Strontium and the reef tank

[PSXerholic]

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.

You can get for almost the same money, the Brightwell Strontion-P but 600g instead of 100g ;-)

If you need a dosing Tool for your tank there are options to use my Calculation&ICP assessment tool, or the Calculator tool on the link below. You basically use 100Gram of Strontion-P in 1 Liter RODI and dose per directions to get Strontium up. With the Calculator, you can set your own target value if you like.

Here the link to the tool for free download, can be of great help:

Reef Moonshiner's ICP Assessment and Dosing Tool

Reef Moonshiner's ICP Assessment and Dosing calculation tool

andremueller.e-junkie.com

 

[mitch91175]

You can get for almost the same money, the Brightwell Strontion-P but 600g instead of 100g ;-)

If you need a dosing Tool for your tank there are options to use my Calculation&ICP assessment tool, or the Calculator tool on the link below. You basically use 100Gram of Strontion-P in 1 Liter RODI and dose per directions to get Strontium up. With the Calculator, you can set your own target value if you like.

Here the link to the tool for free download, can be of great help:

Reef Moonshiner's ICP Assessment and Dosing Tool

Reef Moonshiner's ICP Assessment and Dosing calculation tool

andremueller.e-junkie.com

This is greatly appreciated. Cause buy a small bottle I'd go through that really fast on a 240G system.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

This is greatly appreciated. Cause buy a small bottle I'd go through that really fast on a 240G system.

Would you? To raise your tank from 0 to NSW levels of strontium only takes 8 grams of strontium. Ongoing depletion of strontium is quite slow, about 1/50th of the calcium depletion rate.

 

[PSXerholic]

This is greatly appreciated. Cause buy a small bottle I'd go through that really fast on a 240G system.

No problem.
Yes, if you use the common liquid Strontium products I see they are diluted so far, that it makes commercial sense to make your own stock solutions with not much efforts.
Compared to other elements Strontium doesn’t need that much liquid for corrections.

 

[PSXerholic]

No problem.
Yes, if you use the common liquid Strontium products I see they are diluted so far, that it makes commercial sense to make your own stock solutions with not much efforts.
Compared to other elements Strontium doesn’t need that much liquid for corrections.

My monthly Strontium consumptions are usually around 3,5mg/L ...........
I get it monthly back to the target of 10-11 mg/L.

 

[mitch91175]

OMG, since starting the Red Sea program a few days ago (not using NoPox, FYI) and adding some Strontium my PO4 is now at 0mg/L down from 0.09mg/L from a test prior. All I have dosed is Red Sea ABCD and a couple days of Red Sea A&B.

Now I need to mix some Trisodium Phosphate so I can increase my PO4. Noticed my dKH consumption has stopped with no PO4 in the system too. I have an Alkatronic that I use to monitor dKH and my dKH usually increases when I am either too low on PO4 or too high on PO4.

Also I test my PO4 using a Milwaukee MI412. For water measurement, I am using a lab grade Pipettor set for 10ml. Testing Strontium using a Salifert Strontium test kit.

 

[mitch91175]

Going to use this formula for increasing the PO4:

Thanks @Potatohead for posting this here.

So in my situation not going to attempt to be scientific about this, but I have NEVER had PO4 drop that fast without intentionally dosing to drop it EVER. It could be now that I am adding in the trace elements that the coral like it and/or a combination of adding in the 25ml of Strontium as well. More than likely a combination of those items, but I am liking what I am seeing. Now just need to get everything closer to NSW and see how it goes from there.

 

[mitch91175]

@Potatohead do you also have a similar formula for Potassium Nitrate?

 

[mitch91175]

For those interested in my question about using Potassium Nitrate, here is a reef calculator that can be utilized when you mix your own.

James' Planted Tank - Dosing Calculator

 

[Potatohead]

@Potatohead do you also have a similar formula for Potassium Nitrate?

No sorry I have never needed to dose nitrate

 

[PSXerholic]

See this free for download Reef Dosing Calculator with mixing recipes for Sodium Nitrate and Potassium Nitrate.
Please use Sodium Nitrate if your Potassium level is 410 or higher. It will slowly creep up otherwise if Potassium Nitrate is used over weeks.

