Iodine

[Gtinnel]

It is not optimal to blindly dose, but that's what everyone did before ICP became widely used, and folks were often successful.

It seems to me like that is what anyone who uses All For Reef without doing icp tests is doing. The solutions I want to use are in AFR.

Of course I guess ultimately it would be a shame to kill thousands of dollars in corals because I was to cheap to spend the $50 on an icp test.
My tank is doing okay I was just curious if it could be doing better.

 

[WVNed]

There is blindly dosing. Then there is following the directions for the product you pick and then doing ICP tests 3 and 6 months later to see if your elements are in the green. Mine have been.

 

[Gtinnel]

There is blindly dosing. Then there is following the directions for the product you pick and then doing ICP tests 3 and 6 months later to see if your elements are in the green. Mine have been.

My intentions were to dose by the reccomended amount or even lower and then test after several months. If I do it that way and see any negative effects on the tank I'll just stop dosing.

That or I will send off for an ICP test to see if dosing trace elements are even necessary. The problem is I can't decide which way to go.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My intentions were to dose by the reccomended amount or even lower and then test after several months. If I do it that way and see any negative effects on the tank I'll just stop dosing.

That or I will send off for an ICP test to see if dosing trace elements are even necessary. The problem is I can't decide which way to go.

I think you are unlikely to overdose something by following decent company recommendations, unless that particular ion is already elevated.

 

[X-37B]

My take on trace and iodine.
I have dosed EZ trace since day one in my systems.
It containes Iodine.
I originally dosed to keep mag in range. It also keeps K in range.
I was running manmade media in my carx.
Does the iodine do anything?
When I test for iodine using salifert it is always between 0-.06.
In other words it is present.
I did zero WC for 18 months and now do a 10% once a month.
Tank just looks better, imo, after the change.
I have never sent out for any tests but am thinking of doing it soon.
Even if my system comes back with some wierd results I will not change anything since it is running without any issues.

 

[Gtinnel]

My take on trace and iodine.
I have dosed EZ trace since day one in my systems.
It containes Iodine.
I originally dosed to keep mag in range. It also keeps K in range.
I was running manmade media in my carx.
Does the iodine do anything?
When I test for iodine using salifert it is always between 0-.06.
In other words it is present.
I did zero WC for 18 months and now do a 10% once a month.
Tank just looks better, imo, after the change.
I have never sent out for any tests but am thinking of doing it soon.
Even if my system comes back with some wierd results I will not change anything since it is running without any issues.

I had never looked at EZ Trace before. It shows to dose 50% of what your calcium supplement is. If you are not using their calcium supplement (I think you use a calcium reactor if I remember correctly) how do you know how much to dose?
I use Randy's diy 2 part and dose close to 100 ml a day, so I'm guessing I cant use the 50% of what I'm dosing because 50ml a day of supplement seems like a lot.

I don't care which supplement I go with as long as it's 2 solutions or less, because I already have dosing containers and pumps for 2 solutions, which is why I was looking at the tropic marin.

 

[X-37B]

I had never looked at EZ Trace before. It shows to dose 50% of what your calcium supplement is. If you are not using their calcium supplement (I think you use a calcium reactor if I remember correctly) how do you know how much to dose?
I use Randy's diy 2 part and dose close to 100 ml a day, so I'm guessing I cant use the 50% of what I'm dosing because 50ml a day of supplement seems like a lot.

I don't care which supplement I go with as long as it's 2 solutions or less, because I already have dosing containers and pumps for 2 solutions, which is why I was looking at the tropic marin.

I startes dosing 2.5ml a day 28 months ago when the tank was setup. I am now at 6ml a day which keeps mag at 1350ish and K at 410.

 

[X-37B]

Had to revisit notes.
Recommended dosing is 0.5ml per 100l.
Max dosing is 6ml per 100l.
This is per DSR product site.

 

[Gtinnel]

I startes dosing 2.5ml a day 28 months ago when the tank was setup. I am now at 6ml a day which keeps mag at 1350ish and K at 410.
I just started low and based additions on mag and K.

Ok. I actually would prefer to not increase mag because my AWC keeps mine stable in the low 1400s anyway. I think I've only had to add magnesium supplement to my tank once.

