Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > Responsible Reefkeeping
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 04/27/2013, 09:56 PM   #1
squishifishi
Hopelesly Addicted Member
 
squishifishi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 972
most important supplement for coral?

I wasn't planning on dosing any supplements, but now, I am beginning to understand that this is an improtant part of reef keeping. My tiny reef is mostly softies, with lps corals too. So, hypothetically, if I could only dose ONE supplement...which should it be? what is most important to the general health of corals?
what would you reccomend I really use in my pico reef? thanks!


__________________
><(((((°>squishifishi!
if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;)
I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for
"pictures at last"
in the nano forums:)

Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp
squishifishi is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/29/2013, 07:25 PM   #2
accordsirh22
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Clarksville, TN
Posts: 817
seachems aquavitro fuel is wonderful in my book. its an amino acid and vitamin supplement


accordsirh22 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/29/2013, 07:32 PM   #3
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC Member
 
Gary Majchrzak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 41,560
it's very important to define what you mean by "supplement"

There are major and minor constituents of seawater that get depleted by corals and need to be supplemented and then there are other things (for lack of a better word!)
Calcifying organisms (ie: growing corals) deplete calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. These are major elements of saltwater and you MUST maintain their proper levels if you are to be successful with living corals.

<----For my reef aquarium I concern myself with levels of calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, phophates, nitrates.

"Vitamins" and such are a waste of money and you can spend hundreds of dollars on useless "snake oils".
A good rule is : if you don't test for it don't dose it.


__________________
over 24 years experience with multiple types of marine aquarium systems
*see Upstate Reef Society Forum on RC and FB* GOOGLE JUNIOR'S REEF

Current Tank Info: 84x24x30 265g reef past TOTM honors
Gary Majchrzak is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/29/2013, 07:38 PM   #4
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC Member
 
Gary Majchrzak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 41,560
Quote:
Originally Posted by squishifishi View Post
what is most important to the general health of corals? what would you reccomend I really use in my pico reef? thanks!
feed good quality foods and PROPERLY perform regular partial water changes. Monitor SG, Ca, alkalinty, Mg and temp.


__________________
over 24 years experience with multiple types of marine aquarium systems
*see Upstate Reef Society Forum on RC and FB* GOOGLE JUNIOR'S REEF

Current Tank Info: 84x24x30 265g reef past TOTM honors
Gary Majchrzak is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/29/2013, 07:45 PM   #5
squishifishi
Hopelesly Addicted Member
 
squishifishi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 972
I'm not actually quite sure what that means! but ya know when you look at liveaquaria corals, in the quick stats it says SUPPLEMENTS:
yeah...those things I guess, or some sort of all-in-one to promote coral health and growth.
I just feed my corals mysis shrimp...do they want something more?
thanks!


__________________
><(((((°>squishifishi!
if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;)
I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for
"pictures at last"
in the nano forums:)

Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp
squishifishi is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/29/2013, 08:02 PM   #6
Sk8r
RC Mod
 
Sk8r's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Spokane WA
Posts: 34,628
Blog Entries: 55
There are 3. If you keep softie coral, it will be easy to keep them in balance with water changes and weekly tests for calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. If you are keeping stony, you need dkh buffer (alkalinity), with test, calcium, with test, and magnesium, with test; and there are shortcuts to supplement same via your regular topoff, because stony coral eats calcium at a very fast rate.

Most corals eat light. Softies and some stonies eat food that fish might eat. More stonies eat fine particulate. SPS stonies mostly eat light. Their 'skin' contains bacteria (zooxanthellae) that convert light to sugars.


__________________
Sk8r

Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
Sk8r is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/29/2013, 09:16 PM   #7
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC Member
 
Gary Majchrzak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 41,560
Quote:
Originally Posted by squishifishi View Post
, or some sort of all-in-one to promote coral health and growth
there is no "all in one supplement". A water change would be the closest thing to an "all in one supplement".


