Mixing Suppliments

[borillion_star]

Hello I had a quick question about adding new supplements to my tank and what I am currently using now.

So I have usually added weekly with water changes:
Kent Marine 00013 Strontium and Molybdenum (3 ml)
Kent Marine 00395 Tech I Iodine Supplement (1 ml)
Kent Marine 00016 Concentrated Liquid Calcium (3 ml)

I want to add these two:
Kent Marine 00800 Purple Tech
Kent Marine 00024 Essential Elements

I know that the Purple Tech will raise the calcium levels in addition to the Calcium supplement, but how do I mix that and the essential elements with what Im currently dosing? I would hate to OD the tank out.

 

[HighlandReefer]

Personally, I see a need to only dose alk, calcium and mag as needed to maintain proper levels. Salt mixes, contaminates known in two-part supplements and fish foods add enough of the micro-nutrients.

 

[rayjay]

Just think how many LFSs are going to go broke if people finally realize that all those additives are not necessary.

 

[Crypsis]

What are you adding for your KH? Save some money mix your own calcium, throw away all the rest of those snake oils and use arm&hammer baking soda to maintain KH. Also might need some Mg sulfate and Mg chloride to maintain Magnesium. Read Randy's article on two part dosing.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

 

[bertoni]

The Purple Tech is mostly just very fine sand, and won't do anything. The problem with dosing trace elements is that overdoses could be a problem, and we have no way of measuring the levels. Water changes and food should put enough, or more than enough, trace elements into the water.

I dosed strontium and iodine for a while, then stopped. I never noticed any difference in the tank.

 

[borillion_star]

Honesty I have not tested my dHK for about two weeks, its always been around 9 dHK. I guess the water is hard or something in Northern Cali where Im at, its sourced from groundwater and has a CaCO3 110 - 372 ppm. The dosing instructions in the article you gave me say (7-11 dKH; 125-200 ppm calcium carbonate equivalents).

With regular water changes from city sources would this not be sufficient to keep up the levels needed?

What are you adding for your KH? Save some money mix your own calcium, throw away all the rest of those snake oils and use arm&hammer baking soda to maintain KH. Also might need some Mg sulfate and Mg chloride to maintain Magnesium. Read Randy's article on two part dosing.

 

[bertoni]

The tap water might be able to keep the alkalinity level up. You could keep testing every few weeks to see how it goes. If the level stays stable, doing less testing should be fine.

 

[borillion_star]

Thats the thing Im not sure if the source of it is the tap water thats gettin RO'd then salt mixed in. Wouldn't that RO process take the CaCO3 out of it?

 

[bertoni]

The RO process should remove almost all of the alkalinity.