Randy I reached out to Bob Stark again. I really like that guy. He’s very transparent about his products and it really gives me confidence when dosing ESV. There’s not very many people like him around. I wanted to included our second email so that other reefers can reference this in the future and better understand ESV B-Ionic.
Hi Jared,
I'm glad the B-Ionic 2 Part is working out for you and thanks for spreading the word! You are correct in that the amount of certain elements provided by the product may not keep up with demand, although significant trace elements are added to our systems simply by feeding. Depending on how much of the 2 part is added, certain major elements can stay in the ballpark with the 2 part alone..like magnesium, potassium, and sulfate. Others, as you suggest, are probably not being added in sufficient quantity so we suggest once per week additions of our B-Ionic Strontium and B-Ionic Iodide. In addition, for tanks over 4 months old and more populated, we recommend daily additions of our B-Ionic Transition Elements which provide very low doses of Iron, Manganese, and Zinc. We also have a Transition Elements Plus product that supplies the same amounts of these elements but also adds citric acid and ascorbic acid for carbon dosing if the aquarist is battling higher nitrates. I'm not too keen on supplying trace elements which can be required by non calcifying inhabitants (macro algae and soft corals) based on calcification rates alone, but I see some of the logic behind it. My guess is the Red Sea Colors are probably safe to use with our B-Ionic, but don't know enough about their product line to say with absolute certainty. All of the above mentioned ESV additives, in addition to the 2 Part, have been formulated to fall a little under the radar of trace element overdose and based on our testing and feedback from customers who have run ICP, we are confident the dosages are safe. Hope this info helps and thanks again for using our products!
Bob Stark
ESV Aquarium Products Inc.