I just realized I'm not sure if all trace element solution increase magnesium or is it just that one.

 

[Gtinnel]

Had to revisit notes.
Recommended dosing is 0.5ml per 100l.
Max dosing is 6ml per 100l.
This is per DSR product site.

Maybe I misread the website but I though it said 50% of your calcium supplement (it was based on their own 2 part though)

I just realized that they're using EZ trace as a third part to their 2 part solution and that's why the mag increase. Since I don't need to increase mag I probably would have to use a different solution.

 

[X-37B]

Ok. I actually would prefer to not increase mag because my AWC keeps mine stable in the low 1400s anyway. I think I've only had to add magnesium supplement to my tank once.

I just realized I'm not sure if all trace element solution increase magnesium or is it just that one.

This is whats in EZ. Once mag is at the level you want the EZ will keep it thier with the right dose. I have never seen an increase even when I went from manmade media to bones.
The main reason I went with EZ is its simple.

 

[X-37B]

Maybe I misread the website but I though it said 50% of your calcium supplement (it was based on their own 2 part though)

I just realized that they're using EZ trace as a third part to their 2 part solution and that's why the mag increase. Since I don't need to increase mag I probably would have to use a different solution.

Yes it does say 50% but it also says to start at .5ml per 100 liters with a max of 6ml per 100ml.
Dosing is based on 50% of the EZ-Calcium consumption.
Daily start dosing: 0.5ml / 100l. Maximal dosing 6ml / 100l

 

[Gtinnel]

This is whats in EZ. Once mag is at the level you want the EZ will keep it thier with the right dose. I have never seen an increase even when I went from manmade media to bones.
The main reason I went with EZ is its simple.

Oh ok so it's just a small selection of elements. The title of my thread is somewhat misleading because I'm actually wanting to add more than iodine. I was wanting to add a solution that had most of what are considered to be the more important trace elements. I was just wanting to possibly use a test for iodine to determine if I was adding too much.

I think I've finally talked myself in to use the tropic marin A and K elements, and then going by how my tank reacts, then if there are no issues wait a few months and send off an ICP test.

 

[X-37B]

Oh ok so it's just a small selection of elements. The title of my thread is somewhat misleading because I'm actually wanting to add more than iodine. I was wanting to add a solution that had most of what are considered to be the more important trace elements. I was just wanting to possibky use a test for iodine to determine if I was adding too much.

I think I've finally talked myself in to use the tropic marin A and K elements, and then going by how my tank reacts, then if there are no issues wait a few months and send off an ICP test.

Cool, keep us posted with results.
When you have some time checkout Glenn Fongs DRS reefing. It is the reason I went with EZ trace.
Thier are so many unanswered questions about trace elements.
I am not convinced all are needed as many have quite impressive reefs without using any trace elements.
I went this route because well its EZ, lol, and it works in my systems.

 

[Gtinnel]

Cool, keep us posted with results.
When you have some time checkout Glenn Fongs DRS reefing. It is the reason I went with EZ trace.
Thier are so many unanswered questions about trace elements.
I am not convinced all are needed as many have quite impressive reefs without using any trace elements.
I went this route because well its EZ, lol, and it works in my systems.

I don't have enough experience to have an opinion on trace elements, but there is that nagging voice in the back of my head that says what if adding them made a big difference to my tank. Plus there was a "Question of the day" a while back that was what do you dose and for me it's just alk/cal and nothing else. It seems like almost everyone else doses a lot of different solutions so it made me wonder if I would see a benefit.

After I figure out trace elements I'm going to start deciding if I should start adding phyto, LOL.

 

[Spieg]

I dose ESV 2-part (which contains most trace elements as well). I only do a 20% water change about once every 6 months and based on water tests, I do need to dose small amounts of a few trace elements (Potassium, Iron and Strontium) about once a month just to stay in the range I want.

 

[Gtinnel]

I dose ESV 2-part (which contains most trace elements as well). I only do a 20% water change about once every 6 months and based on water tests, I do need to dose small amounts of a few trace elements (Potassium, Iron and Strontium) about once a month just to stay in the range I want.

How do you know which ones you have to dose extra, ICP testing?

 

[Spieg]

How do you know which ones you have to dose extra, ICP testing?

Yes ICP test history indicates what I need more of.