I prefer to keep my pH in the 8.1 to 8.4 range and follow Seachems instructions on using a pair of their products togeather, Seachem Reef Complete and Seachem Reef Buffer. I got an email from someone at Seachem who takes care of their 250 gallon SPS tank with a pH of 7.9 to 8.2 and he did not have a problem with my using both products which keeps my pH and alkalinity a little higher than with just using Seachen Reef Complete for calcium as he said their are many successful reef keepers who use both products.
I just received a 16 oz bottle of Vita-Chem which is a multiple vitamin.
I soak freeze dried mysis shrimp, freeze dried brine shrimp, red(softer for soft angel mouths) and green algae bite sized flakes made by cutting up sheets with my aquarium scissors, red and green Ocean Nutrition One and Two pellets and flakes. It is in a 1/4 measuring cup and I add a little tank water after adding vitamins and then I turn my two Hydor 8's (3,250 gph) and protein skimmer off while the fish eat up the food and then I turn the propeller pumps back on while leave the protein skimmer off for a while to let residual vitamins blow around the tank for the benefit of the invertebraes, corals, etc.
I also feed fresh squid, sea bass, razor clam, and tiger prawn meat which cut up and freeze for later thawing and feeding. I used to feed my five bubble tips razor clams exclusively as they did not go for the squid and sea bass as enthusiastically and these two left an oily film on the surface for my protein skimmer to work on.
I did find my anemones really went for the softer although not greasy tiger prawn meat which came at a decent price at the local grocery store. They were $.40 each and I bought four and cut them up and feed the anemones and some to the fish who would eat it. After this I froze the rest. I seems the fish really prefer razor clam in bite sized pieces to anything else as far as my Regal and Majestic Angels, Powder Blue and Purple Tangs, and pair of Cinnamon Clowns and various damsels and one six lined wrasse(carnivore).
My small carnivore section needs to be hand fed and it includes two smaller angler species, one Fu Manchu Dwarf Lion fish and a Redfin Waspfish prefer frozen silver sides or in the case of the waspfish he prefers frozen krill.
I am going to soak food with Vita-Chem although Reef Plus (which I have used in the past and stored on the door of my refrigertator) is also a multiple vitamin and I may pick up a bottle of that on sale at Petco who is not going to stock it anymore.
Then I could alternate or use half a dose of each along with Selcon. whose maker toats as containing fatty acids more than any other product or some such type of email to me, to soak the food. I also have a Brightwell 16 oz bottle of Vita-Marine Vitamin C which goes a long way even when I dose 24 drops a day in a five foot 120 reef tank.
I personally take a multiple vitamin and also a vitamin D, a vitamin C and a vitamin E, and a vitamin B complext on a daily basis so I figure it does not hurt to error on the more vitamin side as long as the water quality is not effected.
I turn off my protein skimmer for a couple of hours after feeding food soaked in Selcon, Vita-Chem, and Vitamin C. Selcon does have a tan creamy texture to it like Vita-Chem.
I have contacted a person from Kent Marine who personally uses Kent Marine Essential Elements every two or three weeks. There is no harm in using the Kent Marine Iodide every week and Essential Elements does not have any conflicts with other products if used as directed. The Kent Marine Strontium (dosing instructions on bottle say every four days). I was told strontium is used up in three days, is the only product which needs to be dosed at least three days apart from the Seachem Reef Complete to prevent overdosing strontium as Reef Complete consists mainly of calcium although it contains small amounts of Magnesium and Strontium.
I suppose I could just go with Reef Crystals and Vita-Chem multiple vitamin, and cut out the Iodide, Strontium, Essential Elements, Selcon, and Vitamin C although I figure the more vitamins, essential elements, and nutrients I can soak into food and thus the fish and into my filter feeders the better for them.
I stopped using the Essential Elements, Iodide and Strontium at one time and decided to restart their use.
I figure dosing with these products and the vitamins if used properly it cannot hurt and therefore can only help in a "closed system."
Also, I am one of those persons who "doses" a bacteria additive every water change although it may not be absolutely necessary.
I read somewhere about an article coming up about dosing with nitrate reducers, biological products, etc. as a wave of the future with more and more Reef Keepers going in that direction?
