Strontium and the reef tank

[pajin]

I've never dosed stroncium in my tank but according to my first Triton test my current levels are 20 ppm. It's the only element that came out high. Triton sugests the cause might be "contaminated" salt or any other additive - I use Red Sea Salt (blue bucket) as well as other Red Sea products for supplementing my tank (Foundation A for supplementing Ca also contains Sr). Is this level too high? Should I be concerned? I'm planning to switch to Triton metod when I use up all my current Red Sea additives. I was just curious if this requires an immediate action. Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've never dosed stroncium in my tank but according to my first Triton test my current levels are 20 ppm. It's the only element that came out high. Triton sugests the cause might be "contaminated" salt or any other additive - I use Red Sea Salt (blue bucket) as well as other Red Sea products for supplementing my tank (Foundation A for supplementing Ca also contains Sr). Is this level too high? Should I be concerned? I'm planning to switch to Triton metod when I use up all my current Red Sea additives. I was just curious if this requires an immediate action. Thanks

It is likely not a problem, but if you want to lower it, I'd switch away from additives that specify it as a component.

 

[Squamosa]

I was just curious if this requires an immediate action.

Take a deep breath and another, now caaaaalm

Most likely from the salt mix if you haven't specifically added a product with Sr as the main component. Let it deplete naturally and review again at your next test or in a few months.

I always say, what does your tank look like right now, are their problems that need drastic attention....no, then don't worry. I've had levels of Sr that high and saw no ill effects, however, I did see effects when levels were very low, typically brittle skeleton when levels at 0-4 ppm. I always keep my concentration at 10 ppm or slightly higher.

Cheers

 

[pajin]

Thank you Randy and Squamosa. I'm not freaking out My tank is looking good and if I had not sent the sample I wouldn't have known the current levels anyway... It's just I found posts about low strontium level but could not find anything about high levels. And I didn't want to ignore potential problem

 

[Ashish Patel]

Tony- I've seen your threads and the things you've been through in such a short time and to still have a fully stocked tank at record speeds speak to your water parameter skills! I knew my colors where not improving so i started dosing 3 drops of lugols 2 months ago and the growth on the frags had double on most of them and color has improved drastically on my SPS (LPS and softies are the same of course). What would be a good hobby grade test kit for SR that would at least give me some kind of reading that would inform if its too much. For example, Salfiert Nitrate is great since it simple and I know what range I am at! Or would it be better to just get an ICP test to get a baseline and then test again later date to make sure I am not over dosing?

 

[Squamosa]

Tony- I've seen your threads and the things you've been through in such a short time and to still have a fully stocked tank at record speeds speak to your water parameter skills! I knew my colors where not improving so i started dosing 3 drops of lugols 2 months ago and the growth on the frags had double on most of them and color has improved drastically on my SPS (LPS and softies are the same of course). What would be a good hobby grade test kit for SR that would at least give me some kind of reading that would inform if its too much. For example, Salfiert Nitrate is great since it simple and I know what range I am at! Or would it be better to just get an ICP test to get a baseline and then test again later date to make sure I am not over dosing?

By colors improving do you notice one color in particular?
My blues and purples are stronger in color with the addition of potassium iodide.

I use the Salifert Strontium test kit, but find it a bit difficult to read the color change at the end, but it will still give you a baseline value and is a good kit to have in your arsenal, especially if you are raising the value and need to test frequently, IMO.

I get an ICP test done every 6 months to see what is happening in more detail with the other elements, you could follow this routine or test more frequently i.e. every quarter, but that is up to you and your budget.

 

[Ashish Patel]

By colors improving do you notice one color in particular?
My blues and purples are stronger in color with the addition of potassium iodide.

I use the Salifert Strontium test kit, but find it a bit difficult to read the color change at the end, but it will still give you a baseline value and is a good kit to have in your arsenal, especially if you are raising the value and need to test frequently, IMO.

I get an ICP test done every 6 months to see what is happening in more detail with the other elements, you could follow this routine or test more frequently i.e. every quarter, but that is up to you and your budget.

With dosing iodine, I noticed an improvement in Purples, Blues, and Pinks. I did not see much color difference in Greens Montis, green acros, red gonipora, and red cap.. When I get my ICP test I'll get a better idea if I should be dosing 4+ drops but for now 1 drop per 40 gallons daily is ideal. My nitrates are phosphates are low, 0.2-0.5 and 0.02-0.05 respectively so dosing aminos acids daily or as needed. Considering using potassium nitrates (but had issues in the past so reluctant). Would you say dosing Iron would be more beneficial in a low nutrient system over dosing nitrates? With 2 part your only adding CA/ALK only I don't think its a good to let the other elements deplete especially as the tank matures I rather have all trace element where they need to be and I hate guessing.

