Raising Potassium?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy do you see any problem with Potassium chloride adding to much chloride to the tank?

There is no concern from the chloride coming from potassium chloride, either as chloride or in terms of salinity, as it will be trivial compared to the > 19,000 ppm of chloride already there but I am wary of a manufacturer creating a market for potassium kits and supplements where there may not be any actual need or benefit.

 

[DrBDC]

I believe that over in the plants forum they are probably adding KNO3 (saltpetre) for growth like I used to on my planted tanks. I'm sure it would be a very fine line to not cross though. In freshwater planted you attempt to keep the nitrate levels around 10 whereas we usually are shooting for 0.

There is also a calculator I'll post the link for below that you can use to determine a target for freshwater. I guess you could use it for a max that you would want to have when using it in a reef tank. I did try it earlier with this tank to kick the growth of my cheato but didn't see much improvement and about all I did was take my nitrates up to about 10. I can't say I really paid any attention to monti cap coloring while doing this. You can get pharmacuetical grade KNO3 from many drug stores. Anyway here is a link:

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm

 

[Horace]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8101989#post8101989 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
I am wary of a manufacturer creating a market for potassium kits and supplements where there may not be any actual need or benefit.

I think it is probably a Zeo related issue. You dont typically hear of people having low K+ that dont run zeo. I would guess that the zeoliths are absorbing K+ at a much accelerated rate compared to a normal tank. Many have confirmed K-Balance bettering colors of corals in zeo tanks, but I dont hear about anyone using it that doesnt use Zeovit.

 

[Horace]

By the way, on the topic of salt mixes and K+ levels. Here is a graph from http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature1 that shows most salt mixes (all?) are indeed low in K+.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree that it looks that way, and may be true, even though other studies have shown different values.

 

[sreefs]

I think it is probably a Zeo related issue. You dont typically hear of people having low K+ that dont run zeo. I would guess that the zeoliths are absorbing K+ at a much accelerated rate compared to a normal tank. Many have confirmed K-Balance bettering colors of corals in zeo tanks, but I dont hear about anyone using it that doesnt use Zeovit.

Horace,
I don't use zeo and my orange cap was very washed out, I use Tropic Marin pro reef salt and have heard it is low on potassium. So I tried some K balance and in 4 to 5 weeks the color is so much better. This is what I have found to be the case with my reef. I have also seen the chart you posted with the salt mixes being low in potassium. So with TM being on the lower end I decided to try some K balance and this is only thing I have done different. I am starting to think it is the reason the color is back. Time will tell!
Pat

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Does the potassium supplement that you used list ingredients?

 

[sreefs]

Unfortunately no. Just says potassium mix concentrate. On there guide is says it contains multiple potassium salts as well as two other available elements in highly concentrated form. Its not much help to know what's in it. If you want to test for ingredients I will send you some.
Pat

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No thanks on the testing, but since it claims to have other "useful" ingredients, it makes the correlation with coral effects on dosing less clear.

 

[antonsemrad]

Is it possible that K balance is nothing more than KN03? I would think that nitrate would be of some use to corals that have reduced food sources and little N to begin with. Well, more so than K. That would explain why K balance dosn't give ingredients.
People wouldn't buy it. Just a thought.

 

[Horace]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8110731#post8110731 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by antonsemrad
Is it possible that K balance is nothing more than KN03? I would think that nitrate would be of some use to corals that have reduced food sources and little N to begin with. Well, more so than K. That would explain why K balance dosn't give ingredients.
People wouldn't buy it. Just a thought.

None of the Zeovit products list the ingredients...this is not exclusive to K-Balance so I wouldnt jump to that conclusion.

Is it possible KB contains KN03? Yep. But it could just as easily be Patassium Chloride...or a mixture of the two or something completely diff . Who knows

 

[graveyardworm]

Where can I buy the Zeo K test kit? I tried to get some discussion going on this subject awhile back but without a test kit it didnt get very far. My focus was more on saltwater planted tanks, and the thought that saltwater plants must be using K, so it seems it would be a good thing to monitor.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My focus was more on saltwater planted tanks, and the thought that saltwater plants must be using K, so it seems it would be a good thing to monitor.

It certainly sounds interesting if it really is low and depleting in some aquaria, but I still see no viable mechanism for it to be depleted.

Sure, organisms may take some up as they grow, but they grow using nutrients that come with foods, and those foods will contain potassium and the nutrients in ratios roughly similar to what organisms will use. There isn't any mechanism to "deposit" potassium like t here is for calcium or alkalinity or magnesium.

 

[antonsemrad]

<a href=

Is it possible KB contains KN03? Yep. But it could just as easily be Patassium Chloride...or a mixture of the two or something completely diff . Who knows [/B]

Yea, good point. However you could test for nitrate and see if the product has any. And you could see if nitrate is needed for the monty to color up. At least to me, the nitrate theory makes more sense than the K one.

?. Those of you that got your corals to color up useing K balance. Are your nitrates undetecable?

 

[sreefs]

My nitrates are undetectable. I think you are onto something, I will test K balance for nitrates and let you know results. I need to get a new nitrate test kit.
Pat

 

[Horace]

If you were to put KN03 (Potassium Nitrate) in a test vial would it test positive for Nitrate in its current chemical state???

 

[graveyardworm]

I have been using stump remover powder ( KNO3 ) as a nitrate supplement in my seagrass tank. Mixed with RO as follows.

Instead, here's a new idea: lets try 4.5 tsps of KNO3 powder in 2 cups

Quote taken from this thread. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=760973

I just tested the mix to answer your question, and what I got was over 100 ppm on a Salifert kit the upper limit of this kit is 100 ppm. Hopefully thats the answer your looking for.

 

[Horace]

Wow thats alot of nitrate!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you were to put KN03 (Potassium Nitrate) in a test vial would it test positive for Nitrate in its current chemical state???

Yes.

 

[Horace]

While at the store I checked out the salt substitute called "NoSalt" and it indeed did have Potassium Chloride, however it also had the following ingredients which concerned me and Im not so sure I want in my tank : potassium bitartrate, adipic acid, fumaric acid, silicon dioxide, mineral oil.

Morton's Salt Substitute also contained the Potassium Chloride as well as fumaric acid, tricalcium phosphate and monocalcium phosphate.

It seems to me that I wouldnt want to add anything with "phoshate" attatched to it to my SPS tank....

What is your opinion Randy?

Is there somewhere I could get pure K+ instead of worrying about all these other additives????