?

Thank you! Ya my refractometer was off it turns out
. I'll adjust. Kind regards

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Good to hear.

Happy Reefing!