Using Carbon/Skimmer With Trace Elements??

[jessicarabit]

I use this brand called Tropical Science. Is anyone familiar with their products??? They are supposed to be top quality with the lines. I use Marine Max (copper- and chemical-free way to prevent disease in saltwater aquariums. Made with specially cultivated pro-biotic bacteria, it effectively prevents most aquatic diseases including ich, aeromonas and vibrio. Completely safe for delicate inverts), Marine Clean(sludge-removing system reduces maintenance time and wear and tear on expensive filtration systems by creating a cleaner and healthier tank environment. Billions of pro-biotic sludge-eating bacteria work to keep your water crystal clear. One teaspoon treats 20 gallons. All natural, reef safe.) & lastly I use Marine Care Plus (high-performance water conditioner designed exclusively for marine aquariums. It removes chlorine, chloramine and detoxifies ammonia and heavy metals as it replenishes the slime coat. Unique formula nourishes fish with essential trace elements and encourages healing of injured fish).
My concern is will the carbon & Protein Skimmer 'disable' these products from working??? I also use R.O. water, is it ness. or is it safe to use the water conditioner (Marine Care Plus)??? I use to use Hagen's Aqua Plus, because it had no aloe in it, which I heard clogs fish gills. Is that true??? Can you add too much of any of the products above...I mean just a little more than directed???
Another product I wanted to check out to make sure it won't hurt LR, Inverts & coral, is Maracyn Two??? If I cannot really get to a fish or if I want to make sure all is well, is this ok every other now & again??? What is different from Maracyn Two & the Tropical Science products, namely the disease prevention item???

 

[beth]

IMO, the less "additives" put in to tanks, the better. Better to let your tank cycle naturally. There is nothing that will remove additives, trace elements, or whatever 100% and, if you have your tank set up for a long time, these additives can take its toll. Your tank is a captive system. The less chemicals we add the better.
Of course, there are "necessities", such as calcium for reefs, or buffers, salt, etc. But use the bottled goodies sparingly and only when when necessary.

 

[beth]

Originally posted by jessicarabit
Another product I wanted to check out to make sure it won't hurt LR, Inverts & coral, is Maracyn Two??? If I cannot really get to a fish or if I want to make sure all is well, is this ok every other now & again??? What is different from Maracyn Two & the Tropical Science products, namely the disease prevention item???
You absolutely can not use Maracyn Two or any medication in a reef tank or a FOWLR tank. Meds can only be sparingly used in a FO, and, preferrably not there either, but in a QT.
Please don't get carried away with all the bottled junk you see on the shelves. At best, most of it is worthless, and, at worst, it could be harmful in the long run. Better to spend your money on hobby liturature where you can learn to keep a thriving system with naturally or near natural.
Absolutely, your RO water is a real plus. How do you have your RO system set up? Was curious, because I was thinking of hooking up one myself rather than constantly buying DI bottled water.

 

[jessicarabit]

Beth asking advice from 'lil 'o me....I feel honored !! You can see what model I have below...it is supposed to be the best of the best. 4 different processes. You can hook it up to a sink faucet & that works ok, but you have to constantly pull it out & hook it up. I actually had the LFS (they are good for some things) hook it up under the bathroom sink. It's quite simple though. I will study the connections for you & take pictures if that helps. Speaking of, how do you attach a picture file on here??? I also think that (other brands may do the same) Kent will give you the instructions for install plumbing under a sink. I will & recommend that you get 1 of those attachments (my LFS says they can customize 1 for me with a regular bucket) that has a floater or some device that allows water to pass through the membrane, but will not run new water through the system once it get's so full. They say you need to run water over/through the membrane constantly so it will be more efficient & last longer. What brand to you plan on getting???
Do you know the maintenance on them??? Depends on how much water you make, but the 3 non-membrane compartments need to be changed from 6 months to a year, so it's like from $50-$100 a year & then whenever you buy the membrane another $100 or so. I'm still debating if I wanna run it constantly, till I get that floater device needed so as not to run the filter media down.
Hey, Beth. Would just the Marine Max & the Marine Clean (monthly sludge treatment) be ok??? I use the Marine Max with water changes, it adds trace elements. I get the impression, I don't need the Marine Care Plus (water conditioner), since I have the R.O., right??? It will be handy if there is new fish or stress & damage fins, no??? BTW, I use Marine Tropic salt. Have you heard of it??? What do you use??? This salt is also, supposed to be the very best.
I recently lost a Firefish & the Cleaner Wrasse & I am frustrated, because I think I do everything flawless & they still die. I feel maybe adding 3 Firefish in a 55 gal. wasn't so smart after all. I just wanted to see a group of the same kind swimming around & maybe mating. They are such mean little b@stards. I had to put the 1 that got injured from my powerhead in the QT with the Flame Angel that your advice has help me recovered. THANKS!! I don't know if I'll be able to put the Firefish back up in the main tank or not when or if she (knock wood) recovers. Any ideas??? I still don't know how the Wrasse died. Only had him a week or so & he swam & ate decent. I feel concern with my Shrimp &/or Arrow Crab. I'm wondering if they might have... & will I have to worry about the remaining Firefish & False Perc Clownfish.
OK, OK, I know this post is long, but I did get a Clarkii Clownfish after I had already had my False Perc for about a year (big & territorial). She stayed on 1 side of the tank & when I put the Clarkii in she goes over there & chases it. No worry, I have the Clarkki in a Refugium in the tank with the False Perc & the she goes up to the Clarkii does so some aggression, but so does the Clarkii. 3 days after I got & contained the Clarkii it escaped & my False Perc didn't seem as aggressive, but still it wasn't pretty. The Clarkii is back in the Refuguim & been so for about a week. Any ideas on how to work this out??? This is the best line of reason for bringing them together??? How long would you say up in the Refuguim??? Can it eventually kill the Clarkii??? I mean I won't let it stay there for more than 6 weeks.

 

[beth]

Yes, the Kent RO is the one I'm considering. I was just curious how you had yours installed [like where you put it, etc.].
As I said, I would not add "trace" products. Water changes will provide the best supplementation that your aquaria needs. Do you have a FO tank? Stress coat, etc., can certainly be used in a QT/hospital tank for a new or injuried fish.
What books do you have? Stop adding bottled supplementations is my best advise.
Do you QT all new fish? You have a smaller tank so compatibility is an issue.
What are your current water readings?
I've been using Red Sea but I'm going to try reef crystal salts. IO is the the salt most used by hobbyists including the "pros". But, I don't know if that is out of habbit or availabilty of the salt. reef crystals and IO are essentially the same, but the crystals have those "trace elements" that you love , etc., that are supposely benefical to a reef setup. I'll give it a try, anyway.

 

[jlem]

I actualy used reef crystals for quite awhile and then bought a bucket of Kent salt and was surprised that the Kent actually seemed to have higher trace elements than the Reef crystals. A LFS told me that Kent actually buys loads of IO and puts in there corral accell to boost everything up. I am no fan of Kent products but do really like their salt.