When to start adding Essential Elements

[Siberwulf]

Pardon me if this isn't the right place to post this, as there's lots of different locations it could go:

Here's a little history:

Tanks is about 2 months old. 55g size, was started from 60 lbs live rock, lots of live sand. I did a water change about a month ago, and intend on doing on this weekend. There's no more fish in there (ich wiped em out ), and i just have a cleaner crew of about 50 hermits, 10 snails and a few softshell crabs.

I have 3 pieces of coral right now, a leather, a green star polyp and a green button (I don't know the real names to them, as I'm still somewhat new. If you can help with a formal ID on these, please do!). I've been adding small amounts of phyto in close proximity every other day (via syringe) to keep them fed, and I have a bottle of Essential Elements I'd like to start adding.

Here's my newbie questions:

1. Should I add the essential elements after or before the water change?
2. Is a capful overkill for 3 pieces? It says treats 50 gallons, but I don't wanna overload the tank.
3. With so few corals, should I be adding this every week, or every two weeks? Maybe every month?
4. (unrelated) I want to split my green star polyps into two pieces, and put one on the other side of my tank. I see lots of tutorials on how to frag bigger corals, but nothing that caters to something this densely populated.

Thanks for all the help guys. I wish I had posted here sooner.


PS:Here's the pics of the corals I have:

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[blide]

Take it out of the tank, carry it out to the driveway, put a flat head screw driver in the middle of the colony, and hit it with a hammer. Bring your pieces back in and wash it off with some saltwater and then put it back in your tank. (Oh and if you think I'm joking.. I'm not, I've split lots of GSP rocks.)

 

[commandertekki]

1. after if you are going to add anything at all... However the new salt you have should have the essential elements if not most of the essential elements to begin with.

2. I think it wont be a big deal. But if you want to break it down to be specific you can always used a syringe that is marked.

3. the product should give you some info... I personally dont does any of that stuff. Mainly because most of the elements are found in the salt you mix with the RO water. And the test kits I have will let yo know if you need to add more or less of any elements.

4. Put that piece or rock with GSP touching another rock with nothing on it and I promise you that you will have that thing grow like a weed all over it.

The whole essential elements thing is up in the air i think. the main ingredients you need to worry about are Mg, Ca, Alk, pH, salinity, Phosphate (PO4)... and of course nitrate and ammonia, which you will have better control over with a mature tank.

i think that if you focus on just the basics, that's all you really need. My brother will throw in some vitamins on a weekly basis for the fishes, but other elements such as iodine is provided by the fish food that you place in the tank.

 

[Siberwulf]

@commandertekki wrote:

Well, thats part of the reason I'm looking at addatives. I have Ich in there right now, and will be running fallow for 8 weeks, so that it can starve itself out. I want my coral to bloom during this time period, and heard that lots of phytoplankton and keeping the calcium, stronium and iodine high are a good way to accomplish this.

 

[commandertekki]

Your idea is just as good. I think that there is just several different ways to go about it. and I dont see a problem with it if you want to pursue that route. Just stick with it and not change it up too much since corals dont like changes that much.