Dosing for more color in sps

ShawnS1974 · Sep 23, 2016

So I am thinking about adding another dosing unit, to promote better color and growth with my corals. Currently using a BM doser (CA, Alk, Mg) and I love the stability that the doser gives me. I have been looking at the 4 pump slave unit as a possible addition. What would you suggest for extra additives ? (Pot., Stron., Amino, Iron, Multi Vit., Multi Trace?)

Current schedule:
CA: 35ml a day (Britewell)
Alk: 35ml a day (Britewell)
Mg: 12ml a day (Britewell)
Water change: 25g a week or every other week (Tropic Marin Pro Reef)

reef4beer · Sep 23, 2016

I started dosing Potassion, Iodion, and Stronion (brightwell , great choice love their products) and i've noticed an extreme difference in coloraiton of my sps.

Downbeach · Sep 23, 2016

What are your NO3 and PO4 reading? What are you using for lighting? Are you using any GAC or GFO?

Anirban · Sep 23, 2016

Dosing is good but dont dose anything which you cant measure as overdose will be more harmful than less dosing.

ShawnS1974 · Sep 23, 2016

Downbeach said:
What are your NO3 and PO4 reading? What are you using for lighting? Are you using any GAC or GFO?

No3 and Po4 have been floating in the 5-10ppm range. I was running Rowa for the last 3 years, but as of last week I have not added any. I have been upgrading my whole system over the last two months (new return, new plumbing, UV sterilizer is new to the system) and due to a storm a whole new lighting system ( Radion XR15w Pro x5). I know that is a ton of changes to the system, and going from a T5 hybrid to straight LED is going to effect the coloring and growth of my corals. I am not looking for an overnight change, but more tools to impliment into the health of my system. Also this is just the beginning phase of me starting to research additional dosing, as my tank is getting heavier into SPS territory.

ShawnS1974 · Sep 23, 2016

Anirban said:
Dosing is good but dont dose anything which you cant measure as overdose will be more harmful than less dosing.

I agree 100%

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 23, 2016

jmanyoma said:
I started dosing Potassion, Iodion, and Stronion (brightwell , great choice love their products) and i've noticed an extreme difference in coloraiton of my sps.

Were any of those low before dosing?

I don't think either iodine or strontium are likely to be beneficial in most tanks (IMO), but potassium certainly can be if it is low for some reason. If it is not low, boosting it can be more harmful than beneficial.

hart24601 · Sep 23, 2016

Outside of keeping the tank stable at NSW levels the only things I have done that I have noticed having an impact on coral color was dosing the tank with nitrate if it was undetectable to keep it around 1ppm - that really brightened up colors, and the 2nd thing is if my phosphate rises to detectable levels my SPS brown out. I have played with lots of other things, but I have not noticed any change of coral colors.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 23, 2016

hart24601 said:
Outside of keeping the tank stable at NSW levels the only things I have done that I have noticed having an impact on coral color was dosing the tank with nitrate if it was undetectable to keep it around 1ppm - that really brightened up colors, and the 2nd thing is if my phosphate rises to detectable levels my SPS brown out. I have played with lots of other things, but I have not noticed any change of coral colors.

That is a very common result.

Tony1414 · Sep 23, 2016

What's the word in the way of Amino Acids?

WetWhistle · Sep 23, 2016

I found amino acids like Aquavitro Fuel all they did was cause diatom and red slim for me. I do use Brightwells AminOmega to soak my fish foods and i am sure the corals get some from that. But that is a very small amount I use.

I have tested all sorts of color enhancing products and found non really did anything. Nothing that proper spectrum and environmental conditions can't do. So i use nothing that enhances color as for me it is a waste of my money.

Joeganja · Sep 23, 2016

following. Here's what i notive from dosing fuel. I see more nutrients leading to algae growth. Most people dose iodine on a regular basis but my red sea test kit for it read it at .6 or .06 which is the optimum level and i dont dose iodine. I just do water changes once or twice a month and it doesnt deplete as you would think and i have hundreds of pieces most being acros. I've noticed potassium being low as well as iron a little. Gotta get a test kit for strontium and molybdenum to see where those level are at because i dont add anything i dont test for.

hart24601 · Sep 23, 2016

I have used fuel and acropower, I like acropower, but I notice more PE with it so I can target feed more easily. I didn't notice any color change.

Alfrareef · Sep 23, 2016

WetWhistle said:
I found amino acids like Aquavitro Fuel all they did was cause diatom and red slim for me. I do use Brightwells AminOmega to soak my fish foods and i am sure the corals get some from that. But that is a very small amount I use.

I have tested all sorts of color enhancing products and found non really did anything. Nothing that proper spectrum and environmental conditions can't do. So i use nothing that enhances color as for me it is a waste of my money.

Hi,

Have you tested ZeoSpur2? I've been reading about it but know no one that ever use it.

beckerj3 · Sep 24, 2016

hart24601 said:
I have used fuel and acropower, I like acropower, but I notice more PE with it so I can target feed more easily. I didn't notice any color change.

Hey Hart - have you started up a new saltwater tank? What salt mix are/were you using? I sometimes wonder how much that might affect the need for adding other elements like potassium, strontium,....... @hart24601

hart24601 · Sep 24, 2016

beckerj3 said:
Hey Hart - have you started up a new saltwater tank? What salt mix are/were you using? I sometimes wonder how much that might affect the need for adding other elements like potassium, strontium,....... @hart24601

A new saltwater tank... Sort of. I have been keeping jellyfish the past few months, so not much in the way of coral!

I used ESV for 600g or so before switching to TMP which I liked, but finally settled on instant ocean for automatic water changes. I didn't notice any changes in the livestock with any of the salts.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 24, 2016

beckerj3 said:
Hey Hart - have you started up a new saltwater tank? What salt mix are/were you using? I sometimes wonder how much that might affect the need for adding other elements like potassium, strontium,....... @hart24601

Most salt mixes have close to NSW levels of strontium and potassium, so the need or not to dose these has little to do with the salt mix.

ShawnS1974 · Sep 24, 2016

Ok, so what I'm reading is save my $$ for coral. I'm still trying to sort out my color spect. with the Radions and am wondering if my acclimation time was to quick. So I have started a new 4 week acclimation starting at 65% . Again I know the switch from the T5 hybrid to straight LED was going to effect the coloring, just hoping to get it dialed in to bring back the pop that the corals had.