Potassium Poll

[Myka]

Please reply with the potassium value you dose to, what supplement you use, and which test kit you use.

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Randy Holmes-Farley suggests that potassium doesn't need to be dosed unless Zeolites or Ultra Lith rocks are used seeing as apparently the rocks suck out potassium. I don't know what brand salt Randy uses, but he writes that his salt mixes up with 380 ppm Potassium. I have tested both IO and H2Ocean, both of which mix to about 250 ppm, which is where my tank sits without dosing. I have been dosing to keep Potassium 380-400 ppm.

Since my test kit ran out and my potassium supplement is nearly out I ponder the cost of replacing these (~$80) and the actual effect on my reef. I don't believe I have noticed any difference, but I am not sure.

What do you guys think?

[Myka]

Zeovit K-Balance Strong
Korallen Zucht Kalium test
380-400ppm

I voted, "I don't think so, but I'm not sure."

[lorenz0]

I've always dosed a cap of tailor aquatics potassium once a week. never changed my schedual. Its like dosing iron, do it rarely

[don.ald]

Originally Posted by lorenz0

I've always dosed a cap of tailor aquatics potassium once a week. never changed my schedual. Its like dosing iron, do it rarely

+1 here. 1 cap TA potassium once weekly.
use Korallen Zucht Kalium test
(i admit that i dont test very frequently)

[Myka]

Thanks guys! Looks like at the very least most people who dose it or have dosed it believe it does something. Once my K-Balance runs out I'm going to stop dosing for 3 months and see if I notice any difference. Right now, I'm just not sold on it.

I just add 5 mL K-Balance Strong to my weekly 10 gallon water change. That puts it off the chart on the KZ kit if I test the water change water, but it keeps my tank 380-400 ppm. I went onto Zeovit forums for pictures of test solution at 350, 380 and 400 ppm so I could tell when I test it. I also put the test solution under a bright white fluorescent bulb to read it. I feel confident reading the kit now, but I think it is still a 10 ppm guess each direction.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by lorenz0

I've always dosed a cap of tailor aquatics potassium once a week. never changed my schedual. Its like dosing iron, do it rarely

I use the same stuff but do 0.5ml everyday in a 25gal.

[Cranky When Wet]

I dose Potassium to maintain 400-450 ppm after weekly waterchanges and use Elos test kits.

I prepare a cocktail of Potassium, Calcium, Strontium and Magnesium mixed into Ultimate Snow (all additives and transporter, Ultimate Snow, are made by Reef Pure). Oh heck, I also dose Zeovit Coral Vitalizer but only when some parameters are lower. I'm not completely clear on exactly what is vitalizing my corals but it works for me.

One of the first things I was told about SW care is that Potassium is the second-most important factor, right behind Salinity.

After decades of FW tanks and a myriad of fish, I started up two reef nano's just over a year ago. One nano is very small at 6.5gals (Aussie LPS) and has protein skimmer and the other is 8gals without skimmer with only Zoa's and star polyps.) Having a sense for reading what the critters are telling me really helped. In retrospect, I took the more challenging route with these small tanks however; I'm currently working on a 70gal build that should be much easier to maintain LOL! Yup, I did it totally backwards!

Without dosing my level was around 250ppm. All my corals extend more, have better color, feed readily and grow better with dosing. I'm no expert, but this is what I'm seeing here.


Bunny >:-)

[Aquattro]

Never even considered dosing this, and likely won't in the future.

[PoonTang]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Never even considered dosing this, and likely won't in the future.

what he said

[Delphinus]

I've never been comfortable dosing anything I can't test for.

I have a huge problem trying to read the potassium test kit. I've always said I could get more accurate readings by dipping my finger into the tank and stating the first random number that comes to to mind. It consistently read high regardless whether I was dosing or not, which led me to believe either I was reading the result wrong or the test kit was faulty, or it was just a joke (honestly, making a test sample as opaque as skim milk and reading the # where you can't see the colour strip through said milk, .. seemed sketchy to me at best).

Anyhow so I stopped testing. I could never tell a difference between actively dosing or not actively dosing, but because I couldn't test for it, I never dosed it heavy and maybe that was why I couldn't tell a difference. They say that overdosing is worse than underdosing or not at all so for now I've given up on it.

Bring on the Hanna photometer for potassium and I'll be all over the idea of trying again