Roll221 i have a question

[Bababou]

You made mention of the salifert trace hard being good to use, how fast did you see changes in coraline alge growth.
rob

[Roll221]

I noticed a change in like two to three weeks. This is just my opinion but I have never had the growth of coraline like this before so I guess I have to chalk it up to the addition of Trace Hard.

Ed

[Bababou]

Ya i would asume so it took 4 months to get any growth the first time i tried this and i just noticed a tiny spot yester day after a month and a half, but ive keept souper high calcium levels in the tank.
Rob

[owsi]

Same here, Ed told me about it, tried it, about 2 weeks noticed it. It was so natural I didn't notice what it was, just that something was different. Always had some coraline, but now have more. Tried doseing evey other day smaller dose, but seems to work better weekly, larger dose. Might be protien skimmer takes out smaller dose before taken up by critters and such, bigger dose hangs around longer? John

[Bababou]

Im currently not running a skimmer but im doing large doses and i did a double to start the process. Thanks for your input about this stuff.
Rob

[Bababou]

after one and a half weeks im seeing specs of coraline growing on the glass cant really tell ont he rocks but this stuff works great.
Rob

[reefdna]

Ok I'm curious... What are you guys talking about? This is the first time I hae heard of a supplement specificly for Coraline growth. Give some info please.
Ed C (The other Ed)

[Bababou]

The product is called salifert trace hard. It is a single liqued with both alk and calcium. In my opinion it works great, i only used it for a week and a half and i had coraline growth, when it took 6 months on my first tank. The additive is for hard corals, but its the same stuff you need for coraline. They also have trace soft for soffties, but id stay away from it. My buddy got it and the ingredeints list copper, obviusly not a good thing to be adding. Best of luck with the product.

[Roll221]

Actually Trace Hard is not an Alk and Calcium supplement, it is merely a trace element supplement. Salifert does make a one part Alk Calcium supplement but I am unsure of the name. My sole source of Alk and Calcium comes from my reactor and the only other additive beside Trace Hard is the recommend dosage of Salifert Iodine.

Ed

[Bababou]

Really from what i had read and was told at About the reef it is a calcium/alk additive. I assumed as much since my calcium and alk have rissen and/or stabled since adding it.
Rob

[reefdna]

Ok I ordered some and will begin adding it on Friday when I finish aquascaping the aquarium. I have Tongan Awe rock with little corlaine growth so I am excited to see what comes of this Here is what I found on Marine Depot if anyone else was interested as to what Salifert says about their product. Thanks for answering my questions.

By trace elements we usually mean elements that are present in natural seawater in a concentration lower than approx. 1 mg/L or ppm. Manganese for instance is essential for photosynthesis and many biochemical reactions associated with it. Some organisms require iron to absorb essential nutrients. Cobalt is essential for the formation of several coral pigments. Zinc is, like manganese essential for photosynthesis and is also essential for the formation of calcium carbonate by corals. These are just a few examples.

Our research has shown that some trace elements are depleted very fast (e.g., Manganese) while some are depleted very slowly. An example of a trace element hardly depleted is molybdenum. Despite this many trace element supplements contain significant amounts of molybdenum. This results in far too high molybdenum concentration stimulating undesirable Cyanobacteria growth. We therefore refrain from adding molybdenum to our supplements.

Since addition of iodine is impossible without degrading this supplement, all forms of iodine are omitted. Our Natural Iodine™ is recommended to complete the full range of trace elements.

Ed C

[owsi]

reefdna, please take some before and after pic's, it only took a couple of weeks here. It was so gradual, didn't notice what it was, just that something was different. Ed's (Roll 221) tank convinced me, a real SPS weed garden, his Tort and everything was growing like weeds.

[cerreta]

Bababou, the product you are refering to is the Salifert "All in One." Trace hard and Trace soft are trace elements without the buffering.

Here is the product description:
All in One
All in One makes the use of the so-called A and B calcium and alkalinity supplements unnecessary. It contains almost everything required for growth by corals and the beautiful encrusting pink and red coralline algae. All in One will increase the alkalinity (carbonate hardness), calcium, strontium, trace elements (except iodine) and amino acids concentrations.

Calcium, strontium, carbonate (alkalinity)and amino acids are the major constituents of calcareous algae, the skeletal material of hard corals and the skeletal needles of soft/leather corals. Growth and multiplication of these organisms means depletion of those substances. Trace elements are also very important as explained above.

Salifert's All in One supplement is highly concentrated and contains approx. 35000 ppm calcium, corresponding amounts of biologically-activated bicarbonate and 700 ppm strontium. The calcium is acetate based and, unlike gluconate-based products, is converted within minutes to calcium bicarbonate. Occasionally an additional boost of alkalinity with Salifert's KH+pH buffer is recommended to compensate for alkalinity lost by, for example, decaying food. Iodine should also be supplemented for the best result.

[Amphilophus]

ok well the trace hard i am using is bringing up the calcium and alk levels so thats all i know. im sure the all in one dose more, accourding to what you show above, but im getting growth from trace hard.
Rob

[Bababou]

Opps. Some one else was logged onto the computer i was using. That is my post above not his.
Rob