Calcium reactor vs Two part dosing?!?

[Diesel]

Randy,
I have done both for many years but last night I was asking myself this question "if the media Newborn (what I use) or ARM will put more trace elements in your water than just the two part?"
To me it sounds more logical that the media does that as you will recycle for what nature build in the first place or perhaps there isn't enough evidence to back this up?

 

[Cory]

I think they would be about the same except calcium carbonate reactors will add some other things like:

-Organics and possible source of amino acids.
- trace metals that a coral once needed

But it's doubtful that those would be in any beneficial quatity.

Now that i think about it, probably i wouldnt want to add more trace metals as our tanks are already higher than nsw.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy,
I have done both for many years but last night I was asking myself this question "if the media Newborn (what I use) or ARM will put more trace elements in your water than just the two part?"
To me it sounds more logical that the media does that as you will recycle for what nature build in the first place or perhaps there isn't enough evidence to back this up?

There are several complications:

1. Not all corals put the same components into their skeletons. Magnesium, for example, ranges from 0.07% to 3.5% by weight, so what you use and what you keep in your tank has a bearing on how well it supplies any given element.

2. Some things get into coral skeletons just as impurities from the seawater, not because corals "want" to do so. Obviously this includes some non-biological metals (such as uranium, barium, etc.) by also perhaps some more common ones (strontium, maybe phosphate).

3. A two part has the same issue trying to match the uncertain exact demand for something like magnesium (relative to calcium and alkalinity), plus the potential for impurities in the chemicals used.

So I'd be hesitant to make a blanket statement which was most suitable in a reef, aside from saying both seem to work well.

 

[Diesel]

Probably, I have done Triton test on two part and CaRx and didn't see any difference too other than the usual elevated levels of metals but still way below the margin of risk for damage on corals.
The ICP test are just super sensitive but we all know that.