Additives need advice ASAP!

rock_lobster · Nov 25, 2016

I am looking to buy a few additive for my tanks. I know that if I did regular water changes it wouldnt be an issue but I dont. I do a water change maybe once every 3 months and my tanks are completely loaded mixed reefs. Everything does look great and I do feed pretty heavily but I am wondering if I should dose a trace element mix, potassium and iodine. Thinking I will buy the iodine and potassium tests kits as well. Looking to take advantage of the BRS black friday sale haha.

rock_lobster · Nov 25, 2016

Also any experience with dosing trace elements would be helpful thank you!

Willz · Nov 25, 2016

I dose Potassium. Seems to help with color. Like you mentioned, if you dose it, get a test for it too. If you aren't dosing magnesium between those water changes it might pay to get a test kit to monitor it. I used to use Fuel, but stopped and noticed no ill effects. I stopped worrying about trace elements after that.

rock_lobster · Nov 25, 2016

Willz said:
I dose Potassium. Seems to help with color. Like you mentioned, if you dose it, get a test for it too. If you aren't dosing magnesium between those water changes it might pay to get a test kit to monitor it. I used to use Fuel, but stopped and noticed no ill effects. I stopped worrying about trace elements after that.

Yep I dose alk, Ca and Mg. My tanks go through a lot of magnesium, calcium and alk. thats why I assume they are burning through the trace elements as well especially by doing only qarterly 10% water changes. I'm thinking I might go with the redsea ABCD and potassium And get the potassium and iodine test kits.

Willz · Nov 25, 2016

I have heard that the Red Sea Potassium kit is hard to use. I use Salifert and find it fairly straight forward.

I have the Red Sea ABCD kit as well and didn't realize it is based on calcium consumption of Calcium based on Red Sea's proprietary system. I didn't want to switch everything up to safely dose these elements so it is unopened on a shelf. If you find a way to match it up with simple BRS two part let me know. I'd be interested in using it at some point.