What do you use for suppliments?

[Kevk]

Everyone seems to suppliment Ca++, Alk either through a reactor or liquid, as well as iodine, selenium and moly, but what else? There are a number of "micronutrients" on the market, what does everyone use? Fe, Mg? :confused:
There are so many "magic" additives on the market, it would be nice to get an unbiased opinion.

[gumhead]

Water changes and cal/alk supplement is all you need!
You should never add anything you dont test for. If iodine is overdosed it can be deadly to your whole tank!!! If you keep up with water changes there is no need for supplements. There is no magic additive just a waste of money IMO. My reef is about 2 years old and i never added anything, except for kalk, b-ionics and DT's.

I think it looks pretty healthy too!
http://www.littlereef.com/photo_post/index.php

[Syris]

I am a firm believer in "keep it simple". I add kalk and B-ionic thats it. IMO regular water changes will replace any lost trace elements. I also would not add any suppliments (magn, iodine, ect) without haveing a test for these. Otherwise how do you know you aren't overdosing.
As far as any of the "magic" additives I stay away from them unless there is proof of there usefulness.

JMO


edit-
Doh. Slow today. There was no other replies just a sec ago

[gumhead]

well Syris and I are on the same page :p

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I dose limewater (for calcium and alkalinity), silica (for sponges and diatoms, etc.), and iron (for macroalgae).

[jacko]

aah, posted my reply on the duplicate thread.
here it is:

I am pretty new, so please offer advice to me as well :

my levels never remain constant.

30 gal tank, skimmerless, weekly 5 gal water changes - and with the water changes I also add:

I mix my CaO powder with water, let settle, and add 20 to 40 mL of the liquid.

a spoon or two or Sr

a spoon or two of Mg

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I mix my CaO powder with water, let settle, and add 20 to 40 mL of the liquid.

Most folks with a reasonable number of calcifying organisms add between 0.5 and 2.5% of the tank volume daily (most or all of the evaporated water). So you probably need much more of the liquid. It is not very concentrated when settled.

I'd skip the Sr++ and Mg++ unless you test and find them low.

What's in the tank?

[jacko]

Randy, Thanks for the response. Are you suggesting that the supernatant over settled CaO is less potent than the "kalkwasser" people use as top-off?

I will try using more, and I'll keep a more close eye on how the levels are affected. I know I used too much if the pH raises more than 0.5 after one addition, right? (Which I think I calculated out to be 38 mL of kalk into 30 gal)

I do read [Mg], and dose accordingly. I do not have a Sr test kit, but was told that adding some with water changes would be fine, overdosing is tough to do.

should I still drop Mg and Sr ?

In the tank I have a 6 inch BTA, 2 clowns, various shrimps, mushrooms, zoos, and about a dozen (total) small frags of acro, montip., millip., frogsp., ... whatever was handed out. plus GSPs and halmedia, and another macro.

[Kevk]

What is the best form of Fe to use. Currently I have a large branching frogspawn (11 heads), large bubble coral, mushrooms, zoo's gorgonians, xenia, an unknown flourescent green encrusting SPS about 3 inches in diameter, BTA, a pair of mated false clowns, a small purple tang, I know the tank is small but he appears very healthy and happy, a peppermint shrimp and 20-25 misc. snails and crabs.
The tank is 40 gallons with 55lbs of various live rock, protien skimmer, and hang on macro algae refugium for nutrient export. I use DI water for makeup and water changes
I don't need to dose silica as the diatoms do fine in my tank