The right thing to do would be to get an ICP before and 1 month after dosing to be on the safe side.. But wheres the fun in that? How stable are your SR and iron levels and how often are you dosing your tank? I have a good natural nutrient export system system which is doing its job but If I let up Phosphates rise faster than Nitrates - which is not what I want and reason why I am carefully looking into water nature does in a low nutrient enviroment..

Any suggestions on SR and IRON are greatly appreciated!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

With dosing iodine, I noticed an improvement in Purples, Blues, and Pinks. I did not see much color difference in Greens Montis, green acros, red gonipora, and red cap.. When I get my ICP test I'll get a better idea if I should be dosing 4+ drops but for now 1 drop per 40 gallons daily is ideal. My nitrates are phosphates are low, 0.2-0.5 and 0.02-0.05 respectively so dosing aminos acids daily or as needed. Considering using potassium nitrates (but had issues in the past so reluctant). Would you say dosing Iron would be more beneficial in a low nutrient system over dosing nitrates? With 2 part your only adding CA/ALK only I don't think its a good to let the other elements deplete especially as the tank matures I rather have all trace element where they need to be and I hate guessing.

The right thing to do would be to get an ICP before and 1 month after dosing to be on the safe side.. But wheres the fun in that? How stable are your SR and iron levels and how often are you dosing your tank? I have a good natural nutrient export system system which is doing its job but If I let up Phosphates rise faster than Nitrates - which is not what I want and reason why I am carefully looking into water nature does in a low nutrient enviroment..

Any suggestions on SR and IRON are greatly appreciated!

IMO, you should not have iron high enough to detect with a kit, and even when I was dosing iron, it would only have been high enough to detect by Triton/ICP shortly after dosing. A week later I detected none.

I don't really know which strontium kits these days are most reliable, and haven't focused on it since I consider it unimportant.

What exactly did you dose for iodine?

 

[Ashish Patel]

IMO, you should not have iron high enough to detect with a kit, and even when I was dosing iron, it would only have been high enough to detect by Triton/ICP shortly after dosing. A week later I detected none.

I don't really know which strontium kits these days are most reliable, and haven't focused on it since I consider it unimportant.

What exactly did you dose for iodine?

Brightwells Lugol solution 3 drops per day (exact water volume is 130 gallon). After dosing Iodine I've seen a valida base bleach when Phosphates dropped to 0 and within 1 week regain its bleached color. I will say this was surprising since in the past bleached based would just stay bleached. Regarding SR would overdosing cause problems the same way overdosing Iodine would? As anything I'll have to observe the tank health and not always the test result. If there is a noticeable improvement after dosing SR for 2 months I will continue to use, if not then I rather just stick to lugols.

 

[Squamosa]

My nitrates are phosphates are low, 0.2-0.5 and 0.02-0.05

Low yes but not at zero as I have had in the past and the corals were always on the brink between starvation and good health, I now keep my values similar to yours and don't see any issues some people experience when keeping a ULN system. I also keep my alk at 7-7.5 dKH

Considering using potassium nitrates

I have used sodium nitrate in the past to raise NO3 and it worked well, just take it slowly.

I rather have all trace element where they need to be and I hate guessing.

Don't have to guess, now there are many companies offering ICP testing

How stable are your SR and iron levels and how often are you dosing your tank?

Strontium, once reaching the level I set (=>10 ppm) depletes relatively slowly, but I also add a solution of strontium and barium every day that I make up, similar to a Balling solution.
I can't say I've ever been able to measure Fe in my tank, I add a mixture of chelated iron, but this is used to lower phosphates, the phosphate binding to the iron and then skimmed out. The iron is added as needed about once per fortnight, but I would say relative to the average aquarist that I add high amounts of iron.
Here is a paper on the relatively high Fe requirement for Symbiodinium growth and potential functional complementarity of Cu, Zn, and Mn, all of which are dosed into my system in minute quantities.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744903/

 

[Ashish Patel]

I just ordered an ICP test so won't dose anything unless needed. I just read your link and found the study very helpful, though I must admit I have to go back and read it carefully. I remember years ago david saxby said "you need to learn how to keep water" and then success will come! Back then I was thinking seriously thats all you got! I guess its true need to learn to keep water and observe the tank. Thanks for the tips and will let you know how it turns out

 

[Squamosa]

"you need to learn how to keep water"

Yes, I see this saying more and more now.

