dosing Advise?

[TimaT]

do you guys recommend dosing any of the following: essential elements, iodine, strontium, and/or iron & manganese?

i do a 10% water change once in 3-4weeks (60gal water volume with sump)
i only dose dkh (daily 10ml to keep it at 8). my calcium level does not drop lower than 420ppm.

can you do any harm with adding them as instructed?

 

[Vazter]

How many gallon is it? And what kind if coral u have?

 

[TimaT]

i have some acro, zoe, one finger leather, one torch coral, candycane, 2clowns, one 3inch blue tang, shrimp, and a red linkia star. had them for 6month no death yet. my system is up and running great for one year now. and it is a 46gal display with a 29gal sump. overall about 60gal.

i also have miracle mud**

 

[Vazter]

For me i only top off with kalkwasser to keep Ph,Ca,ak stable and i have a lot of sps corals
Never dose anything that i cant test.

 

[TimaT]

Cool.
i just read so much positive reviews on all those additives... i might try dosing them once a week and keep a close eye on the system.

 

[ccCapt]

I am a firm believer in "don't dose anything you don't test for". Unless you know your tank is below the recommended levels for any element, dosing blindly can have negative affects on your water chemistry.

 

[Holygral]

More frequent water changes and there is no need to dose anything for the average reefer. Water changes once a month is not enough, I personally never go more than once every 2 weeks, and sometimes every week. Spend the money on water changes and not chemicals to do what water changes do naturally

 

[bavass]

ccCapt is dead on never dose what you can't test! I would do smaller more frequent water changes everything you buy in a bottle is in the salt mix.

 

[TimaT]

Thanks for the advice guys. but i was hoping to hear more about additives and opinions on what people dose and if they see improvements. like maybe better coral coloration.

+ the people saying don't dose what you can't test... are you guys saying the test kits for iodine, iron and such are unreliable?

 

[Ingy]

Those numerous test kits are hard to come by and it gets costly. As an example a copper test cost about $1 per test with a test pill. What most recommend is if you use reef salt mix and weekly or at least 2 week water changes you won't need all those additives not the extra additives beyond the normal reef additives (Alk, calc, mag). You will save lots of money on test kits and additives that you will eliminate by doubling up your current PWC cycle.

 

[uh.oh...]

I know this is off topic, but that blue tang... What kind is it? Do you have plans to rehome it once it gets to big?

 

[TimaT]

hippo blue tang.
and yes i do.

 

[uh.oh...]

Very nice to hear. My lfs just took one in last week. The owner quite torn up, really loved that fish, but it was almost 6 inches, and in a 90. As to your topic, I dose kalk, and love it. I tried 2 part for awhile, but love the kalk now

 

[TimaT]

Oh no i am not planning to give him away!!!