Micro Nutrients in the Reef Aquarium

TRACE COLORS FAMILY

Today we are talking about Micronutrients also known as trace elements, and they are the building blocks for corals in your reef tank. These include Potassium, Iodine, Kalium, Iron, Strontium, and Fluorine just to name a few. While there are many other these are the most important and necessary. These elements are the most important when it comes to coral coloration. Each of these elements brings out a certain color in the corals. 

Kalium brings out pinks, Iron intensifies the greens, Iodine is very good for zoa growth as well as blue colors, Potassium brings out yellow colors, Fluorine helps to improve blue and white colors, and Strontium is slightly different in that it helps improve skeletal growth rather than intensifying a particular color. 

There are several test kits that allow you to test for these nutrients, however, unless there are issues in your tank they are typically not necessary to test for. If you are performing semi-frequent water changes then you most likely will have enough nutrients for your coral, if you are not doing frequent water changes but dosing with a sufficient dosing supplement such as red sea, aqua forest, or triton then you will most likely have enough of these micronutrients from the dosing supplements. 

However, if you have a very large and demanding tank, or just want extra color out of your corals you can dose these supplements together through the use of a trace element supplement that most reef product companies sell. Many companies will also sell these elements individually in order to increase the concentration of a single element.

I hope you have learned something, and have enjoyed this article and will check out the next one. Trust me you won’t want to miss it!

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