Anyone using Red Sea ABCD Trace elements?

[Lavey29]

You dose 1/20th your calcium uptake if you follow their instructions. So, for example, if you used Red Sea's Calcium blend, you would dose 1ml of each trace bottle per 10ml of their calcium dosed.

But that's 1/10th not 1/20 as you posted.

 

[Lavey29]

OP I dosed based off my calcium dose. I use 18ml of calcium per day. So I figured 1.8ml of trace per day. I multiplied by 7 days and determined 12.5ml of trace per week and that is what I add once a week now. I did an ICP and almost all my trace areas were perfect except slightly elevated iodine so I cut that one down to 10ml once a week. Iron slightly high but I'm ok with that due to chaeto growing huge.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I tested with the Red Sea test kit.

the back of the bottle says 300 and then has 63

I would not use this additive to boost potassium by 100 ppm because it may push borate too high, interfering with alkalinity interpretations.

I would not add 100 ppm of any potassium additive until the need was confirmed some other way, such as new salt water reading 400 ppm side by side with that kit and your tank water reading 300 ppm.

 

[jmichaelh7]

It would be the 63ml per 25 gallons to raise it from 300 ppm to 410 ppm. That works out to be 2.52ml per gallon of tank water to do that.

Thanks for the reply

If it's 63ml of Potassium per 25 gallons, and my aquarium is approximately 190 gallons system, I would need to dose 478 ml

The bottle only contains 100ml so that's where the math was concerning. I don't even have enough potassium in a brand new kit to bring my potassium up.

 

[jmichaelh7]

OP I dosed based off my calcium dose. I use 18ml of calcium per day. So I figured 1.8ml of trace per day. I multiplied by 7 days and determined 12.5ml of trace per week and that is what I add once a week now. I did an ICP and almost all my trace areas were perfect except slightly elevated iodine so I cut that one down to 10ml once a week. Iron slightly high but I'm ok with that due to chaeto growing huge.

thanks i'm using a calcium reactor so i'm not dosing.

I am trying to find the other method based off the graph behind the bottle

 

[jmichaelh7]

I would not use this additive to boost potassium by 100 ppm because it may push borate too high, interfering with alkalinity interpretations.

I would not add 100 ppm of any potassium additive until the need was confirmed some other way, such as new salt water reading 400 ppm side by side with that kit and your tank water reading 300 ppm.

What do you recommend at this point then?

I suppose the initial dose is high, because based off the graph i would need 478ml of potassium dosed and the bottle is only 100ml.

1ml = 25gal
300potassium is equal to dosing 63ml postassium to dose.

My system is 190 gallons

 

[Lavey29]

thanks i'm using a calcium reactor so i'm not dosing.

I am trying to find the other method based off the graph behind the bottle

For reference, I have 80g system and dose 12.5ml per week. So far so good over 2 months.

 

[gbroadbridge]

What do you recommend at this point then?

I suppose the initial dose is high, because based off the graph i would need 478ml of potassium dosed and the bottle is only 100ml.

1ml = 25gal
300potassium is equal to dosing 63ml postassium to dose.

My system is 190 gallons

Double check with another test kit Before doing anything.

If i had the need to incease from 300 to 400 ppm, I would not increase by more than 5-10 ppm a day if there are animals in the tank

I'd find food grade Potassium Chloride online and then use 2g per 25 gal per day mixed in RODI water to raise by 10ppm. Dose slowly.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Double check with another test kit Before doing anything.

If i had the need to incease from 300 to 400 ppm, I would not increase by more than 5-10 ppm a day if there are animals in the tank

I'd find food grade Potassium Chloride online and then use 2g per 25 gal per day mixed in RODI water to raise by 10ppm. Dose slowly.

This makes no sense I thought by buying the trace elements I didn’t need to buy something else to combat the trace elements

 

[gbroadbridge]

This makes no sense I thought by buying the trace elements I didn’t need to buy something else to combat the trace elements

The Red Sea trace element are supposed to be sufficient to replace what is normally consumed in a tank

300 ppm Potassium is abnormally low, which is why you need to use such a large amount of the Red Sea product.

