The effect trace elements & other things has on corals (and how to calculate dosing)?

TbSaysNo · Mar 20, 2023

Good afternoon R2R,

So I have finally gotten my standard parameters to be relatively stable and acceptable;

alkalinity: 9 DKH (used to have 12 but went down to 9 and saw no real change)

PH: 7.7 (too low, I am currently making a system to take air from the outside into my skimmer - would like it to be 8.1-8.2)

Nitrate: 4.8 ppm (want it around 4, max 8 and lowest 1)

Salinity: (50% chance of being 1.025, 50% chance of being 1.026, feels random)

Calcium: 430 ppm (don't have a schedule for dosing this, gets replenished during water changes)

Magnesium: probably around 1350, my Hanna tester is faulty and says 1600+ which is implausible

I have had a euphyllia glabrescens for 3 months (black) and newly added another one (1 week).

last picture is a newly added branching hammer (euphyllia paraancora) taken before night.

dont know if it is clear, but the newly added euphyllia is happy, but also way brighter than the rest...

I have 0 iodine according to a icp test, would it hurt to take it up to 15 ppm in one dosing, or should I do it slowly?. I have two montipora, in which one of them is doing poorly, and I read elsewhere that Montis wants iodine.

red sea color supplement

I got this (link ^)

should I begin dosing this, and how much?. I have been paying attention to moonshiners reefing dosing calculator, and it recommends various things like bromine, copper dosing, vanadium etc. thoughts on this?

I want my corals to have more color

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 20, 2023

I would likely be a disaster to add 15 ppm of iodine. Do you mean 15 ppb?

TbSaysNo · Mar 21, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I would likely be a disaster to add 15 ppm of iodine. Do you mean 15 ppb?

Yeah ppb, sorry

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 21, 2023

If you are dosing an iodide supplement (not Lugols), then it is fien to boost to NSW levels (0.06 ppm) all at once, IMO.

Your aluminum is fairly high, and if you use any type of white biomedia, I'd consider ditching it.

For trace elements, which are not easily determined to be sufficient or not by ICP, I'd suggest experimenting with a mixture such as Tropic Marin A and K and see if the tank benefits after a couple of weeks. Iron and manganese, for example, typically deplete rapidly. The Red Sea one you linked is probably OK, I just have less confidence in them as a company.

I would not make the assumption that any supplement is a color enhancing material. The Red Sea line name is a marketing gimmick.

TbSaysNo · Mar 21, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
If you are dosing an iodide supplement (not Lugols), then it is fien to boost to NSW levels (0.06 ppm) all at once, IMO.

Your aluminum is fairly high, and if you use any type of white biomedia, I'd consider ditching it.

For trace elements, which are not easily determined to be sufficient or not by ICP, I'd suggest experimenting with a mixture such as Tropic Marin A and K and see if the tank benefits after a couple of weeks. Iron and manganese, for example, typically deplete rapidly. The Red Sea one you linked is probably OK, I just have less confidence in them as a company.

I would not make the assumption that any supplement is a color enhancing material. The Red Sea line name is a marketing gimmick.

I have no clue why my zinc and aluminum Are high. in a test taken 3 months ago, aluminum was 150, but now it is 80.

zinc has increased instead, from 25 to 37. it is a new tank, and nothing is eroding. I have an assumption that the zinq is coming from the frozen mysis I buy.

biom · Mar 21, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I would not make the assumption that any supplement is a color enhancing material. The Red Sea line name is a marketing gimmick.

^+1 It is really crazy how often trace elements (TE) are presented almost like coral dye. They definitely will make corals to look healthy and grow faster but that's it. I dont think in a new tank with only few corals and regular WC there is a need for dosing TE. Excess of some elements could cause more problems instead of improving"coral colors.

TbSaysNo · Mar 21, 2023

I just dosed it to get 0.06 ppm and now my euphyllia and birds nest look unhappy

TbSaysNo · Mar 21, 2023

They have shrinked

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 21, 2023

What did you dose?

TbSaysNo · Mar 21, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
What did you dose?

6 ML of iodine+ Red Sea to my 91 gallon reef

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 21, 2023

+Iodide is not the only ingredient, but i cannot see how that is going to be a problem in any case. I think it more liekly the issue is something else. Many people (including me) dose the full iodide concentration of NSW without issue.

biom · Mar 22, 2023

biom said:
I dont think in a new tank with only few corals and regular WC there is a need for dosing TE. Excess of some elements could cause more problems instead of improving"coral colors.

As I said in previous post there is no need to dose TE in new tank with just a few small frags if there are water changes present. It will takes months before your corals will show their true colors. Dumping trace elements in the tank at this stage will not help but is possible to create other problems

yanetterer · Mar 22, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
If you are dosing an iodide supplement (not Lugols), then it is fien to boost to NSW levels (0.06 ppm) all at once, IMO.

What makes an iodide supplement safe to dose to that level all at once but not Lugols?

I’m not looking to use either as a supplement, just curious.

biom · Mar 22, 2023

yanetterer said:
What makes an iodide supplement safe to dose to that level all at once but not Lugols?

I’m not looking to use either as a supplement, just curious.

Lugol’s solution contains iodine in different very reactive forms and can be harmful if overdosed. And overdosing is possible because it’s not always possible to calculate amount of the iodine in the solution.. potassium iodide is safer and easier to calculate iodine in it,
But since we don’t know the other chemicals in Red Sea iodine supplement I don’t think it’s safe to dose to the maximum NSW level at once. At least I’ve read in the MSDS that there is potassium bromide which is quite dangerous I would say.