Tank additives?

[rmarc005]

The people we bought our tank from gave us a list of things to do and things to add to our tank. Our local fish store guy thinks we are doing too much. Here is the scoop; any opinions?

Tank specs:
55 gallon
1 Tang
1 Mandarin
1 Fire Goby
1 Maroon Clown
1 Clown Anemone
1 Green Bubble Anemone
1 Feather Duster
1 Green Star
1 Sand Star
1 Sea Cucumber
Polyps
Zoanthids
Various mushrooms and snails

Here is what we currently do:
Daily:

-9 drops of Iodine
-Calcium 1 teaspoon
-1/4 teaspoon Strontium/Molybdenum

Weekly:
-A 10% water change once a week (LFS says 20% once a month)
-1 capful of cycle
-1 capful of Coral-Vital
-Recommended dosage of Essential Elements
-Add Ph Buffer

We just bought Phyto Plankton for the corals, we feed every other day. Our fish store guy said we don't have to do all of the above because he sold us; "Instant Ocean" which is fortified sea salt?

Should we go with the LFS guy's recommendations or continue what we are doing? What is "essential" and what is not?

Thanks,

 

[scrmbld33]

really you have to get alot of test kits and go from there, you have to find out what your tank uses and dose from there, say in a weeks time, you may be doseing too much iodine or not enough, get some salifert test kits for, calcium alk, ph, magnisium, Strontium/Molybdenum, amonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, a good rule of thumb for additives is dont add if you cant test for it, overdoses can kill the tank HTH

 

[Randall_James]

The tank has a lot of stuff it should not (chemical additives and livestock IMO)

RULE: Never add what you do not test for EVER

The Iodine dosing is excessive by any account, 9 drops a day is (probably) toxic, you need to stop that right away......
What I found on the net is Lugols is 1 drop per 25G per week (someone will need to verify this)

I see nothing else in the tank to warrant Strontium/Moly or even calcium supplements

10% water change is fair (I think 20% is better) Either way I agree with the fish store guy, stop all the added stuff and do water changes.

What brand of salt came with the tank?

Also if you are switching brands, I would do so slowly 25/50/75/100% and be aware you are likely going to end up with some algae blooms.

Forget the "Cycle" it is not needed

IMO (and I do practice this) I replace essential minerals etc with water changes. I buy no additives at all (kalkwasser is exception)

The tank inhabitants is next

 

[Paintbug]

i would suggest reading this for starts http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php it will explain what each element does and is needed to be added.

first rule of thumb is like Randall_James said NEVER ADD ANYTHING YOU DONT TEST FOR!! i also agree you need to stop dosing Iodine ASAP!

the only thing i add to my tank is some homemade 2 part Calcium/Alkalinity buffer. everything else is handled with water changes. including Iodine.

 

[rmarc005]

I don't know what kind of salt came with the water already in the tank.We use Instant Ocean which I guess is "fortified" with a lot of the essential minerals, chemicals etc. the tank needs. I test(FastTest)for; Nitrates (10 or less; basically the lowest on the tester), Nitrites (0.2) Amonia (0.0) Ph (8.0) Phosphates (about 0.1) Salt (.025). I have a calcium kit by Red Sea that confuses the heck out of me so I have yet to test for calcium. I have a "Reef Status" kit by Seachem which test for Magnesium, carbonate and borate. I think I may try that today. Is there a test for Iodine?

Thanks for all the info. I am going to the suggested website today!

 

[Randall_James]

Any salt you purchase is going to be "fortified" some more than others and in different elements.

IO is really popular so stick with it..

Iodine dosing is problematic and frankly I see little need for it in most of the tanks I have ever seen. If you do your 10-20% weekly water changes, with what you have in the tank now, I doubt you need to dose anything at all.

Back to the iodine testing, yes and no, to simplify the answer, iodine takes a couple different forms in your tank and so it takes multiple tests to check for it.
As iodine becomes toxic in your tank at relatively low levels, I would let the water changes and your salt take care of the iodine levels and quit dosing it all together. (am sure there are varying opinions on this but I think better safe than sorry is all)

 

[Paul B]

With the animals you have you do not need any of those additives. You can use the calcium if you like but I would not use anything else. As was said, stop the iodine.
Paul

 

[rmarc005]

I have stopped the Iodine! I am convinced. Does any one think I have done any damage? Should we try to "remove" it? The guy before us did this for years I can only imagine how much Iodine must be in the tank. May that is why my shrimp died...

 

[Randall_James]

What brand is that iodine? if it is lugols, it is to be dosed 1 drop per 25 gallons one time a week.

If this is the case, you need to get on some water changes before the rest of your tank succumbs to the iodine (is toxic at very low levels)

If it is not Lugols, you need to look at their dosing recommendations. I just find it hard to believe that there is an Iodine supplement that needs dosed at that volume every day.