potassium
- Thread starter Bebo77
- Start date
Canarygirl
New member
Are there any updates from Zeo-users who also dose (or dosed) with pure KCL powder such as the NOW brand from healthfood stores?
I posted a question about this on the Zeo forum because I don't want to spend $100 on Zeo's K-Strong and one person said that this health-food product killed everything in his tank including fish, corals, and invertebrates. No one else contradicted him. But people here have said that the KCL powder worked just fine for them. It makes me scratch my head...
As for new potassium test kits, Fauna-Marin will begin shipping to their distributors on September 1st, a new potassium test kit and a new potassium supplement. I plan to try their kit as I don't trust the Korallen-Zucht test either.
I posted a question about this on the Zeo forum because I don't want to spend $100 on Zeo's K-Strong and one person said that this health-food product killed everything in his tank including fish, corals, and invertebrates. No one else contradicted him. But people here have said that the KCL powder worked just fine for them. It makes me scratch my head...
As for new potassium test kits, Fauna-Marin will begin shipping to their distributors on September 1st, a new potassium test kit and a new potassium supplement. I plan to try their kit as I don't trust the Korallen-Zucht test either.
Canarygirl
New member
Thanks for your reply, Gabriel. Are you a full zeo-user using the rocks aka the "basic 4"?
Jason McK
New member
I used the health food store brand and killed 4 fish.
Now I will openly admit I far exceeded the daily dosage and now believe (from what I've read) It was the rapid increase of K that caused my problems.
I still believe in the Potassium Chloride form and will resume using it once I figure out the easiest way to figure out a dosage.
J
Now I will openly admit I far exceeded the daily dosage and now believe (from what I've read) It was the rapid increase of K that caused my problems.
I still believe in the Potassium Chloride form and will resume using it once I figure out the easiest way to figure out a dosage.
J
jamesdawson
New member
Sorry I didnt include a link-here's one.
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/693/cid/158
James
Canarygirl
New member
from what I understand, montis that look pale and bland are an indication of low potassium levels in the tank. My montis look great though, and my potassium level is where it should be so I can't complain (~380 ppm). 
HBtank
Premium Member
That leads me to the next question... testing and toxicity..
From what i understand, there is no accurate test kit available. in my research and this thread, the KZ one leaves a lot to be desired. How did you get the value of 380ppm? From what I understand, it is not KZ, just the inherint difficulty in testing for K.
If someone were to try dosing, how can they reliably do so (if the KZ kit is really as unreliable as people have stated) and what are the possible side effects from an overdose??
I am thinking trying it as I have a monti or two that are paler than I like..
Some may say waterchanges are sufficient to replentish any that could be used.. Well some people also say the same about calcium/alk/mag.
Lol.. my tank requires over 150 ml of each 2 part a day to stay static so I don't really like generalizations like that as an "answer" without more detail on its rate of usage.. It could be only used at 1/100th of the rate of alk/Ca and be insignificant for most everyone that is barely dosing alk/ca/mg, but what about tanks with high demands..... It would seem some tanks could easily pass the generalization of "waterchanges will replace it"...
I have some very large colonies of montis FWIW, 5 diffierent varieties that are all about as big as a 8' plate, only one is a cap and the rest are encrusting.
From what i understand, there is no accurate test kit available. in my research and this thread, the KZ one leaves a lot to be desired. How did you get the value of 380ppm? From what I understand, it is not KZ, just the inherint difficulty in testing for K.
If someone were to try dosing, how can they reliably do so (if the KZ kit is really as unreliable as people have stated) and what are the possible side effects from an overdose??
I am thinking trying it as I have a monti or two that are paler than I like..
Some may say waterchanges are sufficient to replentish any that could be used.. Well some people also say the same about calcium/alk/mag.
Lol.. my tank requires over 150 ml of each 2 part a day to stay static so I don't really like generalizations like that as an "answer" without more detail on its rate of usage.. It could be only used at 1/100th of the rate of alk/Ca and be insignificant for most everyone that is barely dosing alk/ca/mg, but what about tanks with high demands..... It would seem some tanks could easily pass the generalization of "waterchanges will replace it"...
