Trace elements debate

[Troylee]

Is your Alk really that high? Some of my torches have BJD and I was told it's the alk being at 14 being the cause of that. I blame reef crystals. I have now have it at 8.8 - 9.4 at the moment.

It sure is… playing with kalk trying to keep my ph over 8.3… I normally run it at 9 but I want faster growth I got a huge tank to fill lol.. I haven’t seen any ill effects running this high and I’ve always used reef crystals myself and still do… I do a 40% water change and it still stays 9ish… I bumped it all purposely to see if the corals responded with better growth or not.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Personally, I don't test, nor care about looking at what my trace elements are. I don't plan to dose it either. 10% weekly water changes seem to do just fine.

Or foods do just fine. The water changes may do little.

 

[CivicS14]

Or foods do just fine. The water changes may do little.

True. I feed excessively.

 

[Pod_01]

Personally, I don't test, nor care about looking at what my trace elements are. I don't plan to dose it either.

But you do dose trace element, as Randy said some from food and some from your calc reactor:

BTW you do have beautiful tank…

 

[Spare time]

I’m saying that a buzz word doesn’t make it the most important thing in the hobby I will say that trace is important but I think it’s made more important than it is.

Who is saying its the most important thing in the hobby?

 

[CivicS14]

But you do dose trace element, as Randy said some from food and some from your calc reactor:

BTW you do have beautiful tank…

I didn’t realize ARM had trace elements. Never tested it, nor cared to. I seen so many reefers chase numbers based on ICP test and dose all this crazy stuff and nothing ever improves. Seems like these companies and ICP test companies are in cahoots to make more money in an already expensive hobby.

 

[Spare time]

So is it just me or is this thread "I don't know anything about the topic but here is my opinion anyways." Why give an opinion at all if you admit you know nothing about the topic?

 

[areefer01]

So is it just me or is this thread "I don't know anything about the topic but here is my opinion anyways." Why give an opinion at all if you admit you know nothing about the topic?

Passing time? Post count? Who knows /shrug

 

[Pod_01]

I didn’t realize ARM had trace elements. Never tested it, nor cared to. I seen so many reefers chase numbers based on ICP test and dose all this crazy stuff and nothing ever improves. Seems like these companies and ICP test companies are in cahoots to make more money in an already expensive hobby.

I do try to understand why things work in reefing. There is lot of advice on what to do but the why is missing or confusing.

Calc reactor is good example, most people understand it provides Alk and Calc but proper media will also supply trace elements and phosphate. It is old method that works well and there is good reason why it works so well, all building blocks are provided.

 

[Dan_P]

Or foods do just fine. The water changes may do little.

Where did the notion come from that a regular water change replaced trace elements at a sufficient rate? Is it just a guess?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Where did the notion come from that a regular water change replaced trace elements at a sufficient rate? Is it just a guess?

I do not know, but I think it seems intuitive to people while the trace elements in foods are "hidden".

Salt mix makers may also help this along with their claims of trace elements present, and the implicit assumption that it matters (which is undemonstrated, IMO).

 

[Garf]

I do not know, but I think it seems intuitive to people while the trace elements in foods are "hidden".

Salt mix makers may also help this along with their claims of trace elements present, and the implicit assumption that it matters (which is undemonstrated, IMO).

Loads of folks suggest that waterchanges replace traces. What if the opposite is indeed the case, ie the reduction of elements through waterchanges appears to give a positive reaction?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Loads of folks suggest that waterchanges replace traces. What if the opposite is indeed the case, ie the reduction of elements through waterchanges appears to give a positive reaction?

That could be, especially for those like tin that can get elevated without aquarists intentionally adding them.

 

[Dan_P]

I do not know, but I think it seems intuitive to people while the trace elements in foods are "hidden".

Salt mix makers may also help this along with their claims of trace elements present, and the implicit assumption that it matters (which is undemonstrated, IMO).

Thanks, this helps.

I’ve always had that nagging question of “if you don’t know the consumption rate, how do you know that a water change does anything but slow the slide towards totally depleted”. The same question applies to what food delivers. How much does it deliver? How much is bioavailable?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The same question applies to what food delivers. How much does it deliver? How much is bioavailable?

It's not hard to know how much is in foods, but I agree there's a big unknown about how much finds its way to organisms in the tank, and which ones.