Is it time for me to start dosing trace elements?

JosephM · Mar 19, 2021

Mastiffsrule said:
That was what i was referring to. Sounds like you are on top of the main ones, Alk, Calc, Mag, Po4, and No3.

The icp will tell you if you are deficient in a certain area. It will not help you set a dosing schedule unless you run multiple tests over time to calculate useage. It will help you identify thing you need if you don’t want to do water changes.

I was planning on running one and then start dosing what I’m lacking and sending another one in a couple months later to see how my dosing regimen is and fix it and then sending in quarterly tests just to make sure everything is normals.

jamesdomini4 said:
Off topic: How long does it take to see a change in nitrates and phosphate after adding chaeto? I added some form Nemo’s last week. I see bubbles coming off them during the photoperiod.

I think it really depends on what type of light, photperiod, and how much you started with. My first batch I saw change in about a week - 2 weeks. This batch I’ve had it about 2 weeks and not seeing any change yet. Chaeto definitely had a bigger affect on nitrates then phosphates

JosephM · Mar 19, 2021

josephxsxn said:
Water changes are easy mode, I'd recommend trying to solve for making your changes simpler so your willing to do them more often. The attached photo is a 3+ year old 40gal frag tank I have, don't test this tank EVER but give it a 50% water change weekly like religion. Recently had my RBTA split and the few acros recently added are growing and coloring well.

Best of luck to you. I did the no water change thing back when I started years ago, after about 6 months things went south with lots of losses. Water changes for life now, easy street.

I have no issue with water changes and will do them if ICP tests and dosing doesn’t work. Beautiful tank btw

here’s mine

Mastiffsrule · Mar 19, 2021

That mushroom is awesome. Looks perfect where it’s at. Clowns are nice too

josephxsxn · Mar 19, 2021

JosephM said:
Beautiful tank btw here’s mine

Looks great, gonna look epic when it grows in. Now you got me wishing I had cleaned the glass in my photo hahaha.

Spare time · Mar 19, 2021

JosephM said:
Your method does sound nice plus its working for you so hopefully it would work for me. Do you think I should start dosing that stuff now or after ICP test? I don’t grow tunicates but I do have one large one and a bunch of smaller ones that came on the rock

That is up to you for the icp. I really can't say one way or another. It may help to wait so you can see what was used up, but if you think the corals and stuff are need of the elements than you could just go ahead. And as to which of the mixes you do, that is up to you. However, keep in mind I dosed very little of red sea potassium and iodine mixes with the chaetogro (maybe 0.1 mL a day or 1 mL a week). I haven't don't an icp but my tank is doing very well (before and after switching to all for reef DIY).

JosephM · Mar 19, 2021

Mastiffsrule said:
That mushroom is awesome. Looks perfect where it’s at. Clowns are nice too

Haha thank you! That’s actually the main reason I started this thread because the red mushroom is bulging weirdly and the green one isn’t opening as big.

josephxsxn said:
Looks great, gonna look epic when it grows in. Now you got me wishing I had cleaned the glass in my photo hahaha.

Thank you! Basically done adding. Building a new tank so I can keep up my obsessive coral purchasing. I only clean the glass when it gets so bad it hurts my eyes to look in LOL

JosephM · Mar 19, 2021

Spare time said:
That is up to you for the icp. I really can't say one way or another. It may help to wait so you can see what was used up, but if you think the corals and stuff are need of the elements than you could just go ahead. And as to which of the mixes you do, that is up to you. However, keep in mind I dosed very little of red sea potassium and iodine mixes with the chaetogro (maybe 0.1 mL a day or 1 mL a week). I haven't don't an icp but my tank is doing very well (before and after switching to all for reef DIY).

Fair enough. I think I’ll hold off dosing for now and if corals keep turning for the worse I’ll start and see if they perk up

Spare time · Mar 19, 2021

JosephM said:
Fair enough. I think I’ll hold off dosing for now and if corals keep turning for the worse I’ll start and see if they perk up

If anything, I would try esv-b transition elements or chaetogro.

JosephM · Mar 19, 2021

Spare time said:
If anything, I would try esv-b transition elements or chaetogro.

I have been thinking about chaeto gro, might have to to get my chaeto a jump

Imaexpat2 · Mar 19, 2021

Its your tank and your money and time invested, do what ever you feel like you need to do.

Ive been in this hobby for years and I would wait for the ICP test to come back before I started taking shots in the dark and dosing things I havent tested for and found a lacking number. Over dosing something can be just as bad as under dosing. We have a lot of technology at our disposal we didnt have when I got into the hobby...I highly recommend using that technology to your benefit.

Spare time · Mar 19, 2021

JosephM said:
I have been thinking about chaeto gro, might have to to get my chaeto a jump

I started to dose it when my chaeto kept dying out.

JosephM · Mar 19, 2021

Imaexpat2 said:
Its your tank and your money and time invested, do what ever you feel like you need to do.

Ive been in this hobby for years and I would wait for the ICP test to come back before I started taking shots in the dark and dosing things I havent tested for and found a lacking number. Over dosing something can be just as bad as under dosing. We have a lot of technology at our disposal we didnt have when I got into the hobby...I highly recommend using that technology to your benefit.

Definitely get your point. How long does it take to get your results back after sending it in?

Imaexpat2 · Mar 19, 2021

I havent sent an ICP test in yet...I test for most of the things that really matter the most and do water changes to make up for the minor trace type stuff. I have found that Stability is more important to success than trying to chase the perfect numbers. Thats not to say numbers are not important, they most certianly are, but they are one of many factors needed for success.

Why havent I sent in a ICP test yet? I havent found a need to. My Duncan and Hammer is putting out new heads/polyps, the Monti Cap is growing about an 1/8 of an inch a week, my 2-3 polyp high end Zoas have tripled in size the last three months, the Blood Orange Lepto that I bought for 5.99 that looked sickly and was on its last legs has snapped back and completely covered the frag plug it was on and now is growing across the sand bed. My tank may not be perfect, but it is looking pretty healthy to me from a growth and color stand point. Why fix what aint broke?

Koigula · Jul 21, 2021

ICP with these transitional elements gets into a gray area. Using it to atleast see subjective things like better Chaeto growth and doing an ICP test micht be best way to go.