reef additives

[greatgman]

to day i got one of those reef starter kits (iodine calicium, molybidium and strontium)

today i put the recomended amout in (1 1/2 cap fulls into the tank of all 3)
how often should i dose ?
2 weeks ? 4 weeks?

 

[ccCapt]

Personally I don't dose anything I don't test for and I don't test for iodine. The only thing I do is drip kalk and then depend on my biweekly water changes to keep up the other trace elements.

But if you are following the directions on the bottle I guess go with whatever it says.

 

[Brenden]

Definetly do not dose anything you do not test for first. Like cccapt said you will find that a regular WC schedule should take care of everything. In the long run test kits are cheaper than additives you do not need. I do test iodine but have a large invert population.

 

[lando]

to day i got one of those reef starter kits (iodine calicium, molybidium and strontium)

Sorry, it was a waste of money. Honestly, this hobby is exspensive enough without having to buy "reef additives" to dose as well. Dosing can be very dangerous to a tank if the "baseline" levels are not known first. I have said it before and I will say it agian...regular water changes are all that is needed to keep most levels at the proper amount. If you have corals you may find the need to dose an additive to maintain the proper CA/ALK balance, but ONLY after the you know what your current levels are.

 

[seaham358]

Lando coverd it well... Should have asked here before you got it.

 

[melosu58]

I agree ,Water changes will do the job.

 

[greatgman]

the reason why is i bought my first coral an i want to make sure it has what it needs to be healthy and grow (frag leather mushroom)

 

[demodiki]

Make sure you are testing Alk and Ca.

 

[seaham358]

test kits are a must before adding anything test the water first. how do you know that you need iodine if you dont test for it first? Too much can kill off a tank from what they say. Also leathers and shroons do not need a iodine additive. Water changes and calcium and alkalinity is all you will need for them. I have had my 125 reef running for over 3 years and all I have ever added was calcium and alkalinity and my leathers and shroons are doing great.