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

[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