Potassium... should we be dosing it?

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 12, 2017

Donovan Joannes said:
My birdnest always RTN from base up whenever K is low. I don't know how low, as testing for K using salifert kit makes my eyes and brain out-of-sync trying to figure out a "baby blue" color change. It (RTN) stopped once K is fixed.

How low?

pfoxgrover · May 12, 2017

I have been dosing a powdered food grade potassium supplement 30ml weekly for 240 gallons for some time (about a year) expecting that to raise my levels about 20 ppm in my 240 gallon tank. My levels have not gone above 420 according to the Red Sea kit and a Trion test. Coral colors look good and I also have an ATS and I imagine it is using some of the K.

Donovan Joannes · May 12, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
How low?

That is the issue. I am having hard time to tell myself when to stop after seeing baby blue on salifert. Even at normal level (400) I always confused with the no of drops, most of the time my "eyestimation" says between 400 - 480.

Donovan Joannes · May 12, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
How low?

Sorry Randy, I have to ask you these before my head explodes. Can I make potassium nitrate from sodium nitrate and postassium chloride?. If yes, at what ratio?. Sorry OP, not to hijack this thread. Thanks a bunch.

puffer420 · May 20, 2018

Anyone still following!

puffer420 · May 20, 2018

I've been doing potassium lately and found this thread. I can't get a reading above 430 using a red seatest kit. Icp test came back at 421. Been dosing 10g brightwell aquatics dry potassium. ??

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 21, 2018

Donovan Joannes said:
Sorry Randy, I have to ask you these before my head explodes. Can I make potassium nitrate from sodium nitrate and postassium chloride?. If yes, at what ratio?. Sorry OP, not to hijack this thread. Thanks a bunch.

Sorry, missed this. Why would you do that? Potassium chloride is a fine potassium supplement (the best) and sodium nitrate is a fine nitrate supplement (my preference).

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 21, 2018

puffer420 said:
I've been doing potassium lately and found this thread. I can't get a reading above 430 using a red seatest kit. Icp test came back at 421. Been dosing 10g brightwell aquatics dry potassium. ??

Why do you want a reading above 430 ppm:? That's above natural levels of 400 ppm at 35 ppt.

puffer420 · May 21, 2018

Hey randy. I've just experimenting alittle. I read an article online where a guy maintain k at around 600 and it helped color up sps corals.

rockskimmerflow · May 21, 2018

puffer420 said:
Hey randy. I've just experimenting alittle. I read an article online where a guy maintain k at around 600 and it helped color up sps corals.

Holy fishpaste I can smell the acro's tips burning from here. 600 is no joke for potassium levels.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 21, 2018

puffer420 said:
Hey randy. I've just experimenting alittle. I read an article online where a guy maintain k at around 600 and it helped color up sps corals.

Seachem Vibrant salt also has super high potassium. I'd consider it pretty experimental to have it so high, but if you really want to, it is easy to do. it will take a lot.

cmcoker · May 21, 2018

I'm having about a 10ppm drop in K per month, despite weekly 10% water changes.

I have some KCl around the house, it has weird units 2meq/ml

Curious how much I would need to dose a 65g system to raise K to 10ppm? I am currently reading 340ppm with a Salifert Kit and would like to bring it up to 400 over several doses.

puffer420 · May 21, 2018

I have dosed probably 50g in the past month and the highest I've got it was 430. Randy is right that it will take alot to raise it. I also haven't done a water chage in two months so k is not replenished by water changes. No burnt tips yet!

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Randy Holmes-Farley · May 22, 2018

cmcoker said:
I'm having about a 10ppm drop in K per month, despite weekly 10% water changes.

I have some KCl around the house, it has weird units 2meq/ml

Curious how much I would need to dose a 65g system to raise K to 10ppm? I am currently reading 340ppm with a Salifert Kit and would like to bring it up to 400 over several doses.

1 meq/mL means 74.6 mg/mL potassium chloride or 39.1 mg/mL potassium
2 meq/ml means 78.2 mg/mL potassium

65 gallons = 246 L

Thus, adding 1 mL of this fluid to 65 gallons will boost potassium by 78.2 mg/246 l = 0.32 mg/L or 0.32 ppm.

To get a boost of 60 ppm (340 to 400) you'd need 188 mL.

Myka · May 27, 2018

You guys are nuts! I get burned tips when K is around 430 ppm on Triton.

Da8 · Nov 25, 2018

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Sorry, missed this. Why would you do that? Potassium chloride is a fine potassium supplement (the best) and sodium nitrate is a fine nitrate supplement (my preference).

Do you advise to use sodium nitrate for raising nitrate rather more than KNO3?

Is there any reason for that in certain aquariums potassium is consumed in a quicker way than others?

Ive been told that iodine levels have to do with it.

Thank you very much for your time

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 25, 2018

IMO, potassium depletion may have as much or more to do with the nature of the foods fed than the organisms present. Rinsed frozen foods may release much of their potassium, while fresh foods would not. That is because potassium is mostly found inside cells. Freezing breaks many open, and rinsing washed away the very soluble potassium.

I think it unlikely that iodine levels impact potassium consumption (relative to N and P consumption). I cannot even imagine how that would work.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 25, 2018

I would generally recommend sodium nitrate unless you dose little if it, or have a demonstrated need for potassium. It never depleted in my tank.

Da8 · Nov 25, 2018

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Randy Holmes-Farley said:
IMO, potassium depletion may have as much or more to do with the nature of the foods fed than the organisms present. Rinsed frozen foods may release much of their potassium, while fresh foods would not. That is because potassium is mostly found inside cells. Freezing breaks many open, and rinsing washed away the very soluble potassium.

I think it unlikely that iodine levels impact potassium consumption (relative to N and P consumption). I cannot even imagine how that would work.

Pleasure reading you.
Thank you very much.

Do you know of have you heard why some aquariums with similar coral numbers have more or less potassium consumption?

When I used part of zeo routine including a lot of brightwell potassium I had extreme consumption and had problems getting to 420 oand now using fauna marin light balling it is very stable around 420.
Maybe is as you said, the adding of frozen foods. Because during my zeo routine was none, while now is daily.

Sorry for the unaccurate question. And again, thank you for your help.

Scrubber_steve · Nov 25, 2018

From what I have read potassium is taken up by algae.
@Floyd R Turbo from Turboaquatics says "Scrubbers suck K down like a 10 year old sucks down a shake from McDs.Trying to keep K and 400 in a scrubbed tank can be a challenge but I haven't worried too much about it as I really didn't see any negatives when running K at 350 or less even...but that doesn't mean I should be running it there."