What supplements, additives, etc?

[DeederMc]

Hi all,

Has there been a discussion somewhere I could read about what products one should add to a reef, when, how much, brands, etc? I am perplexed by all the choices.

Thanks!

Deeder

[Rob]

not that i recall,
but optimally, you wouldnt want to add anything, expect for maybe your suplement elements, like calcium, or magnesium

let me know what you are looking to add and why, and a bit about whats in your tank, and i will see what i can do to steer you in the right direction

[DeederMc]

There are dozens of products and each one is touted as a "must have". Things such as iodine, strontium, calcium, reef buffer / builder, essential elements, etc. One vendor has a line with ten products that all seem so similar I really can't make out the differences, but they're so expensive that they must each do something very important, right? There's also an ocean (excuse the pun) of food choices and I usually just choose the one that has the best pictures of reef fish.

Right now I add strontium, calcium, essential elements, and iodine carefully according to instructions, as well as some Coral Accel and Phyto Plex.

Currently I have a 40 gallon reef with live rock, a tang, clown, and various corals and just assembled a 100 with lots of live rock. It would be nice to know I don't need to buy several hundred dollars worth of stuff if it's not necessary, but I do want to get what it really needs.

[mopecula]

Hi Deeder,
Most of that stuff on the market is really unnecessary! Thats why water changes is usually one of the best ways to maintain a tank without adding any of those chemicals. Also how do we know whats in these, most of them don't list ingredients and you can't test for it. So who really knows what we would be dosing and where is the scientific studies to prove that these chemicals do what the manufacture says they do?
I personally do a 25% water change every three weeks and I do dose a two part cal and alk supplement to maintain the calcium and alkalinity. I also dose magnesium. iodine and strontium.
Now I am in the process of trying an amino acid additives to see if it has an effect on the tank or its inhabitants, maybe it will do something maybe not only time will tell me if its worth even spending the money on this stuff. I say all this cause I have tried other additives in the past and have come to the conclusion that I was just wasting my money cause there were no visible results noted, either good or bad so why waste my money.
if you decide to try some of these products on the market all I can say is use caution and watch the tank for any affects they may cause. But I think you will find that if you maintain your water changes, these special additives which sound like miracles that are hard to resist buying cause they make them sound so good are really not needed at all and a waste of money.
Just my humble opinion.

[Rob]

ok, here is the deal.
first of, dont ad anything you dont need to add. how do you know you need to add? test for it. test your calcium Alkalinity, magnesium and so on. you will find that you probably dotn need to add all this stuff. adn you "may" be doing more harm than good. so when it comms to supplements "dont dose what you dont test"... most of your trace ellemnts and stuff, will actually be replenished with regular water changes. at least until your consumption rates increase. and if this is the case you will know when you do testing.

as for other treatments, most of them you really dont need. dont add anythign just becuase its label says you should. do research on the product, and make sure is doing somethign that you really need it to do.

as for food, the phyto, this stuff is good food for coral. there are ways to decrease your cost if you want to culter it your self, which is easy. but either way, this is important, and you shoudl continue.

now for flake foods and stuff. you should pay a bit more attention to the products... many flake foods contain "bad" stuff. personally i recomemnd formula 1 and formula 2. formula 2 has more "veggie" for you herbavoires if you have lots of them. and this product is very healthy and free from alot of the bad stuff. you can also look at many frozen foods, like frozen formula 1, mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp (regular brine has almost no nutritional value, and should only be feed as treat), table shrimp, clam, squid, etc... many of this stuff you can even buy vry cheap from a market, like an asian market.
also Dried nori sheets and products such as seaweeds selects are great for the tangs (and other herbavoires)

hope that help, if you need further information, or clarification just let me know

[DeederMc]

This is GREAT info! Thank you both so much. It's so helpful to have the benefit of your experience!

[mopecula]

Originally Posted by DeederMc

This is GREAT info! Thank you both so much. It's so helpful to have the benefit of your experience!

You are very welcome, I can remember when I started out and I had no one to help me except the lfs. Well to make a long story short, lfs sold me a lot of things I did not need until I finally found a good lfs recommended by a neighbor of mine who was doing reefs before me. Great guy who helped me allot. Sorry didn't mean to get off subject.
If you have any more question ask away.
Take care

[Rob]

mopercula, i agree. a good info source is great. I am trying really hard to create this great community, and so far, i have been very impressed with how well its been doing thanks to all of you guys
.. and i really appreciate all the help you have been around here.. thanks..

and DeederMc, please feel free to post any other questions you may have...

[Kassun]

Good advice. When I started out a few years ago, before I found the reef sites online my LFS sold me just about every Kent product out there. In our last reef, I dosed calcium and iodine (once a week / had 4 shrimps).

dont ad anything you dont need to add. how do you know you need to add? test for it I agree that this is the best advice to have. I enjoyed you podcast on DIY home remedys for dosing calcium and alk. Much cheaper then buying dosing products.

-Kassun

[Amphibious]

DeederMc

Good advice from these reefers.

Here's my take on what supplements to add.

Rob mentioned if you don't test for it don't add it. That's good advice. Here's an expanded version of the same thought. If you can't test for it don't add it. Do you see the difference? There are many "supplements" out there that the manufacturer makes unbelievable claims about. But if there isn't a test kit for it, how do you know what level is already in your tank. What's too much? What's too little? What research has been done to determine the necessary level or the necessity of it at all?

I've been in this hobby for 59 years (I'm 68 years young) and strictly saltwater for the last 32 years. You will never hear me make claim that I know everything because this end of our hobby is changing faster than I can think. I learn something new daily. You are taking the right track on your education by asking questions here. Congratulations! In the "good old days" we didn't have this luxury!!! It was by trial, error and experimentation. A costly way to learn.

Make regularly scheduled water changes faithfully. Measure Calcium, PH/Alk, dose with a good two part supplement (Ocean's Blend is the brand I use and recommend) and most importantly keep a critical eye on the general overall health of your livestock. Are your corals looking healthy or are they bleaching? Are your clams opening up and laying out their mantle? Are your fish swimming around their home or are they listless or jerking around?

Really observe your tank, deeder, not just as a thing of beauty but with a critical eye.

Good luck comes to those that think ahead and make plans to succeed. Good luck to you, my friend

[Rob]

Amphibious welcome to talkingreef,
and thank you for making that point.. its a very important one..