supplements

[zach119]

ok i bought from the local fish store some supplements today i bout some liquid phytoplankton and was told to does it 2 a week for food does that sound accurate should i be dosing it at all.? Also, i baught a reef supplement called reef solutions the man told me it was all the trace elements and i should add half a cap full everyday.... EVERYDAY does that sound correct to you TIA.

Zach

 

[Salttanker]

Most people don't use supplements, unless it is Calcium for stability. All natural would be good enough. What do you have in the tank that will need phytoplankton? The salt alone has most of the trace elements already. I wouldn't advise a capful everyday. It is good that you are asking though. Perhaps someone else can chime in on this.

Mike

 

[zach119]

the phyto plankton is suppose to feed the feather dusters and all the life on the live rock . yeah everday sounded like alot so maybe ill just do it once a week or 2 times a week if i do it at all with the phytoplankton and the trace minerals instead of everday ill do maybe once a week too. Unless someone on here says differently. My plan for the tank is a reef tank but i wont have corals for at least a few months probably once things are extablished and my tank just got finished cycling so i decided to do my water change so now im good to go. Im planning on getting a clean up crew at the end of the week and a pair of clowns week after that. also, i want a six line wrasse i think i hvae enough room for that.

 

[Salttanker]

Just don't go too fast since this is a new tank, and you need to let the bacteria build more. I would space them out a bit. Maybe the clean up crew first, let it estabish 30 days, then add something else. I would wait on the second opinion before dosing. Someone here probably has experience with those products.

Mike

 

[mjvincent]

Also, i baught a reef supplement called reef solutions the man told me it was all the trace elements and i should add half a cap full everyday.... EVERYDAY does that sound correct to you TIA.

Zach

Depends on tank size. If you are using supplements you need to be REALLY careful and test as much as you can so you don't overdose your tank. I wouldn't add the phytoplankton unless you are specifically feeding something. Otherwise you are just introducing more proteins to your tank and producing more nitrates in the end...

 

[lando]

You are actually asking two different things here. The phytoplankton is not a suppliment, it is a food used to feed your filter-feeders (i.e. your feather dusters). Over feeding this can foul a tank's water pretty quickly. I actually recommend using DT's live plankton as a food choie for filter-feeders. Less chance of it lowering water quality. Just keep an eye on NO3 and PO4.
Reef Solutions is a reef suppliment of trace elements. Honestly, most of these reef suppliments are just a waste of money. With regular water changes all of the depleted trace elements will be replenished. No need to dose extra. Occasionally CA and ALK will be added as a suppliment for certain corals. It is never a good practive to dose anything in a tank that you do not test for. I would say just stop using the reef suppliments now, it is of no benefit at this point in time.

 

[zach119]

ok i added one does thats it ill stop and slap myself in the head for even buying it dohhhh.............. Oh well everyone has done that im sure thank you for the help

 

[malkore]

I would suggest spot feeding the plankton, rather than adding to the water column. Its not bad stuff, but its easy to overdose, and that'll cause increases in phosphate.

regular water changes help keep trace elements up.
its not until you have a heavy stoney coral stocking and strong lighting, that you need to start dosing iodine, strontium, or magnesium.

be wary of the LFS...they wanna sell you anything they can.

 

[zach119]

yeah ill take whatever they say with a grain of salt ill make sure i run everything by you guys before i do what they say lol ...