to Talking Reef Community and Podcast, fishyshawn. Trace elements Quote:
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Originally Posted by fishyshawn some people say they aren't needed and some do so i wanted to know what everyone else here thinks about them. |
Trace elements are part of the building blocks of life and are utilized in the motabolism of the critters we keep in our aquariums. Hence, their need for replacement. Artificial sea water, in most brands, is mixed to duplicate natural sea water in about 70 elements. However, some brands cheat a little on some elements. To compensate for this some manufacturers have more than one formula. Instant Ocean (IO) comes to mind because it's the brand I've used for about 36 years. It's a good salt and the most popular because it has the reputation of being of consistent high quality. Instant Ocean also markets "Reef Crystals" which is more expensive and more complete in it's formulation.
So, what's the difference? Not a lot
IMHO. If you mix up a batch of Instant Ocean and then test it before you use it, you might be surprised to find that the Calcium level, at 35ppm (Specific gravity of 1.025), is 350ppm. The Calcium level of natural sea water is 450ppm. Is this a big deal? Not if you have a fish only tank. But, in a reef tank instead of making up for Calcium lost to the metabolism of your critters you are actually
diluting them further. So, the importance of measuring (testing) for Calcium levels on a regular basis becomes clear. Why does Instant Ocean, the most popular salt on the market, do this??? I don't know. I guess we'd have to ask them.
When I mix a batch of Instant Ocean for water changes I added Calcium and
test to be sure I'm adding water with 450ppm of Calcium. If you mix and test Reef Crystals for Calcium you'll read 450ppm. Are Reef Crystals worth the extra money? Not in my opinion. I can add Calcium cheaper than the difference in price.
My reason for telling you this is not to condemn
IO, after all I've been using it for a long time but, to point out to you and others that
testing is one of the most important tasks you need to perform on a regular basis, especially in a nano tank. That small volume of water can and will change on you in an instant (figuratively speaking). You can't be guessing that you need to add this or that. A great rule of thumb in reefing is,
if you can't or aren't testing for it don't add it. Just because a manufacturer puts chemicals in a bottle, slaps a cute Nemo fish on the label and says something like, "Essential
Trace Elements for Nemo" add 2oz per gallon every other week to your reef aquarium,
doesn't mean you need to add it at all. Many times they are playing on our ignorance of the subject and looking out for their bottom line. Don't get me wrong, there are some good and necessary
trace elements but
learn what is needed and what is junk before spending your money and possibly upsetting your reef tank.
I hope this makes sense and helps you.
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