Do any of you test or dose Strontium?

[clownfool]

In my reef tank, I only dose a few things to keep my tank running good. I currently dose,

ESV bionic part 1 and 2, ESV Magnesium, phyto, iron (very little for my caulupa).



I don't dose Strontium. I was wondering if I should or test for Strontium









What all do you all dose? and what else should I dose?

[MileHighFish]

what type of iron do you use?? i have never heard of this

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do not dose strontium as I do not believe it useful. I discuss it here:

The “How To� Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

and

Strontium and the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/chem.htm

from the first one:


http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php#18

Supplementing Strontium



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Strontium may or may not be useful in coral reef aquaria, and it may or may not become depleted. Like magnesium, strontium becomes incorporated into calcium carbonate in place of a portion of the calcium ions. That incorporation happens to approximately the same extent whether a coral skeleton is being formed, or an abiotic (nonbiological) precipitate on a pump’s impeller. It is just a fact of life that strontium looks a lot like calcium, so it gets into places where calcium would otherwise be. Some aquarists have concluded that strontium may help corals to deposit their skeletons despite the absence of any evidence of this in the scientific literature, and of any direct experimental evidence (for or against) by hobbyists.

Some hobbyists do report positive effects of dosing strontium. Scientific evidence indicates that some organisms need strontium, albeit not the organisms that most reefkeepers maintain. Certain gastropods, cephalopods and radiolaria, for example, require strontium. There is, however, no clear evidence of any benefit of supplemental strontium in coral reef aquaria.

A few years back, when I tested my aquarium’s water for strontium (using a sophisticated lab machine), I found that in my reef aquarium, with no recent strontium additions, strontium was already elevated (15 ppm) above natural levels (8 ppm). By testing the Instant Ocean salt mix that I was using, I found that it, too, was elevated (15 ppm). I saw no evidence of depletion, at least not when performing my routine of changing 1% of the tank's water daily. I would not like to see the strontium level get any higher, because strontium is known to be toxic to some marine organisms at levels not too far above that. Consequently, adding a supplement without knowing the aquarium's current strontium level is not advisable.

Overall, water changes with a salt mix containing a suitable level of strontium may be the best way to keep strontium at appropriate levels, assuming it has any benefit at all. That requires no testing or worrying about dosages. For those who want to dose strontium, or who have very high calcification rates, which may deplete strontium faster than it can be replaced by water changes, I recommend testing to ensure that it does not get too high. My recommendation is to maintain strontium levels in reef aquaria in the range of 5-15 ppm. That level roughly spans the level in natural seawater of 8 ppm. I do not recommend that aquarists supplement strontium unless they have measured strontium and found it to be depleted below 5 ppm.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

what type of iron do you use?? i have never heard of this

A small amount of iron can be useful for growing macroalgae.

I discuss it here:

The “How To� Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

from it:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php#13


Supplementing Iron



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Iron limits the growth of phytoplankton in parts of the ocean, and may limit some macroalgal growth in many reef aquaria. Because of its short supply and critical importance, it is also subject to aggressive sequestration by bacteria and other marine organisms. Consequently, aquarists might consider dosing iron if they grow macroalgae.

Iron is not easy to measure at levels normally encountered in marine aquaria. It also is not easy to determine which of its many forms are bioavailable in seawater, and which are not. Consequently, aquarists should not target a specific concentration, but rather should first decide whether they want to dose any at all, and then use an appropriate dosage going forward. The reason to dose iron is that macroalgae may benefit from it. If you are not growing macroalgae that are limited by iron, then you may not need to monitor or dose iron at all.

Deciding how much iron to add is fairly easy because, in my experience, it doesn't seem to matter too much. Presumably, once you add enough to eliminate it as a limiting nutrient for macroalgal growth, extra iron does not cause apparent harm (at least none that I've detected in my aquarium or have heard of from others). The choices of iron supplements include Kent’s product, which is combined with manganese (which I do not prefer, but which might be useful); Seachem’s Flourish Iron (which is intended for freshwater planted tanks, but works fine for a reef aquarium); and various DIY recipes if you have access to chemicals. I’ve used all of these successfully. Just follow the label's dosing directions if you use a commercial product.

Presently I make my own iron supplement from the Fergon brand of iron supplement tablets (ferrous gluconate) available from a drug store. Don’t use the Walgreens store brand equivalent, as it contains phosphate. I let a single pill dissolve in about 20 mL of RO/DI water overnight. Then I shake it up briefly, let the solids (mostly other ingredients in the pill) settle out, and dose the clear, but slightly colored, liquid. I dose a few mL per week (spread out over a few doses) for a system with a total volume of 300 gallons or so. For different sized systems, just scale that up or down accordingly. Again, exact dosing amounts are not critical.

