Dosing trace elements based on what?
- Thread starter Beats001
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Tbabcock
Well-Known Member
I use Red Sea A,B,C,D.. they direct you to dose based off of your calcium consumption. I dose half of whats recommended because its a game that can kill coral if you OD on it. I also recently sent in my first ICP test so i will know where i am with it all.
Hemmdog
10K Club member
I do the same. Full iron dose, but that’s because I have a lot of macro algae.
Just to start my tank + sump water volume is roughly around 90 gallons. I don’t do water changes so dosing trace elements in my case is really important . I dose Red Sea abcd, started around 6+ months ago, dosed other types of trace elements before switching.My corals have never looked or grown better than before the switch, took around 2 months before I started really noticing all the corals responding positively. I dose 10ml of each around every 2 weeks, that’s just the amount I settled on after about 2 months, when I first started with the red Sea abcd I started with 5ml, the 10ml seems to be enough and not overdosing. I might up that amount to 10ml weekly. The current 10ml dose I dose all at once, one at a time. I could be tripping but the fish even look more vibrant. I like all types of corals so my tank is loaded with everything from softies to acropora’s so the red Sea abcd seems to be fulfilling all the different types of corals needs as far as trace elements are concerned.
How did ya figure that 10ml out? Was that based on Ca consumption. Or just observation?
Coralreefer1
Valuable Member
I dose Kalkwasser, magnesium, iodine and iron. I tend to just perform frequent water changes however to reduce the likelihood of human error.
To be honest mainly just on observation of the corals, thats why I started with 5ml of each at 1st, then upped it to 10ml of each, remember I only dose it once every 2 weeks for know but will be upping it a little in the near future. I like to do things a little different, experiment with things a little different than the norm and observe the reactions of the corals. My tank is heavily stocked with corals and fish so I’m sure the 10ml every 2 weeks is less than I could be adding but seems to be enough. Here’s a couple recent pics just in case you haven’t seen the cluster of corals I’m dealing with.
FLSharkvictim
Shark Advocate
@Beats001 - I would not add anything to your tank as far as additives before I would get an ICP test which I would HIGHLY recommend getting one done, before you anything to your tank! You need to first buy an ICP test from one of the online vendors and send in your samples and then when you get your results, you will know exactly whats depleted etc etc.
Nice tank mate! You have no idea on how far your test kits are off from the ICP test! Make sure you're ready to make some minor adjustments.
For an example, since my tank was well established for over 14 years I was just a little low on my Iron, Mag and I think my Poatiamssuim was low. Not cheap test by no means but well worth every penny!
I'm out,
Keep it easy and happy Referring
Nice tank mate! You have no idea on how far your test kits are off from the ICP test! Make sure you're ready to make some minor adjustments.
For an example, since my tank was well established for over 14 years I was just a little low on my Iron, Mag and I think my Poatiamssuim was low. Not cheap test by no means but well worth every penny!
I'm out,
Keep it easy and happy Referring
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
Red Sea iodine, iron, potassium, and trace minerals. I purchased Red Sea test kit for those things and dose accordingly.
I dose everything by hand don’t have any controllers so I don’t have any graphs from A controller screen to take a pic of. It’s close to Ca consumption but not exactly. I can say the 10ml of each every 2 weeks is definitely not overdosing the system. Only other things I add are Seachem reef builder to maintain alk around 6.5 to 7.5, Seachem adavantage calcium to maintain calcium around 450, and occasionally Seachem magnesium to keep it around 1400. Maybe a couple times a month I will throw in some reef roids and phytoplankton for the corals but my nitrates go up pretty quickly when I use those so I don’t use them that often. I have 14 fish so between the 8 cubes a day of various Hikari frozen and the fish poop it seems to create plenty of food for the corals. Really just need to supplement those trace elements since I don’t do water changes.
FLSharkvictim
Shark Advocate
Whatever you do, don't by Refsea test kits b/c you have to be a chemist to understand their kits!
I use my Hann Checkers for my Alk, Mag, and Calcium and for my Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia I only use my @ELOSAmerica test kits which in my opinion blows away the redsea test kits since they are much easier to use and understand.
Elos aren't really available in the UK. BRS did a video comparing test kits. They agree Red sea aren't the easiest to read but the most consistently accurate. I have used red sea nopox and it didn't reduce my nitrates, switched to aquaforest products, I find then very good so far, so I trust them going forward.
FLSharkvictim
Shark Advocate
REDSEA IS good IF you can actually do the test and read them!LOL...
Let's put it this way, I bought one of the Redsea Test kits and also a Giesemann Mag kit which still to this day I can't get a good reading vs my Elos Mag test kit that gives me a very accurate reading every time and you don't need to be a chemist to test!
I LIVE AND DIE BUY THIS - KISS / KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID..
Impossible to read
Junk
Elos Mag Test! SUPER EASY and very accurate results since I have matched them up with an ICP test that I sent in on a previous tank.
I hear you.
REDSEA IS good IF you can actually do the test and read them!LOL...
Let's put it this way, I bought one of the Redsea Test kits and also a Giesemann Mag kit which still to this day I can't get a good reading vs my Elos Mag test kit that gives me a very accurate reading every time and you don't need to be a chemist to test!
I LIVE AND DIE BUY THIS - KISS / KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID..
Impossible to read
Junk
Elos Mag Test! SUPER EASY and very accurate results since I have matched them up with an ICP test that I sent in on a previous tank.
I supplement all of the hard-coral stuff through a CaRx - carbonate, calcium, strontium, magnesium, bit of potassium, etc. Other than that, just water changes. I would not supplement anything else without a test kit and never a product that does not tell you what is in the bottle.
The only minor exception to this is that I will dose iron when I grow chaeto, but I do have a test kit for it.
The only minor exception to this is that I will dose iron when I grow chaeto, but I do have a test kit for it.