__________________
over 24 years experience with multiple types of marine aquarium systems
*see Upstate Reef Society Forum on RC and FB* GOOGLE JUNIOR'S REEF

Current Tank Info: 84x24x30 265g reef past TOTM honors
Gary Majchrzak is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/30/2013, 08:18 AM   #8
klwheat
Registered Member
 
klwheat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 676
I guess the closest thing I've used to an all-in-one supplement is Kalk. Helps maintain alk and calcium. If I could only add one thing, it would be kalk in my ATO


__________________
180 Gallon Mixed reef

President/Co-founder
Running4Trisomy
A Butterfly's Touch
klwheat is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/30/2013, 08:47 AM   #9
Sk8r
RC Mod
 
Sk8r's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Spokane WA
Posts: 34,628
Blog Entries: 55
Absolutely. I get great lps growth, but all I do is test periodically, supplement magnesium when it needs it, add fresh water every week or so and add more kalk every few months (32 g reservoir)---food is just crushed dried krill with some treats for fish.


__________________
Sk8r

Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
Sk8r is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/01/2013, 05:17 AM   #10
billsreef
Moderator
10 & Over Club
 
billsreef's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Long Island, NY/North Miami
Posts: 36,538
Listen to Gary and Sk8tr. Also remember, when reading about "supplements" on a site selling said "supplements", they are trying to sell you those "supplements"


__________________
Bill

"LOL, well I have no brain apparently. " - dc (Debi)

Current Tank Info: Far too many tanks according to my wife, LOL.
billsreef is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/01/2013, 05:20 AM   #11
jdhuyvetter
SWFMAS Event Coordinator
 
jdhuyvetter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Lehigh Acres, Florida
Posts: 2,179
How often do you do water changes? If you do enough, theoretically, you would never need supplements.


__________________
Be kind to animals.....kiss a shark!

"Great things happen when you start to add more light. The heavens open, angels sing and there is Peace on Earth" RockDoc

Current Tank Info: 300 gallon stony reef, 300 gallon softie tank, 120 gallon FW/Orchid tank
jdhuyvetter is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/01/2013, 12:43 PM   #12
mikecc67548
Registered Member.
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 472
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Majchrzak View Post
A good rule is : if you don't test for it don't dose it.
3rd post in thread. No need to read further (but I yam)


mikecc67548 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/06/2013, 05:58 PM   #13
GreshamH
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 9,474
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sk8r View Post
Their 'skin' contains bacteria (zooxanthellae) that convert light to sugars.
Zooxanthellae is not bacteria but rather a dinoflagellate (phytoplankton).


__________________
Gresham
_______________________________
Feeding your reef...one polyp at a time
GreshamH is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/07/2013, 04:48 PM   #14
Dmorty217
Saltwater Addict
 
Dmorty217's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vandalia OHIO
Posts: 11,624
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Majchrzak View Post
There are major and minor constituents of seawater that get depleted by corals and need to be supplemented and then there are other things (for lack of a better word!)
Calcifying organisms (ie: growing corals) deplete calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. These are major elements of saltwater and you MUST maintain their proper levels if you are to be successful with living corals.

<----For my reef aquarium I concern myself with levels of calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, phophates, nitrates.

"Vitamins" and such are a waste of money and you can spend hundreds of dollars on useless "snake oils".
A good rule is : if you don't test for it don't dose it.
+1 these are the most important and everything else will be resupplied with regular water changes


__________________
Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs

Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs
Dmorty217 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/07/2013, 09:06 PM   #15
SpartaReef
Registered Member.
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Sparta, Wisconsin
Posts: 783
How do you test for magnesium?


SpartaReef is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/07/2013, 09:38 PM   #16
AYGurgies
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 54
With a test kit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpartaReef View Post
How do you test for magnesium?



AYGurgies is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2013, 08:35 AM   #17
SpartaReef
Registered Member.
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Sparta, Wisconsin
Posts: 783
Well duh, but which one? My LFS doesn't carry it


SpartaReef is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2013, 11:05 AM   #18
Kyle918
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 642
Ok, we should start at step 1. Do you test your water for the 3 big ones, calcium, alk, and magnesium?? IF you don't, how do you even know if you need to dose anything?? Which brings me to another important point...don't even dose what you aren't testing for...else, how do you know you aren't dosing too little (wasting your time) or dosing too much (wasting your money and possibly causing more harm).