I have some very large colonies of montis FWIW, 5 diffierent varieties that are all about as big as a 8' plate, only one is a cap and the rest are encrusting.
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Canarygirl
New member
I use the KZ test kit. It's not overly accurate but it gets a little easier to use the more often you do the test. Fauna Marin has supposedly come out with a potassium test so I thought I'd try that one next.
My K+ value was ~320 when I started measuring. I dosed with the KZ Balance product, slowly and gradually over the course of a month. I used pretty much an entire bottle of that supplement to raise my level to ~380. I don't know the effects of over-dosing are, so can't answer that.
Warner Marine has come out with a balanced ionic K+ supplement which is lots less $$ than the KZ product. They don't have a test kit, though.
Some salt mixes have much higher levels of K+ than others, so one thing you can do is choose a high quality salt mix with NSW levels of Ca, K+, Alk, etc. I use Seachem Reef Salt which is good in those elements but tends to be low in Mg. I run some Mg granuals in my Ca Rx to compensate for that.
My K+ value was ~320 when I started measuring. I dosed with the KZ Balance product, slowly and gradually over the course of a month. I used pretty much an entire bottle of that supplement to raise my level to ~380. I don't know the effects of over-dosing are, so can't answer that.
Warner Marine has come out with a balanced ionic K+ supplement which is lots less $$ than the KZ product. They don't have a test kit, though.
Some salt mixes have much higher levels of K+ than others, so one thing you can do is choose a high quality salt mix with NSW levels of Ca, K+, Alk, etc. I use Seachem Reef Salt which is good in those elements but tends to be low in Mg. I run some Mg granuals in my Ca Rx to compensate for that.
jamesdawson
New member
Good points HB and CG,
I tested my KZ potassium test against the Fauna Marin multi-test reference solution and found my KZ kit to read a whopping 115 low! Now I don't know what to believe but I will definetely get one of the FM potassium kits and compare that. I did pick up some of the WM potassium supplement. I love WM products in general but I wonder if this is much less concentrated then the KZ k-balance strong. Maybe more like the regular strength k-balance?
FM is also coming out with a potassium supplement and I have always found their products to be highly concentrated so this will give us another option. I suspect the lowest cost way to maintain proper potassium is to do weekly water changes with SeaChem Reef Salt or KZs RBS if you can find it and afford it.
James
I tested my KZ potassium test against the Fauna Marin multi-test reference solution and found my KZ kit to read a whopping 115 low! Now I don't know what to believe but I will definetely get one of the FM potassium kits and compare that. I did pick up some of the WM potassium supplement. I love WM products in general but I wonder if this is much less concentrated then the KZ k-balance strong. Maybe more like the regular strength k-balance?
FM is also coming out with a potassium supplement and I have always found their products to be highly concentrated so this will give us another option. I suspect the lowest cost way to maintain proper potassium is to do weekly water changes with SeaChem Reef Salt or KZs RBS if you can find it and afford it.
James
HBtank
Premium Member
I am thinking of making the switch to seachem reef salt from RC.
What is the best kit to compensate for the borate? Or do most just use the general 1.5 off of Kh?
Seems like that would be difficult to really trust until I have switched for long enough to be fully seachem, right? And that point would be hard to determine......
What is the best kit to compensate for the borate? Or do most just use the general 1.5 off of Kh?
Seems like that would be difficult to really trust until I have switched for long enough to be fully seachem, right? And that point would be hard to determine......
jamesdawson
New member
Salifert makes a good boron kit, but running 1.5 dkh higher than formerly will work just fine also.
James
James
Canarygirl
New member
what I did during the transition to 100% seachem salt was to estimate the % of the seachem salt in my tank and prorate the borate adjustment...like when I had 50% seachem I adjusted by .6 dhk instead of 1.2 dhk....
F35-Joint Strike Fighter
New member
I will send my tank water to AWT to test then I will compare with KZ test kit.
For my tank, it seems to me that if I keep the K+ ~ 300 (with KZest kit), I see monties get pale and bleach.
For my tank, it seems to me that if I keep the K+ ~ 300 (with KZest kit), I see monties get pale and bleach.
CW from the OC
New member
Hey Gabe,
Are you still using the health store potassium chloride, and if so, how much are you dosing daily?
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