is Potassium required for reef???? Help??

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

You don't want to use PIF to maintain K+ levels. You'll overdose with iodide before you hit 380 ppm. K Balance Strong is the way to go.

You don't want to use PIF to raise the potassium level, but you can use it to maintain it. When used properly that is exactly what it's made for, maintaining both potassium and iodide levels. By "properly" I mean never exceeding dosing instructions and using a little common sense. For example if it states 1 drop per 25gal daily I would assume this is for a fully stocked high demand system, if you have a medium demand system you would dose half.

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by sphelps

You don't want to use PIF to raise the potassium level, but you can use it to maintain it. When used properly that is exactly what it's made for, maintaining both potassium and iodide levels. By "properly" I mean never exceeding dosing instructions and using a little common sense. For example if it states 1 drop per 25gal daily I would assume this is for a fully stocked high demand system, if you have a medium demand system you would dose half.

Well... no. PIF is a color refining product that has little of no capability of maintaining any significant levels of K+. The biggest problem with trying to achieve any form of K+ dosing with PIF is that it WILL result in an overdose of Iodide. You're better off doing water changes with a salt that has elevated levels of K+.

That said, PIF is untouchable for producing vivid blue coloration.

[trilinearmipmap]

Potassium is found in all living cells. I you are feeding your tank either prepared or frozen food, you are dosing potassium.

Since potassium test kits are notoriously inaccurate, the logical way to dose potassium would be to keep up with regular water changes. This would bring K up if it is too low, and reduce K if too much K were being introduced by feedings.

The exception would be if it is proved that a given salt mix has a lower K concentration than sea water does. In that case, adding a potassium supplement (for example KCL or K2SO4) to water change water in an amount calculated to bring the K up to sea water levels might make sense.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by trilinearmipmap

Since potassium test kits are notoriously inaccurate

This is something I worry about...I really don't think the KZ test is very accurate, but possibly that is mostly attributed to user inability. I wish it was the type that you put drops in until it changes color (I forget the terminology for that). I find those are really easy to read, and have much less room for error, or guess work.

[albert_dao]

BOOYAH:

http://www.worldwidereefers.com/foru...read.php?t=413

I've never had trouble figuring out the reading on this test kit, and finally, after reading this post, have figured out why - I take the FIRST impression and don't dwell on the visual as it becomes more and more relative as your eye adjust to the sample (thanks Alexander).

HTH's

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

BOOYAH:

http://www.worldwidereefers.com/foru...read.php?t=413

I've never had trouble figuring out the reading on this test kit, and finally, after reading this post, have figured out why - I take the FIRST impression and don't dwell on the visual as it becomes more and more relative as your eye adjust to the sample (thanks Alexander).

HTH's

Yeah thats what I have been doing as well, it isn't hard for your eye to adjust and "envision" that orange line through your sample. I realized that right away but my eyes are pretty quick, making it tough to come up with a reading on the spot. Eventually I covered up the rest of the line with a piece of paper, seems to do the trick

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Well... no. PIF is a color refining product that has little of no capability of maintaining any significant levels of K+. The biggest problem with trying to achieve any form of K+ dosing with PIF is that it WILL result in an overdose of Iodide. You're better off doing water changes with a salt that has elevated levels of K+.

That said, PIF is untouchable for producing vivid blue coloration.

And exactly how does this product produce "vivid blue coloration"? It is after all simply potassium iodide so obviously it adds both potassium and iodide so how can one say it won't help maintain both potassium and iodide levels? You can't use it to raise levels but with regular water changes it must help maintain K levels, to say otherwise simply doesn't make sense. Also how can you overdose on iodide by following proper dosing directions? K is +1 and Iodide is -1 so close to equal amounts are added.

[StirCrazy]

or you could just run a Ca reactor with a good ballanced media in it to keep all your trace elements up..

I never doesed K and never tested it.. never even heard of worring about it untill reciently.. amazing how we ever grew nice SPS tank a few years ago '

Steve

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

or you could just run a Ca reactor with a good ballanced media in it to keep all your trace elements up..

I never doesed K and never tested it.. never even heard of worring about it untill reciently.. amazing how we ever grew nice SPS tank a few years ago '

Steve

This is bankrupt, no offense. Potassium augments the overall vigor of corals and that's something that you can find user support for even within the confines of this thread. Just because it wasn't used during the pioneering days of SPS systems hardly ratifies the position that it is superfluous.

The closer we get to ULN NSW water levels, the more and more we find that super low Potassium levels leads to destrimental health problems with many corals (especially SPS). This was traditionally not the case back when our tanks struggled with NO3's and phosphates, but that's all changed over the past couple years with the surging popularity of probiotic methodologies. But I digress - you run ULN for any given length of time paying no heed to your potassium (using a lower grade salt, not dosing, etc) and your SPS starts to get pale and sickly. You bring the levels up to NSW and bam, everything flourishes again.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

The closer we get to ULN NSW water levels, the more and more we find that super low Potassium levels leads to detrimental health problems with many corals (especially SPS). This was traditionally not the case back when our tanks struggled with NO3's and phosphates, but that's all changed over the past couple years with the surging popularity of probiotic methodologies. But I digress - you run ULN for any given length of time paying no heed to your potassium (using a lower grade salt, not dosing, etc) and your SPS starts to get pale and sickly. You bring the levels up to NSW and bam, everything flourishes again.

I agree that it is important, having as close to NSW values is very important, all I am saying is that with a good alround media that is dissolved into the tank you should have enough K.

on a side note if stores and such are pushing stuff to help get the perfect water levels why are they still telling you that you need over 400ppm of Ca? the average NSW for the world is 380 to 400 so why are people trying to get 450 when it is actually hard on the corals.. oh and there is research that shows that also. (Simplified version is that the coral has to expend more energy to remove the Ca from equilibrium in its cells to deposit it as a skeleton for new growth)

I won't say every store, as there are several good ones, but on average the job of a store is to sell stuff.. so if they can bring something to the fore front that wasn't realy looked at befor as it is one of thoes things that is general good, then heck theres a whole new sale on a line of chemicals and test kits. but like I said not all stores are like this and I am not implying that any one reading this is like this but rather just the way things are out there. If I owned a store whould I bing this in.. if it is going to sell hell ya. if it is going to sit on the shelf for ever nope, I can put something in that space that would actualy make money.

the problem I have with this K thing is generaly people who are hard core SPS are running massive amount of Ca reactor material, one of the most popular is Carb sea which is a ballanced media. so I could see on initial set up making sure everything is deicent then checking for K maybe every couple months.. and for the record for the last year my SPS take was running I did test for K twice.. it was a little over 400 each time. this is why I don't understand how it gets depleted on a sps tank running a Ca reactor. oh and I was running IO (the only salt I will use) and had zero phosphates and nitrates.

Steve