Any additives you can't go without?

[ser_renely]

Curious if people have any additives they think their tank really has to have?

I use iron and iodine. Only ones I think I really need. All others I feel I get duped on.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Alkalinity and calcium, certainly, if you have hard corals or coralline algae.

Other than that, I dose iron for macro algae and silicate for sponges.

I do not think iodine is generally useful except perhaps with certain gorgonia at have a clear use for it.

I add some extra magnesium to my IO that I use for water changes.

 

[chris88]

why have i always been told that soft corals and zoanthids take up and use iodine. Also, i thought shrimp and crabs used it. Any truth to it?

 

[ser_renely]

hmmm, silicate for sponges. Haven't tried that.


I thought Iodide was good for inverts...duped again?

 

[snorvich]

hmmm, silicate for sponges. Haven't tried that.


I thought Iodide was good for inverts...duped again?

Do you have sponges? Most people will get sufficient iodide with water changes.

 

[ser_renely]

I don't collect them, but I have some in my tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

why have i always been told that soft corals and zoanthids take up and use iodine. Also, i thought shrimp and crabs used it. Any truth to it?

Lots of people say it, possibly because they read it at places like Dr. F&S, but there is no evidence that I am aware of that supplemental iodine is used by or benefits any of those.

Most of us who dosed iodine for years and who keep those creatures, and then stopped as an experiment see no change. I've tried a few times over the years as my creatures in the tank change, and I've still never noticed any difference. There is no demonstrated use for iodine by any of these organisms in the scientific literature that I have ever seen.

The primary organisms that are known to take up iodine that we keep in our tanks are various forms of algae, both micro and macro.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

hmmm, silicate for sponges. Haven't tried that.

I discuss it here:


Silica in a Reef Tank
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm

 

[AquaReeferMan]

I could never go without a 2-Part (Ca, Alk, and Mg)

I have been keeping reef tanks for close to 10 years now and I have never once put Iodine into my system(minus what comes in with the salt mixes).

 

[ccolt1]

Very interesting....

 

[pnavarro170]

yeah iodine is not needed, 2 part alk and cal plus mag would be all needed i think.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I use iron and iodine. Only ones I think I really need.

needed for what?

 

[frankpayne32]

Only use BRS alk, cal, and mag. I don't think anything else is necessary for the average reef tank. Just snake oil.

 

[ser_renely]

needed for what?

My macro algea for the iron.


Honestly no idea why I dose iodide anymore. I thought for my shrimp


What about the vodka dosers?

Thanks for all the info Randy and folks.

 

[aleonn]

I do dose Kent Essential Elements every two weeks, but really don't notice any difference with it with my corals and inverts. Other than that, I dose B-Ionic 2-part and works great.