Anybody Using Trace Element Supplements?

[Beverly]

Now that I have the big three chemistry components, alk/Ca/Mg, under control in our three reefs, by regular testing and supplementation, I'm wondering if I need to be supplementing trace elements as well.

We do 15% water changes each week, along with a host of other tank maintenance. Have BBs in all tanks. No sumps, refugs or skimmers, but have non-invasive macroalgae to utilize nutrients as well as low bioloads in each tank.

I've been the kind of person to not add stuff to my tank that I cannot test for it, so that I do not overdose. But I'm beginning to think trace element supplementation may be a useful thing to do.

If you are supplementing trace elements with a commercial product, which products have you used and which of them do you prefer? Any other comments about trace element supplementation are welcome

[Invigor]

i've had best results with consistant water changes. the odd time I add a little baking soda just to bump the alk a few points, seems to helps with the coraline growth and molting for my shrimps

[Funky_Fish14]

If you are using RO water, it might be helpful, but if you are using tap-water I wouldnt worry about it. Im using Seachem's Reef Trace:

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...ID=sc-rtrc0500

It has iodide in it which is beneficial for softies and since im using RO water no trace elements are getting in to my water. I also use Reef Complete for Calcium/Strontium/Iodine. I rarely use my supplements, maybe only twice a month.

Chris

[danny zubot]

Hey Bev, in addition to adding the big three I also dose a small amount of strontium. I only dose what is recommended on the jar but not as often, so overdosing isn't an issue. In your case weekly water changes should be more than enough to maintain your trace levels though.

Here is a link to the Seachem site. Even if you don't use Seachem products, I found that the information they provide on their products helpful to understanding the uses for them.
http://www.seachem.com/products/reef.html

[Beverly]

Thanks for the links, Danny and Chris.

Here's Kent's supplements page for comparing the two company's products:

http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater.html

[reeferaddict]

I too am of the opinion that if you can't test for it, don't add it... The solution of course is test kits... I picked up kits to measure Iodine, Magnesium and Strontium... Magnesium seems to be the easiest of the three to keep in check, always measuring within NSW ranges without anything other than water changes... (10% every week or so, I DO make sure change water is at 10 KH and 450 ppm Calcium using buffers, kalk, or Calcium Chloride, I'm now trying Kent's Osmo-Prep to see if this can be a one step process)... The shocker for me was Iodine... I have 200G total water volume and it takes 15 - 20 ml DAILY to keep these concentrations at NSW values. Strontium is around the same and is necessary for good coraline algae growth and especially if you have SPS... Since I have maintained these levels along with Ca/Alk my tank has done spectacularly well.... polyps are always fully open and responsive to food and light... softies slough as in nature, and all creatures are happy. Before I would say thing were just "surviving", and responding well for a short time after water changes until these elements were being used up. We know the key is stability, so I took the time, spent the money, determined my DAILY consumption and now dose DAILY... Corals that used to get cranky for weeks have now gone weeks without getting cranky...

[Beverly]

More articles, if you can believe it :

Iodine, Parts I and II:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...l2003/chem.htm

Strontium:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/chem.htm

Boron:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2002/chem.htm

Magnesium and Strontium in Limewater:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2003/chem.htm

[Beverly]

reeferaddict,

What brand of test kits do you use for iodine and strontium, and what brand of iodine/iodide and strontium additives do you use?

Also, are you testing/supplementing molybdenum? Kent makes a strontium/molybdenum supplement. In your opinion, would this be a useful supplement instead of usin strontium alone?

TIA

[Johnny Reefer]

Quoting Ronald Shimek, “Marine Invertebrates”, pg. 128.
“Aquarists often assume that all changes away from natural conditions are negative, but this may not necessarily be the case. Not every material in natural seawater is necessarily beneficial to all organisms, and some are toxic. Strontium has been shown to reduce calcium transport in coral tissues, and as such reduces the coral calcification rate. Hobbyists sometimes maintain that strontium additions produce denser coral skeletons, without realizing this simply means that coral growth is stunted. Basically the epithelium secretes skeletal material, but the animal’s growth is retarded and thus there is more calcium carbonate deposited per linear distance of skeleton than would occur under normal circumstances. ……………………………………………………………………...
………………………Strontium is probably one additive that could be left out of seawater mixes without any deleterious effects.”

And quoting John Tullock, “Natural Reef Aquariums” pg. 272-3.
“A test kit for strontium is commercially available, but many aquarists…………………...
…………..do not bother to test for this element. ……………………Strontium supplementation is controversial among experienced aquarium hobbyists, with some suggesting that it is unnecessary or even harmful.”

Sometimes doing less is doing more, I think, and easing up on trying to be precise with water chemistry could be doing more. IMHO.

Also, magnesium….of the 4 books that I have read during my reefkeeping infancy, Palletta’s The New Aquarium; Borneman’s Aquarium Corals; Tullock’s Natural Reef Aquariums; and Shimek’s Marine Invertebrates, the former and latter don’t bring up magnesium at all and the other two barely mention it. Heck, I don’t think Baensch even mentions it in his Marine Atlas #1 and that guy is a science junkie! The way I read the lack of magnesium knowledge passed on from these authors is …don’t worry about it! I think if one uses a product such as Seachem’s Reef Advantage Calcium, which maintains magnesium and… yes, strontium too, then your good to go without the added burden of stressing over yet another chemical element.
Adequate and consistent partial water changes will help maintain the chemistry also, from the new salt mixed in.
Maybe test for magnesium once every month or two to satisfy any curiosity.
Anyway, this is all IMHO.


Cheers,

[Beverly]

Mark,

Thanks for the strontium info. Didn't you say you were dosing strontium along with iodine?

I have Tullock's book, first published in 1997, almost 10 years ago now. Used to have all of Baench's books, but I'm thinking they are as old or older than Tullock's book. Don't know how accurate their information would be after all those years, especially since marine aquarium scientists continue learning more as time passes.

I test Mg whenever I test for alk and Ca, usually every 10 to 20 days for all three reefs. Depending on the tank, Mg is usually low compared to Ca which is often stable in some tanks. Alk is often low, as well. Corals look so much better while increasing Mg that I can't imagine ignoring Mg levels like I used to.

Because uptake of alk, Ca and Mg varies from tank to tank, I'm not will to dose an all in one supplement.

I dose kalk for daily top up water, and adjust alk, Ca (if necessary) and Mg after testing. Also do weekly water changes of 15%, siphon out detritus from our BB tanks as well as perform other routine maintenance.

Anyway, what brand of test kits do you use for iodine and strontium, and what brand of iodine/iodide and strontium additives do you use?

TIA