Do you dose trace elements and amino's

[joey13254]

If so what kind and what brand do you use

[Jcon_343]

I have a bottle of Seachem, have only used it once maybe twice when I went a few weeks in between WC's. If you are doing weekly changes then you will most likely have no need to.

[markalot]

In my 150 I dose 3 drops of AquaForest MicroE daily along with 3 drops of SpongePower. These are both underdoses based on the label and I'm comfortable with those amounts. In my 40 I dose 1 drop each which is also less than the label but closer. I do regular water changes in my smaller tank.

 

All that said, regular water changes are the best way to make sure the tank doesn't run out of anything. Other than that the only thing proven to improve coral health and growth is a quality coral food, and even these are not needed. If you decide to feed make sure you keep up on export (water changes, skimming) or else cyano will be in your future.

[joey13254]

I have a 29 gallon i do water changes ever week to week and half using io reef crystals. I use Prodibio bio clean and bioptim every 2 weeks and i feed every week and use red sea a and b every week. I do find i have to dose a little alk to bring up from 7 to 9. But my corals are a little lack luster if you know what i mean

[seabass]

There are cases where these products can be useful, but these are less common than you may think. Many people get lured into buying these products with the hopes of faster coral growth and/or better coloration, only to find their tank full of cyano (or worse) and their corals hanging on for dear life.

 

Water changes and feeding your fish will supply enough trace elements and amino acids for your corals. You would likely be better off doing more water changes and starting daily two part dosing to achieve better stability (along with sparingly feeding your corals once a week).

[mystersyster]

There are cases where these products can be useful, but these are less common than you may think. Many people get lured into buying these products with the hopes of faster coral growth and/or better coloration, only to find their tank full of cyano (or worse) and their corals hanging on for dear life.

 

Water changes and feeding you fish will supply enough trace elements and amino acids for your corals. You would likely be better off doing more water changes and starting daily two part dosing to achieve better stability (along with sparingly feeding your corals once a week).

I agree with this. My digitata are growing like weeds from simply turning the lights down. I think fish are a bigger part in maintaining coral health. I have used some acropower with zero noticeable effects. I would think that a tank only needs dosed with trace elements and aminos if one doesn't have fish to provide them for the corals (through poop and food).

[Mikeymikemike]

A good all in one product is aquavitro fuel by seachem. It's a good starting point for anyone who wants to experiment with dosing aminos. Go half dose and work your way up to full. I dose daily at reduced levels instead of bi-weekly.

 

These products do work, i have noticed more colouration in my sps as they were going pastel due to ULNS, but you need a good balanced system that can use the addition of aminos. Low nitrates (undetectable) low phosphate under 0.010ppm.

[ezcompany]

Brightwell Koral Color and Trace Elements.

Acropower and AF Vitality.

[DrChop]

I never dosed anything like that in my past or present tanks. ESV B Ionic 2 part, periodic magnesium and iodine (test to check parameters), and kalk...my past 50g tall rocked...acro and monti grew super fast, xenia and zoas were like weeds. 2 week water changes and cyclopeeze for corals...the rest just happened on it's own. just getting my newest foray back into reef keeping matured and stocked..ordering my 2 part tonight and a couple little things to keep it tip top. water changes are more beneficial than most bottles. I always used TropicMarin salt in the past, but I started the new one with Red Sea Coral Pro, but just switched to Reef Crystals...

[ezcompany]

artificial salt can be inconsistent, best to mix the entire batch at once, or mix up your dry salt before adding water and test from time to time.

[seabass]

These products do work, i have noticed more colouration in my sps as they were going pastel due to ULNS...

 

There are cases where these products can be useful...

Carbon dosing being one. The problem arises when they are used incorrectly. Like in a tank where the colors of the corals are suffering due to high phosphate levels, or when instability in alkalinity is causing poor growth. The first will add to a nutrient problem, while the second doesn't address the reason for poor growth in the first place (and could potentially fuel an unwanted bloom). It's often confusing to reef keepers as these products are often marketed to the masses (instead of to the small group of people with tanks that can actually benefit from their use). This, along with people experiencing positive results when used correctly, makes others interested in trying these products (even if their tanks are poor candidates for using them).

[Clown79]

I do, I use Aquavitro fuel but I use it sparingly.

[Reef Queso]

artificial salt can be inconsistent, best to mix the entire batch at once, or mix up your dry salt before adding water and test from time to time.

I just had a bag of instant ocean reading 640ppm on calcium towards the end of the bucket!!! Definitely check the water going into the aquarium as the water IN the aquarium to be sure. Couldn't figure out why my calcium shot up! Careful dosing if this happens to you!