Trace elements dosing experiment

[tenurepro]

Hi Guys,
was really curious about dosing trace elements to enhance SPS color. So i did this experiment for 6 weeks dosing redsea trace-colors program daily; i changed nothing else, kept track of water chemistry and took pictures of corals before and after the experiment.

Here is a video chronicling the experiment ...

[warning - spoiler alert ]
the results are .... meh

 

[Hitman]

I dosed Red Sea colors for 4 months and honestly did not see a difference in either my SPS or LPS corals.

 

[tenurepro]

I dosed Red Sea colors for 4 months and honestly did not see a difference in either my SPS or LPS corals.

Seems like we had similar experiences

 

[Mal11224]

Interesting video. How did you determine that .6 mil is what you needed? You have quite a bit of stony corals. Would think your calcium usage is more than 30 mil a day.

 

[Hitman]

In theory it’s a great product and I’ve read several reviews that it’s helped others which is why I bought a big bottle of each set them up on a doser. I could have done something wrong which wouldn’t be the first yes, could it have taken longer then the time I gave it maybe, was I willing to give it more time? Nope I moved on lol

 

[Mal11224]

I think it works if it's used properly. I use it and have seen nice colors on my SPS but I also feed my corals with aminos as well and I believe that also has a lot to do with it. I feed my fish LRS, which adds nutrients in a way. I dose about 3 mil a day in my 70gal tank.

 

[SPR1968]

That’s a very interesting video and thanks for taking the time to make it

I’ve used the coral colours for over 2 years and to be honest I don’t know if they make a difference or not. I probably under dose them for safety but I have a very high bioload so maybe the corals get what they need from that and water changes.

I continue to use them as part of the Red Sea Reef Program (because I’m guessing their scientists know more than me! Lol) for what they cost in the scheme of things. Everything is alive and thriving so I’m not going to change anything

 

[tenurepro]

Interesting video. How did you determine that .6 mil is what you needed? You have quite a bit of stony corals. Would think your calcium usage is more than 30 mil a day.

good Q; Here are the instructions from Red sea on dosing by calcium demand
Calculate the daily or weekly dose of each supplement according to the dosage of Red Sea’s Foundation™ supplements or to a known uptake of calcium. (Add 1ml of Color supplement for every 20ppm of Calcium added per 100 liters (25 gal) of aquarium water or for every 2g of calcium uptake.)

I dose 28 ml of ESB 2 part, which adds about 8 ppm of Ca in my 50 gal tank (total volume - rocks / sand). So, i am supposed to dose 8ppm/20ppm x 2 = 0.8 ml of product per day; I dosed a bit lower (0.6 ml/day) just to err on the side of caution (given manual states that these chemicals can be overdosed and cause harm, and because of concerns over excess nutrients). I also reasoned that it wasn't going to be all or noting (i.e. no threshold effect). hope that helps

 

[tenurepro]

I think it works if it's used properly. I use it and have seen nice colors on my SPS but I also feed my corals with aminos as well and I believe that also has a lot to do with it. I feed my fish LRS, which adds nutrients in a way. I dose about 3 mil a day in my 70gal tank.

Do you do the entire Redsea program? I don't doubt your experiences. And big 'disclaimer' - this is just my experiences with the product; But tanks are different and i can easily see how this product can be useful in some contexts, but i my tank, it didn't appear to make a difference (although i had good colours prior to dosing, which suggests that i was already meeting the trace element requirements)

 

[tenurepro]

That’s a very interesting video and thanks for taking the time to make it

I’ve used the coral colours for over 2 years and to be honest I don’t know if they make a difference or not. I probably under dose them for safety but I have a very high bioload so maybe the corals get what they need from that and water changes.

I continue to use them as part of the Red Sea Reef Program (because I’m guessing their scientists know more than me! Lol) for what they cost in the scheme of things. Everything is alive and thriving so I’m not going to change anything

thanks for sharing - yes; no need to mess with success!