The alternative I suggest is a very cheap and safe way of fixing the deficit you have, after which you can use the Red Sea product for maintenance if you wish.

Check the level with different test kit, or with an ICP test, before you make any adjustment of that size.

 

[jmichaelh7]

The Red Sea trace element are supposed to be sufficient to replace what is normally consumed in a tank

300 ppm Potassium is abnormally low, which is why you need to use such a large amount of the Red Sea product.

The alternative I suggest is a very cheap and safe way of fixing the deficit you have, after which you can use the Red Sea product for maintenance if you wish.

Check the level with different test kit, or with an ICP test, before you make any adjustment of that size.

Thank you for your input

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What do you recommend at this point then?

I suppose the initial dose is high, because based off the graph i would need 478ml of potassium dosed and the bottle is only 100ml.

1ml = 25gal
300potassium is equal to dosing 63ml postassium to dose.

My system is 190 gallons

Potassium chloride, diy, like I herb from NOW chemicals.

But verify the need first.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This one:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This makes no sense I thought by buying the trace elements I didn’t need to buy something else to combat the trace elements

Well, potassium is not a trace element. Maybe that’s the confusion. Trace elements need only a “trace”. Major ions like potassium can require huge doses for large correction.

 

[NEFFx]

From recent research and investigation. I have found that
Trace elements are useful and are in all seawater.
they are depleted by coral in varying rate and species
In the early stages of your tank. You started with brand new salt and had seawater spec. But over time and as your coral grows, they deplete trace elements. And as you do water changes the amount of trace are replaced by that percentage you change. So 10% every week. You’re not doing all the water too often and trace elements can deplete over this time.
supplementing trace elements is helpful especially in established tanks or those that don’t do water changes.
dosing trace allows you to keep up with other depleted elements. I would strongly recommend iCP tests quarterly. They are $40-$70 each. ATI is preferred and tests your RO.
start slow like 1ml per 50g for trace ADCD.
The Jabao doser is $60 and does all 4. Setup total is like $130.
I like my Red Sea ABCD and AB+

 

[jmichaelh7]

I’m leaning back to water changes lol

 

[Susan Edwards]

I go off their recipe on their site. I don't use their calcium so I just dose 3-5 ml of each every couple days. When I get my doser set up I'll pick a number. Their recommendation for what I want is 3 ml (see earlier post). I know from testing my tank that potassium is always normal, iron undetectable and iodine also low or undetectable. So I just do the 3 - 5 ml a few times a week right now. Corals are all happy so I go by that

 

[jmichaelh7]

I go off their recipe on their site. I don't use their calcium so I just dose 3-5 ml of each every couple days. When I get my doser set up I'll pick a number. Their recommendation for what I want is 3 ml (see earlier post). I know from testing my tank that potassium is always normal, iron undetectable and iodine also low or undetectable. So I just do the 3 - 5 ml a few times a week right now. Corals are all happy so I go by that

That’s good to hear man. Your not really at a certain dosage and certain day. Just 3-5Ml every other.

Are you still doing water changes

 

[jmichaelh7]

From recent research and investigation. I have found that
Trace elements are useful and are in all seawater.
they are depleted by coral in varying rate and species
In the early stages of your tank. You started with brand new salt and had seawater spec. But over time and as your coral grows, they deplete trace elements. And as you do water changes the amount of trace are replaced by that percentage you change. So 10% every week. You’re not doing all the water too often and trace elements can deplete over this time.
supplementing trace elements is helpful especially in established tanks or those that don’t do water changes.
dosing trace allows you to keep up with other depleted elements. I would strongly recommend iCP tests quarterly. They are $40-$70 each. ATI is preferred and tests your RO.
start slow like 1ml per 50g for trace ADCD.
The Jabao doser is $60 and does all 4. Setup total is like $130.
I like my Red Sea ABCD and AB+

I have never done an ICP but it appears it’s getting close to that time frame. Especially now that I’m using trace elements in the system.

One of the things I can’t test is boron and that comes with the Potassium

 

[jmichaelh7]

This one:

And how does this get administered? Mixed in with water then dosed ?