Do I need to dose with natural SW?

[DI68]

I have been following the advice I have read by so many and believed that weekly WCs would keep the nutrients in my 80gal in check but is that the same for natural SW? So many people refer to salt mixes in the threads having enough elements but what about natural SW? I don't do checks on magnesium, strontium nor iodine so do I need to buy test kits for these too? I check Ca, KH, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, PH, Phosphate,SG.

I bought a number of LPS today and the LFS confused the heck out of me saying natural SW doesn't have enough nutrients and got technical about it's chemistry, saying I should be adding to/ dosing the water. I am sure I looked like a deer caught in headlights.

 

[carey]

magnesium would be the only other thing I would test for if you keep corals. Using a salt mix provides most coral with all the nutrients they need, no reason to dose unless you have a tank full of coral.

 

[bribo12]

Are you using actual water you're getting from the ocean? Or that nutrafin stuff? Either way you should be fine with just water changes. Lps don't use it up very quickly

 

[DI68]

Thanks I do have quite a few corals Carey which is why I do around 20% wc weekly. The LFS was talking so many parts per million and he lost me. I think he hay have been talking about alk as he said it only contains 7. I checked my params yesterday and everything was fine except calcium 380 and I had a phosphate reading of 0.25 so did another PWC and dosed with calcium (first time). I mainly have SPS, morphs some acans and a new Australis which just cost me $120 so I don't want to lose it. I would have to try to find the names of them all to list the stock tonight if that holds bearing on what I need to do.

 

[DI68]

Are you using actual water you're getting from the ocean? Or that nutrafin stuff? Either way you should be fine with just water changes. Lps don't use it up very quickly

Hi I tried to google the place that does the water delivery to the LFS and it doesn't give any info apart from it being natural salt water.