What additives to add?

[cubb]

I've recently started to add corals into my tank. But I'm not completely sure on which additives to put in my tank for proper reef care. I am currently using Kent Coral Vite once a week and Kent ChromaPlex twice a week. I also add Purple Up when my calcium seems a bit low. Right now I have a candy cane, a galaxy, and a moon brain coral, as well as a few green striped mushrooms. I have been looking at all the coral additives you can get online and at the LFSs and I am getting confused. I don’t want to buy 5 different products to add to the water each week. My question is this: Is there any one or two additives you can use for proper reef care? And if so, which ones are the best? What are you guys using? Thanks again in advance.
-CuBB
65 Gal tank
34 Lbs fuji Is. LR
24 Lbs Marshal Is. LR

 

[fishieness]

i do not add anything. I have calium and some trace elements but i use oceanic salt which is very high in calcium. Too high actualy, so i cant add any. Many people do not add anything. Stronium is a good additive if you are looking for something. If you use good salt, you shouold not need to. What salt are you using? And what is your lighting? If your lights are strong enough, it is very likely that you dont ened to add anything at all.

 

[schadiest1]

I am using Reef Solutions and DT's phytoplankton. Also I dose calcium. In my frag tank I use coral accel and calcium.

 

[fishieness]

oo, one thing i would like to add, dont add anythign taht you cannot test for!

 

[bang guy]

With your current coral load I would bet that just doing regular water changes will provide everything your reef needs.
Get a Calcium and an ALK test kit. If either start to get too low before the next water change is scheduled then you need to start a dosing routine. Until then, just do the water changes.

 

[cubb]

What salt am I using? I'm not sure how to answer that. I buy my saltwater at a LFS that I trust. As for lighting, I have 2-96 watt compact fluorescent lights for a total of 192 watts. Just under 3 watts per gallon. Thanks for all the replies and advice.
-CuBB

 

[nm reef]

I agree with bangs response....but I'd add that the only additives I use are specifically to establish levels of calcium/magnesium/alkalinity/PH and I use salifert test kits to measure the levels of each. All that other stuff is nothing more than snake oils in my opinion.A quality salt mix will maintain trace elements and the other stuff is really not needed. :thinking:

 

[cubb]

Thanks all. I kind of had a feeling I did not have to spend a whole lot of money on additives. Now I know.
-CuBB

 

[jdboy]

The only thing I'm adding right now is iodide. The LFS told me I would need it for the emerald crab and other crabs to molt correctly. Is this true? I use Reef Crystals salt mix if that matters.

 

[fishieness]

yes they do need it..... but are you testing for it? otherwise i wouldnt add it. your salt should already have some, im not familiar with reef crystals though. i would test it.
BTW: what is your Ca levels with that? I am looking for a good salt with a good Ca level. Oceanic is giving me much much too high.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by jdboy
The only thing I'm adding right now is iodide. The LFS told me I would need it for the emerald crab and other crabs to molt correctly. Is this true?
This is one of the worst myths in the hobby.
Crustacean do NOT need Iodine to molt. Iodine is especially toxic to crustaceans and should not be dosed to force them to molt.

 

[jdboy]

Originally Posted by fishieness
yes they do need it..... but are you testing for it? otherwise i wouldnt add it. your salt should already have some, im not familiar with reef crystals though. i would test it.
BTW: what is your Ca levels with that? I am looking for a good salt with a good Ca level. Oceanic is giving me much much too high.
The Reef Crystals has my Ca levels very high as well. I'm running a 90 gal. and the only thing besides fish are Green Star Polyp about the size of a football and a Super colored polyp colony on another rock. So Ca dosn't get used up very fast in my tank.

 

[fishieness]

woops!! i have heard numerous times that it is needed. Sorry about that! Bang would know. Wait so bang, iodine actualy forces them to molt then?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by fishieness
woops!! i have heard numerous times that it is needed. Sorry about that! Bang would know. Wait so bang, iodine actualy forces them to molt then?
No problem. This myth has been propogated by everyone and has become common knowledge even though it's false.
Crustaceans have a neat way of removing toxins. We have a liver they have an exoskeleton. Shrimp have the ability to capture toxins like copper, Iodine, Zinc, etc. in their exoskeleton. When it gets "full" they are able to simply disgard the molt and be free of them.
If you add extra Iodine to the water the molt will "fill up" faster and cause them to molt earlier than normal. Eventually this extra energy expenditure can lead to the demise of the shrimp (and copepods, amphipods, crabs, etc.).