who adds trace elements?

hi, many seasoned reefers strongly recommend never dosing your tank with anything that you're not measuring--i agree totally and have learned a lot from this recently while dosing and testing Ca, Mg and KH levels in my aquarium.

ok, cool. but what about trace elements? or amino acids or vitamins? i ask because i couldn't help myself and on my last order i bought both Seachem Reef Plus and Reef Trace. It seems like dosing with these types of products is popular but, um, who the heck knows how to test how much Riboflavin or Vanadium is in the water??

any thoughts, suggestions appreciated. it makes sense to me to add this stuff but i'm a little worried. many people say it definitely helps their inverts though...

 

I do not as I do water changes every weekend and with the water change it should replace all trace elements. but if you slack on it i recommend it. I dose iodide or ine forgot which one and I do not test for that either. but I use a cap full every week. not like i will over dose with that little amount. but I recommend testing and knowing what you are adding to the tank before dropping it in there. I been waiting to add a banana to the tank for potassium <<<< thats a joke btw

 

Im a user Goldylamont - I use a cap full of aquamedic trace elements on a weekly basis in addition to my 10% water change

when many people say dont add what your not testing for - they mean major and minor elements such as carbon, mag, Alk, PH buffer, Iodine etc - people should monitor those levels anyway if they are keeping reef style tanks and those levels are easy to get out of whack

I would also use a product called Liquid Gold by Thiel aquatec if I could get it here
becuase I used that product in the UK years ago and for 24 - 48 hours after adding , my corals looked the best they would look all week

I cant test for either product
I stay well within the guidelines on the packaging

and dont percieve my use of either of them, being controlled as a potential problem

thats just my opinion

Steve

 

I haven't added anything other than calcium and alk and mag. for over 15 years based on the principle that all the food I put in the tank breaks down and provides a source of vitamins and minerals both wanted ones (that includes forms of iodine) and unwanted ones (especially phosphates)
I do water changes more to REMOVE nutrients, not to add.

 

Nope.
Its the same old adage, if you can't test for it don't put it in there period, it doesn't matter if its calcium, vitamins, dynamite or whatever.