I've noticed no negative effects that were attributable to the iron in an iron supplement, nor have I heard of any negative effects from others doing similar dosing. Still, I don't keep all organisms that are available to the hobby, and if a negative reaction does appear, I advise backing off the dose or stopping completely.

I also advise using only iron supplements that contain iron chelated to an organic molecule. The iron sold for freshwater applications is sometimes not chelated because free iron is more soluble in the lower pH of freshwater aquaria than it is in saltwater. I'd avoid those products for marine applications. They will likely still work, as many of the studies in the scientific literature use free iron in seawater, but probably not as well as chelated iron because they may precipitate before having fully fortified the system with iron.

It should be noted that iron may be a limiting factor for the growth of many organisms other than macroalgae. These might include microalgae, bacteria (even pathogenic bacteria) and diatoms. These possibilities were discussed in a previous article. If such problems arise, reducing or stopping the iron additions may be warranted.

These articles provide additional information relating to iron in reef aquaria:

First Iron Article: Macroalgae and Dosing Recommendations
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/chem.htm

Second Iron Article: Iron: A Look at Organisms Other than Macroalgae
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2002/chem.htm

[crvz]

Randy, would iron also promote the growth of nuisance algae as well?

Of more impending interest, though, a question for clownfool. Are you testing for each of these additives? I find it to be rather cavalier to put things in the tank that I don't have good data to support the additions.

[JustinReef]

Originally posted by crvz
Randy, would iron also promote the growth of nuisance algae as well?

Of more impending interest, though, a question for clownfool. Are you testing for each of these additives? I find it to be rather cavalier to put things in the tank that I don't have good data to support the additions.

When I had my planted tank going, I noticed that when dosing iron, my caulerpa species flourished while all other died off. Not because of the iron but because the caulerpa just out competed them all. In my experience, caulerpa seems to use up iron quicker than other algaes and made it outgorw everything even faster than normal. May have just been my tank though. I stopped dosing iron and the other macros came back while the caulerpa species slowed down again.

If your dosing iron, you should get a good low range test kit. I think mine is the salifert one but I would have to check. It was still hard to get a good reading though. Partly Im sure because I had about 4 different species of caulerpa that were using up the iron very fast.

[JustinReef]

Oh and in any tank I have ever kept caulerpa in, I have had minimal to no nuisance algae.

This was the extent of the HA in that planted tank. You can see a few little patches.

[clownfool]

Originally posted by clownfool
In my reef tank, I only dose a few things to keep my tank running good. I currently dose,

ESV bionic part 1 and 2, ESV Magnesium, phyto, iron (very little for my caulupa).

I do test the Magnesium, ALK, and Calcium. I don't test for Iron (made by Kent) because I only dose about 8 drops once a week, in my 24g aquapod.

[JustinReef]

Originally posted by clownfool
I do test the Magnesium, ALK, and Calcium. I don't test for Iron (made by Kent) because I only dose about 8 drops once a week, in my 24g aquapod.

You may want to test for that still. Thats about what I was dosing in a 180G of water volume and could get a reading on my test kit. Sounds like a lot for a 24G. Unless you have an insane amount of caulerpa

[Canadian]

Anecdotally:

Since removing GFO from my BB SPS tank (corals were going pale from what appeard to be an ULNS situation despite not dosing a carbon source) I have observed what was one of my greenest acros shift to a brown hue while the rest of my SPS remain pale hues of their typical colors - i.e. not brown. To me this suggests the browning of the green acro is not due to an increase in phosphates due to removal of GFO (and in fact this has been confirmed by testing showing no detectable PO4 with an Elos kit - yes I know I should use a Hanna test but given their poor reliability I just don't see the point).

So my question is: Does GFO contribute any useable Fe to a reef aquarium and could this reasonably explain some of the anecdotal reports that Fe supplementation affects green pigmentation?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy, would iron also promote the growth of nuisance algae as well?


When I first set up my refugium a decade ago, the various macroalgae in it began to be overrun with microalgae. it was suggested to me that iron would spur the macroalgae at the expense of the microalgae, and it worked. No more hair algae in my refugia.

That said, if you have hair algae problems and the hair algae is being limited by iron, then adding it might be detrimental. But such reports are fairly uncommon. I wouldn't' dose it if you do not grow macroalgae.

I would not dose iron to reach a value. The value you want and will get in a reef tank is likely lower than any kit can accurately measure.