Your Thoughts On Trace Elements...

I have read articles saying that dosing trace elements is a waste of money, but I have also read that it is a necessity. Do any of you dose trace elements? I do a PWC once every 2 weeks, and I know they are included in the salt. But is this enough? My LPS corals have been looking somewhat sickly, and all my parameters are fine (Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, Nitrate-10, Calcium-400, pH-8.3, Alk~3.2(hard to tell exactly). I add a 2-part buffer every morning. Anyway..I have thought of everything i can and trace elements is the last thing I can think of. Could a lack of them be causing my LPS troubles? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

Your 2 part supplement should have some elements in their(the important ones). What salt are you using? Doing a water change also replenishes trace elements. I have dosed trace elements and not noticed any real difference. What 2 part are you using? I use Brightwell Aquatics at night.
How much live rock do you have and how long has your tank been running?

 

I'm not an expert by any means but I figure the trace elements are being used up by the tank inhabitants and would therefore need to be replaced, so I do add trace elements.

 

you can add them on your off week of not doing the water change and that should be ok

 

if you do water changes, you don't need to dose trace elements.
i know alot of people are fans of doseing and not water changes, but if you don't do water changes and don't dose trace elements, eventually something bad is bound to happen.
and if you do dose trace elements, i don't think there is anyway to know what your lacking because i dont think they make tests for all the trace elements

 

Agreed.

Also, to say it clearly, don't dose anything you don't test for.


Othere reasons LPS could look bad:

• try feeding them,
• what kind of lights do you have,
• how old are the bulbs,
• are the LSP close to each other (within stinging range),
• have you touched the flesh,
• too much/too little flow,
• moved them up (closer to the light) too fast...

just some ideas.


I also use a two part daily. I do water changes every few months (maybe 3 or 4 months) and I do not dose trace elements (bc I do not test for them).

 

-I use Instant Ocean salt, Kent Marine Nano Reef Part A&B
-Tank has been running 6 months
-Not real sure on my exact rock weight..but somewhere around 35 lbs
-Bulbs are brand new (130W PC)
-LPS are nowhere near each other
-I have been EXTRA careful when I have handled them after my first long tentacle plate death....
-Almost certain that flow is not the issue..
I think I may try adding them on my off week of water changes..It's something I haven't tried..so who knows..it's worth a shot!

Thanks everyone for your input

 

My guess would be the bulbs.

Do some research on the exact bulbs you got. A lot of folks feel PC lights aren't good enough for LPS - others have some success with it. Might come down to the particular bulbs you have... I'm not real versed in them, but that's the direction I would start researching....


It might be that the bulbs are brand new and are now a lot stronger than the old bulbs you replaced and it kind of shocks the coral with the new stronger lighting...

 

130W of PC over 36 gallons is pretty weak, so that might be a lot of the issue. Also, how are your nitrates? You have a little over half the rock you should for a reef I have found my LPS to be very nitrate intolerant. Some have had the opposite experience, but that's just what goes on in my tank. My torch will start to look not so good if my nitrates get to even 5-10ppm, way before the SPS even starts to show signs.

 

i agree with sostoudt about dosing trace elements...if you do wc's you dont need to dose. I haven't seen this mentioned yet(maybe i missed it somehow..) but do you test for magnesium?