Do I need to add calcium, alk, trace elements?

[YAREMASI]

I have a BC29 with 35lbs. l.r. and 30lbs of l.s.

Fish- 2 Clowns

1 Coral Beauty.

Coral-

3 Mushroons

Green Star polyp

Yellow polyp

20 Zoa polyps

Hammer Coral(new)

Candy Cane coral(new)

 

Question- Do I need to add calcium, alk, trace elements or anything else? I do 20% water change every two to three weeks. My water paras are always good. I haven't tested for clacium or alk (don't have test kit).

[Austin]

Nah. Just do water changes more often. You'll replace any depleted calcium and other trace elements, manage your alk better, and you'll better manage your nitrates and phosphates.

 

I really believe that in most cases, dosing is for SPS-heavy or very densely populated LPS tanks.

 

But if you feel compelled to dose something - then feed your new corals some mysis and or coral frenzy/oyster eggs/rods food/etc. every so often, like 2x a week.

[lakshwadeep]

You won't know until you can test for them, and even then you should know whether something should be dosed or left alone. Read this before doing any supplementation.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

[AZDesertRat]

Do you have test kits for all of them, do you use the test kits on a regular basis and finally do the tests indicate you have a demand for any or all of them?

 

Based on your inhabitant list you really don't have anything that requires much so you probably have no demand but the only way to know for sure is get test kits for calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and phosphates and use them. As far as "trace elements" stay as far away from supplements like that as you can unless you have an use test kits for each and every ingredient they contain. Maybe not snake oil but very close to that.

[hookedonreef-er]

Nah. Just do water changes more often. You'll replace any depleted calcium and other trace elements, manage your alk better, and you'll better manage your nitrates and phosphates.

 

I really believe that in most cases, dosing is for SPS-heavy or very densely populated LPS tanks.

 

But if you feel compelled to dose something - then feed your new corals some mysis and or coral frenzy/oyster eggs/rods food/etc. every so often, like 2x a week.

+1 ^^^. I never really dosed when all my corals mainly LPS chalice, favias, acans were small i just did frequent water changes to replinish the trace elements and keep my alk stable. But once the small corals started getting bigger i had to start dosing two part and mag to keep everything stable. At first though in a new tank frequent small water changes should do the trick.