Also, do you make your own salt water?? If you do, read the package. They list all the suppliments and trace elements that are present in the salt and at what concentrations at what salinity. Those should be all the suppliments your 2.5 gallon pico should ever need. I would start there before even asking what should I dose...you mostlikely do not.


__________________
Work in Progress:
75g Rimless DT | 20g sump | Aquamaxx ConeS-1 | Two Tunze Turbelle 6025

Tank established 02/16/14
Kyle918 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2013, 11:08 AM   #19
Kyle918
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 642
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpartaReef View Post
Well duh, but which one? My LFS doesn't carry it
Check drsfostersmith.com and bulkreefsupply.com

Everyone has their own preference but if you just search the forum, you can find all the information you could ever want to know about test kits..and it will probably cause you headaches reading everyones' opinion on each...it really comes down to what is accurate first of all and what is easier for you to conduct as a test...also different test kits have different color scales..some are easier to read than others...that really sways most people...how easy the test is to conduct and how easy the results are to read...and most of all, if it is even accurate. Hanna checkers tend to be the preferred method to test mag though.


__________________
Work in Progress:
75g Rimless DT | 20g sump | Aquamaxx ConeS-1 | Two Tunze Turbelle 6025

Tank established 02/16/14
Kyle918 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2013, 05:56 PM   #20
SpartaReef
Registered Member.
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Sparta, Wisconsin
Posts: 783
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle918 View Post
Check drsfostersmith.com and bulkreefsupply.com

Everyone has their own preference but if you just search the forum, you can find all the information you could ever want to know about test kits..and it will probably cause you headaches reading everyones' opinion on each...it really comes down to what is accurate first of all and what is easier for you to conduct as a test...also different test kits have different color scales..some are easier to read than others...that really sways most people...how easy the test is to conduct and how easy the results are to read...and most of all, if it is even accurate. Hanna checkers tend to be the preferred method to test mag though.
Thank you for that very well thought out answer. I will look into it. So far I've been using a swing arm hydrometer and api test kits for everything... Corals are growing like crazy and inverts seem happy.... Been struggling to add anything right now though so waiting till next month to try again.


SpartaReef is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2013, 08:40 PM   #21
Dmorty217
Saltwater Addict
 
Dmorty217's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vandalia OHIO
Posts: 11,624
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpartaReef View Post
Well duh, but which one? My LFS doesn't carry it
Salifert, seachem, and elos are three makers off the top of my head. Many of the .com fish supply sites out there will sell them, I'm sure most if not all can be found on eBay but not sure about the price comparison compared to the .com fish supply stores


__________________
Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs

Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs
Dmorty217 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/09/2013, 10:29 AM   #22
SpartaReef
Registered Member.
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Sparta, Wisconsin
Posts: 783
Thanks.


SpartaReef is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/14/2013, 02:01 PM   #23
heathlindner25
Moved On
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: flowery branch georgia
Posts: 3,644
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmorty217 View Post
Salifert, seachem, and elos are three makers off the top of my head. Many of the .com fish supply sites out there will sell them, I'm sure most if not all can be found on eBay but not sure about the price comparison compared to the .com fish supply stores
Red sea pro! is as close to lab grade your as you're going to get.


heathlindner25 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/14/2013, 07:11 PM   #24
gabe145
Registered Member
 
gabe145's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Key Largo, FL
Posts: 50
I have a 55 gallon tank and am planning on making it a lps soft like your nano, in the past I had a 55 and never really dosed but did a 10-20% water change every 2 weeks and my levels were always good.


gabe145 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/15/2013, 10:46 PM   #25
Swip
Registered Member
 
Swip's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Munich, Germany
Posts: 139
Quote:
Originally Posted by squishifishi View Post
I wasn't planning on dosing any supplements, but now, I am beginning to understand that this is an improtant part of reef keeping. My tiny reef is mostly softies, with lps corals too. So, hypothetically, if I could only dose ONE supplement...which should it be? what is most important to the general health of corals?
what would you reccomend I really use in my pico reef? thanks!
I would not dose anything in a pico with only 2.5 gallons of water in it. Water changes are more than enough.


Swip is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
calcium, coral, lps, softy, supplements

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:23 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.