Keep me informed, it's always good to read about the experience of others

 

[nanomania]

Howmuch strontium chloride per liter should be dosed? How is strontium adv by seachem different then strontium chloride? Im into chem business, so i dont have any issue getting any chemicals. I am planning to make a stock solution. Im adding a few sps, and the seachem products are falling a bit expensive in longer run. Im making randys new 2part recepie, but i want to dose sr too. I have seen crazy coralline growth like never before, using reef adv cal and reef builder, as they have strontium too. Seachem ingredients are confusing.

 

[2una]

Howmuch strontium chloride per liter should be dosed? How is strontium adv by seachem different then strontium chloride? Im into chem business, so i dont have any issue getting any chemicals. I am planning to make a stock solution. Im adding a few sps, and the seachem products are falling a bit expensive in longer run. Im making randys new 2part recepie, but i want to dose sr too. I have seen crazy coralline growth like never before, using reef adv cal and reef builder, as they have strontium too. Seachem ingredients are confusing.

It says on the bottle its strontium chloride
I had to dose double their calculation to get my strontium buffered up & then to hold for some reason.
For my double dose mix i mix 128g to 1 L & dose 40ml of that a day spread over a 24 hour period.
I'm just using icp tests to monitor its in the ballpark. 600L net tank - 99% sps

I have noticed my Ca slowly creeping up since doing this strontium dosing & wonder why (been dosing 4 month's)
Anybody else noticing that?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I have noticed my Ca slowly creeping up since doing this strontium dosing & wonder why (been dosing 4 month's)
Anybody else noticing that?

That is most likely caused by strontium being used in the corals skeleton in place of calcium. So your calcium is rising because of the small portion of strontium that is taking its place.

I have seen multiple reports from reefers about an uptick in growth if strontium is buffered up to 10 ppm and maintained at that level. I can't think of a reason why that would be. Unless strontium is easier for the corals to deposit than calcium?

 

[2una]

That is most likely caused by strontium being used in the corals skeleton in place of calcium. So your calcium is rising because of the small portion of strontium that is taking its place.

I have seen multiple reports from reefers about an uptick in growth if strontium is buffered up to 10 ppm and maintained at that level. I can't think of a reason why that would be. Unless strontium is easier for the corals to deposit than calcium?

That's what i was also wondering as to a) what was happening and b) i wonder why they would do that.
i have'nt done a lot of water changes for it to have changed because of that
Salt bucket is the same
I use kalk but have been prior & never saw it happening
Alk + Ca fed from carx so not any doser issue
I have lately upped my mag so that will now throw following it anymore out the window.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How is strontium adv by seachem different then strontium chloride?

Functionally, it won't be any different. In actuality, if you believe Seachem ("ionically balanced strontium supplement"), their product likely has a small amount of strontium sulfate in mostly strontium chloride. Such a difference is not important and I wouldn't bother with the sulfate. But if you choose to do it, you might add 10 parts strontium chloride and 1 part strontium sulfate. Exact ratio is definitely not critical. This is a very small source of chloride and sulfate to a tank overall.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you want to add strontium to a DIY two part, here's a rough recipe.

Corals have about 1000 calcium ions for each 9 strontium ions when grown in NSW. Too add about that much to a two part, put in about 1.3 % as much strontium chloride as calcium chloride.

No method can perfectly balance Sr since the demand is about linear with concentration. So your tank will use twice as much Sr (per unit of alk or calcium consumed) at 10 ppm Sr++ as at 5 ppm Sr++.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It says on the bottle its strontium chloride
I had to dose double their calculation to get my strontium buffered up & then to hold for some reason.
For my double dose mix i mix 128g to 1 L & dose 40ml of that a day spread over a 24 hour period.
I'm just using icp tests to monitor its in the ballpark. 600L net tank - 99% sps

I have noticed my Ca slowly creeping up since doing this strontium dosing & wonder why (been dosing 4 month's)
Anybody else noticing that?

Dosing of limewater will slowly raise calcium because of both magnesium and strontium incorporation into the calcium carbonate in place of calcium. I used a low calcium mix (normal IO) to offset that effect, and still my calcium ran about 450 ppm.

 

[mitch91175]

Reading this thread and have a lot of good info. With limited things to do with the current situation, I am looking to begin increasing my Strontium levels. I did a test and it came back with 0ppm of Strontium. I purchased an off-the-shelf solution, but would definitely be more interested in making my own solution from lab-grade Strontium Chloride. I found this below and am wondering first is it proper for what I'd like to mix and second what would the brainiacs here suggest is the proper ratio to mix.

My plan is to increase my level to 10ppm and have my own mix going forward. Wondering if the cost will be less than that of the ready made products.