Trace elements - Strontium, magnesium and ?

[BnG]

[I'm asking all of the sps keepers.

Who among us doses magnesium and/or strontium? Or anything else?

Whos tests magnesium and /or strontium? Or anything else besides Ca, alk, ph, salinity, P04, NO3 ?

I wonder if my growth rate has stalled. I am not sure that it is not just "watching the pot boil". That is the reason that I am asking. I suspect a deficency of some sort though and I further suspect my Ca and alk suplementation methods plus my current use of Oceanic salt and lax water change regimen to be the cause of a deficency in.... something. Chief among them from my reading are magnesium or strontium or both. Tops on that list is magnesium. I have read that mangroves can be a burden on Mg and I have a thriving plant in my refugium.

A good part of the fuel for my suspicion is the fact that my Ca uptake seems to have stalled as well. Where not long ago I was having trouble keeping a Ca level in the 450 range, now it is rising to near 500 with nothing different being done.

I have relied on Ca suplementation with kalk in the autotopoff and Oceanic water changes when it drifted low.

I add baked baking soda to bring alk in line.

Opinons please]

 

[Rick]

[I used to test alkalinity, calcium, and somtimes magnesium. My pH was watched by the Aquacontroller, which also watches the orp and the temperature. About the 1st week of January I started watching the above more closely and added strontim and iodine/iodates to my tests. I was also using Oceanic, which with its help and my calcium reactor running my calcium was also in the 500ppm range. The alkalinity was around 8dkh, pH was always in line 8.1-8.3. I have since started using Instant Ocean again which has helped to drop my calcium to around 400ppm and alkalinity is around 10dkh. When I first tested using Salifert test kits, I got no reading on strontium and the lowest reading of iodine/iodates. I also had magnesium at about 1250-1300ppm. The magnesium level would be fine with calcium in the range I have it now 400ppm. but with it at 500ppm that was too low. I started dosing strontium and iodine/iodates at a very slow rate, as to not overdose. I have since after doing 5-32 gallon water changes stopped dosing strontium and iodine/iodates because Instant Ocean put them in their salt mix. By the way I know Oceanic does not add strontium to their salt mix, they admitted so in an email. And I have my doubts about other minerals as well. With my calcium now at around 400ppm, the alkalinity around 10-12dkh, magnesium around 1300ppm, low levels of strontium and iodine/iodates my tank looks like it used to, last year. I can see the sps growing and the colors are getting better day by day.]

 

[melev]

[I think the higher CA in Oceanic salt is what is stalling the growth in your corals. It is too much, basically. Couple that with the lack of 3:1 magnesium levels, and you'll see corals pretty much stop growing.

My corals are growing, but I'm only doing water changes when I see fit. I was trying to get into the once-a-month routine, but due to my lack of trust of the salt (Oceanic), I'm not going to add any more to my system for now. Once I get my Kent Sea Salt later this week, I'll do a water change to get Ca back to normal levels.]

 

[kwl1763]

[I test Mg on a very regular basis. I test stronium and iodide maybe once every 2 months. As rick stated as long as your not using Oceanic and you do regular water changes your stronium levels should be OK. Depending on load you may need to dose iodide but using HW now I have not had to dose either.

The other thing is phosphates will really kill your growth like no other in my opinion. It acts as a poison in calcification so if you have any detectable levels get that down as a first step!]

 

[BnG]

[PO4 and NO3 = 0 Although my po4 test is a Red Sea and I dont know how much to trust it. I think I will order a Salifert when I get the others. Are Mg, Sr and PO4 titration tests? I had assumed that all Slaifert were until I got an NO3 kit.

I was thinking I would compensate for Oceanics known deficencies with some dosing. Topping off with pickling lime and supplementing alk with washing soda are not doing me any favors either Im sure.

When I first started using Oceanic, I would do a water change when Ca started slipping towards 400. I have always tried to maintain around 450. It was kind of a convenient barometer for water change time.

Lately though, Ca uptake seems to have stalled. It has been climbing upward without doing any water changes. I think the climb is ~2g of kalk every day and no growth/Ca consumption.

I was really wondering if dosing Sr and Mg would help. I guess it probably would but switching back to HW should work even better.

So... I think it will be back to HW Marinemix for me. I couldnt pass on the over half as expensive deal with Oceanic but it is not going to be worth it for me.

FWIW All my sps pieces have great daytime polyp extension, except the new wild collected piece which hasnt really come around yet, and have nice healthy appearing coloration as well. I just havent felt like, lately, that they were growing like they had been and my Ca has started climbing rather than declining.]

 

[Jacob]

@b&g wrote:

[Salifert PO4 is not tratation. Mg and Sr are.

I too am very disappointed that the NO3 and PO4 are not. It is impossible for me to distinquish the difference between very, very, very light blue, very, very light blue, and very light blue to be able to know what my PO4 level is. I have the same trouble with the NO3. It is impossible for me to distinquish the difference between very, very, very light pink, very, very light pink, and very light pink to be able to know what my NO3 level is.]

 

[BnG]

[-Update-

In typical reefkeeping unscientific fashion I started doing three things differently.

I switched back to HW Marinemix and have done 2 large water changes so far.

I'm dosing Sr once per week. A Joe Tran tip. Results speak volumes for me!

And I'm feeding 5 - 50 micron GPs and/or cyclopeze several nights a week 1 hour after lights out.

Result - I can see noticable growth from when I started this thread 3 weeks ago. :beer:

I bought a Mg and Sr test kit. Sr came up low. Good grief that is a touchy test!

Mg is climbing with water changes and is at 1470ppm with a 485ppm Ca as of our last test a few days ago.

So... feeding? Mg? Sr? new salt with other unmeasured elements? Hard to say but I think I am back on track.]

 

[kwl1763]

[Good to here. I haven't tested my Stronium in a while and need to do so.

HW is good stuff. It's expensive but I'm a believer now!]

 

[the3dwizard]

[I have been using Oceanic for a while with kalk topoff. Does Reefchem once a week. Calcium has been 400 and Mg 1350. I did some water changes with mix of Oceanic and TM. Most of the stuff has been looking a lot better (both SPS and LPS), but I think it is due probably more to the better husbandry lately (h2o changes every two weeks, stopped adding the kent coral accel, etc). However, my open brain is still not opening like it did when I first got it. With the talk about the Sr maybe I will dose more often with the ReefChem.

So has everyone given up on Oceanic? I still have 3 buckets left. Trying to decided what to fill my new 180 with. Thinking of just mixing it 50/50 with something else until it is gone.]