ICP recommendations and cost effective

[Dweezilz]

So I have a fish only with inverts and have battled SCA dinos the past year and trying to get my water conditions in line. The SCA are under control for the moment. My ICP test recommends dosing barium, iodine, manganese, iron, molybdenum and zinc which are all critical low. I've never dosed anything in the 20 months I've been at this. Also, I don't have a doser so it would be by hand which is fine just to get trace elements to where they should be. My question is, all of these individually are going to be over $100 so pretty expensive. If I dose something like Tropic Marin K- and A- it's $70 cheaper and it seems I'd get all of those elements, but also others that I'm either ok or a bit too high on. I don't have corals so that's important to note.

Does it make sense to spend the money and dose the specific elements only or use the Tropic Marin kits and don't worry about going over for other elements? The other issue with the kit is that I probably can't accurately hit the recommended levels ATI specified. It's just a huge difference in price. Thanks for any advice!

 

[KStatefan]

In my opinion for a fish only I would not does anything.

 

[Dweezilz]

In my opinion for a fish only I would not does anything.

I've been told to help control the SCA dinos good bacteria could be suffering due to the super low trace elements and this will help to stabilize things. Not sure if this will make a difference or not. I'm sick of the dinos so worth it if it helps keep them at bay.

 

[KStatefan]

I've been told to help control the SCA dinos good bacteria could be suffering due to the super low trace elements and this will help to stabilize things. Not sure if this will make a difference or not. I'm sick of the dinos so worth it if it helps keep them at bay.

OK

Then dose them.

 

[Dweezilz]

OK

Then dose them.

Gee thanks. I didn't mean to just disagree with you man, just looking for advice. My question was more about the cost and if the mixure is a bad idea or not. If you truly feel it's not worth it at all, then that's a solid opinion I can take into advisement. I think this type of reply is sort of the type that makes people not want to post questions. No offense at all, but it is.

 

[Reign1]

If a FO then have you have been doing water changes? Perhaps using better salt with more trace elements may yield same results in the long run and may even save $$?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, some of the recommendations are not appropriate.

What sort of inverts are we talking about?

 

[Dweezilz]

If a FO then have you have been doing water changes? Perhaps using better salt with more trace elements may yield same results in the long run and may even save $$?

So up until the dinos I did water changes but for a good number of months I did not do any as I was following the FB dino groups recommendations to dose silicates and have diatoms outcompete the dinos. So it did go about 4 months without a water change. I'm back to doing them however.

 

[Dweezilz]

IMO, some of the recommendations are not appropriate.

What sort of inverts are we talking about?

Snails, pistol shrimp, blue leg and halloween hermits, cowries, and tuxedo urchin.

 

[esquare]

If you decide to dose, decide how much and how often and then see if a dosing pump is warranted. You may not have to dose enough to bother with a pump

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Snails, pistol shrimp, blue leg and halloween hermits, cowries, and tuxedo urchin.

IMO, you do not need to dose any trace elements at all, but if you want to experiment with them, something like Tropic Marin A and K is a fine plan.

 

[Dweezilz]

IMO, you do not need to dose any trace elements at all, but if you want to experiment with them, something like Tropic Marin A and K is a fine plan.

Thanks Randy! I'll probably wait. If I do go with the Tropic M, at least it doesn't break the bank short term.

 

[KStatefan]

Gee thanks. I didn't mean to just disagree with you man, just looking for advice. My question was more about the cost and if the mixure is a bad idea or not. If you truly feel it's not worth it at all, then that's a solid opinion I can take into advisement. I think this type of reply is sort of the type that makes people not want to post questions. No offense at all, but it is.

I've been told to help control the SCA dinos good bacteria could be suffering due to the super low trace elements and this will help to stabilize things. Not sure if this will make a difference or not. I'm sick of the dinos so worth it if it helps keep them at bay.

Was not meant that way.

What bacteria are suffering and what trace elements are they lacking?

 

[Dweezilz]

Was not meant that way.

What bacteria are suffering and what trace elements are they lacking?

No problem at all. You've been helpful to me in the past so all is good. Hard to say about the bacteria, it was more a general statement by ATI and also the dino group that having all the proper trace elements help the good guys outnumber the bad guys. ATI mentioned good bacteria could be suffering from lack of trace elements. Don't know if that matters much.

I may just do the cheaper Tropic M a few times for good measure and boost water changes and do another ICP test in a few months. All inhabitants in the tank seem happy at this point and dinos are very limited.

 

[jda]

I would just turn the lights off for a few days when they start to bug you - enough to beat back the dinos, but not enough to kill everything that the snails and hermits eat.

If you want to guess at multiple traces in a bottle, then Kent Essential Elements are pretty cheap. They are kinda a punchline anymore, but they used to be THE thing like M, A&K and Moonshiners... which will be jokes and punchlines someday too.