Trace Elements Discussion

[MarksReef]

Anyone care to discuss Trace Elements?
I believe they can make a brighter reef and I also believe it can be done without them.
I hear good things about the Korallen-Zucht 4 steps @ $100 for a 75 gallon tank.
Why are these so much more money then some of the old school trace elements and are they better?
Our salts only have the basic of what is needed and not enough to thrive above standards?

[Mishri]

I don't believe in the addition of trace elements. Good quality salt will have everything you need. regular water changes to keep balance. When dosing trace elements how do you know if you've dosed enough or overdosed? You have to send a water sample to a lab to test. I think korallen-zucht is a bit different... not just a trace element additive. Here is a pdf explaining their system: http://www.korallen-zucht.de/cms/files/zeoguide_103_english-1.pdf

[MarksReef]

☝️up

[wetWolger]

I think it depends. If water changes are enough to keep your Ca stable, then I don't think anything is needed. However if you find yourself dosing Ca, that means that your corals are using elements faster than your water changes are able to replenish.

This is partly why I buy into what Red Sea is doing, which is tie in the dosage of those elements based off the rate which Ca is being replaced within the system.

I definetly think that if your dosing trace elements you should send your water to be tested every now and then (somewhere between every month and every 3 months).

[MarksReef]

I'd bet the majority of reefers have to dose.