Aquavitro vs Red Sea Foundation

[DuesXX]

I’ve been using Aquavitro products (calcification, eightfour, ions and balance) for about a year now, but have recently gotten it into my head to try the Red Sea foundations and ABCD color system. Has anyone else made a similar switch? Is it wise to chance products like that? I’m running pretty much 100% SPS frags. And they’re all growing fairly well. Color could be better. I know I need to replace my GFO, but I’m thinking in my head that the ABCD colors could help boost what I’m getting. Can I just use that product with my Aquavitro I’m already using?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’ve been using Aquavitro products (calcification, eightfour, ions and balance)

I'm not sure how exactly you are using those (it is not a well designed product assortment, IMO), but none of those are intended to be a trace element supplement, and adding such a product or products is certainly a fine thing to experiment with, either on top of what you are doing, or entirely swapped out from what you are doing now to an entirely different approach.

 

[DuesXX]

I'm not sure how exactly you are using those (it is not a well designed product assortment, IMO), but none of those are intended to be a trace element supplement, and adding such a product or products is certainly a fine thing to experiment with, either on top of what you are doing, or entirely swapped out from what you are doing now to an entirely different approach.

Since I have the ear of the master, in your opinion are the Red Sea foundations line better designed? For the Aquavitro supplements, I calculated the rate of consumption for my Ca and dose accordingly throughout the day. Ions I do the equal of my Ca dose since it contains Mg , the eightfour I dose as my dKH is used since it for the most part does keep it steady at 9. I’m assuming Foundations should be dosed along similar lines.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In general, I think it's an OK plan to use the Red Sea Colors based on the calcium consumption as they suggest, although theoretically I find that rationale weak since trace element use does not necessarily follow calcification (plenty of organisms use trace elements and do not calcify at all, such as macroalgae and soft corals). You can do this with the method you are using from Aquavitro, if you like it. OOr switch to Foundations.

The issues I have with two of the Aquavitro products you mention are:

1. Aquavitro Calcification: a poorly designed product.

Unfortunately, the polygluconate may provide some alkalinity, but no one can definitively say how much since it depends on how fully it is metabolized, and Aquavitro doesn't even allow you to estimate since it doesn't say how much is added in this product. I pointed this out to them years ago at Seachem (Reef Calcium is similar) and they have never added alkalinity to the product description. Unbelievable.

2. Aquavitro Balance, which is a fine product if it were sold as a high pH alk supplement (my newest DIY two part uses the same chemical), but, incredibly and totally incorrectly, it says

"raises pH without affecting calcium and alkalinity"