Trace elements

[Treefer32]

I will fully admit I am not a reef nerd to the point of understanding the chemistry of trace elements and their effect on corals. I had an ICP test done recently to verify why some corals are doing o.k. and others are receding. Come to find out I have a major phosphate problem (Which I'm correcting and will resolve over a couple months).

However, some interesting things it came back with was a lack of potassium, which it identified as critical to coral health. The silly thing was I had just started dosing some trace elements at the recommendation of a friend. Red Sea A, B, C, and D, which includes Potassium.

I'm less concerned about that as I am dosing it. However it said Boron is almost as critical to coral health and mine was not detectable.

To me it seems a dumb question, like, am I missing, some fiber in my daily diet. Probably, is it going to kill me no... I don't see Boron in Red Sea's A, B, C, and D trace element regimen. Of course Triton wants to sell me their bottle of Boron...

I guess, how important is some of this? Is it as important as the labs say? I have noticed since dosing trace elements, my coral colors are amazing. They've gained some great colors, and polyps are extended more and there's definitely more polyps than ever. It's had a huge impact so far despite my phosphates being .55692 mg / l. (And no, I have no algae in my display other than on the glass). I have a turf scrubber that may be just enough to hold it back from taking over.

My question for this post is on the criticality of Boron to coral health?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I personally am not convinced boron is needed. Some of the ICP companies seem to have a very low threshold for claiming something is useful.

But it is easy to dose it immediately to natural levels and see if there is any apparent benefit to organisms. You can use borax, if you want.

FWIW, neither potassium nor boron are trace elements. By definition, there is too much of those to qualify.

 

[Treefer32]

I will say, first hand experience of coral health with trace elements, (I don't know which ones had the most impact) of the Red Sea A, B, C, and D (Iodine, Iron, Potassium, and misc) had huge impacts on some of my coral colors and polyp extension. I have a purple stylaphora that was a mundane pink. Washed out.... Now after 3 weeks of dosing trace elements, it's a beautiful deep purple color and full extension of it's polyps. I have a nother stylaphora that had completely washed out, was a bit of a brownish white. Now, it's polyps are thick, and it's a yellowish brown, deeper color and a lot more polyp extension than before. My Acros have a lot more green polyps than they had before and fully extended. I've just been using basic IO salt, and will be switching to reef crystals to grab more of the trace elements and dose less.

But, I don't believe in the marketing that this hobby has, a lot of out comes are over promised to sell something. But, my corals are night and day difference of what they were before the trace element dosing and after!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, I discuss boron and easy DIY dosing here:

Chemistry And The Aquarium: Boron In A Reef Tank

This article also discusses the sources and sinks for boron in reef tanks, and shows that while typical tanks may be slightly depleted in boron with respect to natural levels, most are not so significantly depleted that any correction is required. Nevertheless, how to test for and supplement...

reefs.com

Testing and Supplementing Boron
If you are interested in measuring boron in your tank, Salifert makes a boron test kit, as well as a supplement for adding boron. I’d advise maintaining a level close natural levels (0.41 mM; 4.4 ppm boron), rather than any elevated level with the goal of trying to attain better pH stability, but that is just my personal preference and you may feel differently about pH stability.

If you have a test kit, and want to supplement boron, you can also just use borax (from the grocery store; borax is 21.5% boron by weight) dissolved in water. One teaspoon will weigh about 4 grams, so 1 teaspoon in a 100 gallon tank will raise the boron level by 0.21 mM (2.3 ppm).

In general, I don’t think that most reef tanks are likely to suffer much if you don’t measure boron and just let the level be determined by the ebb and flow of boron from your salt mix and the various sinks in the tank. For whatever it is worth, I’ve not measured the boron level in my tank.


As a more recent follow up, I had an ICP test and saw no depletion of boron, despite never intentionally dosing any:

My Triton Testing Results: By Randy Holmes-Farley - REEFEDITION

Recently, Triton GmbH in Germany has initiated a method of testing many ions at once for a single price. In the US, that service is coordinated by Unique Corals. For $49 they will send you a couple of tubes to collect a tank water sample, and a prepaid mailer to send the sample back to them...

www.reefedition.com

"Boron (B; borate). The borate is about normal. I do not add it. It seemingly is not depleted in my aquarium."

 

[Treefer32]

FWIW, I discuss boron and easy DIY dosing here:

Chemistry And The Aquarium: Boron In A Reef Tank

This article also discusses the sources and sinks for boron in reef tanks, and shows that while typical tanks may be slightly depleted in boron with respect to natural levels, most are not so significantly depleted that any correction is required. Nevertheless, how to test for and supplement...

reefs.com

Testing and Supplementing Boron
If you are interested in measuring boron in your tank, Salifert makes a boron test kit, as well as a supplement for adding boron. I’d advise maintaining a level close natural levels (0.41 mM; 4.4 ppm boron), rather than any elevated level with the goal of trying to attain better pH stability, but that is just my personal preference and you may feel differently about pH stability.

If you have a test kit, and want to supplement boron, you can also just use borax (from the grocery store; borax is 21.5% boron by weight) dissolved in water. One teaspoon will weigh about 4 grams, so 1 teaspoon in a 100 gallon tank will raise the boron level by 0.21 mM (2.3 ppm).

In general, I don’t think that most reef tanks are likely to suffer much if you don’t measure boron and just let the level be determined by the ebb and flow of boron from your salt mix and the various sinks in the tank. For whatever it is worth, I’ve not measured the boron level in my tank.


As a more recent follow up, I had an ICP test and saw no depletion of boron, despite never intentionally dosing any:

My Triton Testing Results: By Randy Holmes-Farley - REEFEDITION

Recently, Triton GmbH in Germany has initiated a method of testing many ions at once for a single price. In the US, that service is coordinated by Unique Corals. For $49 they will send you a couple of tubes to collect a tank water sample, and a prepaid mailer to send the sample back to them...

www.reefedition.com

"Boron (B; borate). The borate is about normal. I do not add it. It seemingly is not depleted in my aquarium."

Thank you! Great reading material!

 

[davidserious]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

When buying boron should we use chelate or Citrate

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Boron is iron yes?
Sorry. Lol
D

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

When buying boron should we use chelate or Citrate

Boron is not in either form.

I'd use borax (sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, etc; goes by many names).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Post your DIY additives here!

With the popularity of the Triton method and ICP testing gaining steam, a thread containing DIY elemental supplements would be very helpful. Commercial supplements are very expensive and many elements can be sourced cheaply via Amazon, eBay, etc. Examples include fergon pills, potassium...

www.reef2reef.com