Reef Moonshiner's Dosing Calculator Rev.7

Reef Moonshiner's Elements Dosing Calculator

andremueller.e-junkie.com

 

[PSXerholic]

See this free for download Reef Dosing Calculator with mixing recipes for Sodium Nitrate and Potassium Nitrate.
Please use Sodium Nitrate if your Potassium level is 410 or higher. It will slowly creep up otherwise if Potassium Nitrate is used over weeks.

Reef Moonshiner's Dosing Calculator Rev.7

Reef Moonshiner's Elements Dosing Calculator

andremueller.e-junkie.com

Start with 0.25mg/L per day which is equivalent to 0.25ppm btw.
I recommend to weigh liquids with a kitchen scale. 1ml is 1 gram. Useful when dosing 20ml or more ;-)

 

[mitch91175]

Start with 0.25mg/L per day which is equivalent to 0.25ppm btw.
I recommend to weigh liquids with a kitchen scale. 1ml is 1 gram. Useful when dosing 20ml or more ;-)

Yes I weigh everything with kitchen scale when I mix my own chemicals. BTW, I retest PO4 and it is exactly 0.02mg/L. So now I know exactly that as long as I mix appropriately, it will increase by the exact amount.

Test NO3 tomake sure I have some in the system and if not will dose accordingly. I am at the point in my reefing where I want to control everything rather than feeding more to assume what it'll accomplish as far as maintaining level of PO4, etc.

No more water changes.

UPDATE: Just tested NO3 and it is at 2.5ppm. Couldn't tell the color looking through the top so had to look through the side. It was 25ppm through the side so 2.5ppm currently. Will test again tomorrow. But this is what I am seeing as I do things with consumption:

 

[PSXerholic]

Yes I weigh everything with kitchen scale when I mix my own chemicals. BTW, I retest PO4 and it is exactly 0.02mg/L. So now I know exactly that as long as I mix appropriately, it will increase by the exact amount.

Test NO3 tomake sure I have some in the system and if not will dose accordingly. I am at the point in my reefing where I want to control everything rather than feeding more to assume what it'll accomplish as far as maintaining level of PO4, etc.

No more water changes.

UPDATE: Just tested NO3 and it is at 2.5ppm. Couldn't tell the color looking through the top so had to look through the side. It was 25ppm through the side so 2.5ppm currently. Will test again tomorrow. But this is what I am seeing as I do things with consumption:

I would verify the test reagents since in this short timeframe such a Po4 jump isn't good for corals and usually leads to bleaching or pale corals due the impact into the carbon household of the coral host.

Anyways, I had this scenario before where the reagents were testing all over the place from one and the same tank sample with a Hanna device. So test your method repeatedly to see if the results are similar from a single sample of water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes I weigh everything with kitchen scale when I mix my own chemicals. BTW, I retest PO4 and it is exactly 0.02mg/L. So now I know exactly that as long as I mix appropriately, it will increase by the exact amount.

Test NO3 tomake sure I have some in the system and if not will dose accordingly. I am at the point in my reefing where I want to control everything rather than feeding more to assume what it'll accomplish as far as maintaining level of PO4, etc.

No more water changes.

UPDATE: Just tested NO3 and it is at 2.5ppm. Couldn't tell the color looking through the top so had to look through the side. It was 25ppm through the side so 2.5ppm currently. Will test again tomorrow. But this is what I am seeing as I do things with consumption:

Just don’t overly rely on calculations on the amount of phosphate needed to give a certain boost. Usually it falls well short because much of what you add can end up bound to calcium carbonate surfaces such as rock and sand.

 

[mitch91175]

I would verify the test reagents since in this short timeframe such a Po4 jump isn't good for corals and usually leads to bleaching or pale corals due the impact into the carbon household of the coral host.

Anyways, I had this scenario before where the reagents were testing all over the place from one and the same tank sample with a Hanna device. So test your method repeatedly to see if the results are similar from a single sample of water.

I will keep an eye on everything. My PO4 literally dropped from 0.09mg/L to testing 0mg/L pretty fast. So it wasn't long before I does to test some within the water column.

I definitely do not want to dose to a point where my rocks begin to soak in PO4 then start leeching it back into the water column.

 

[mitch91175]

I would verify the test reagents since in this short timeframe such a Po4 jump isn't good for corals and usually leads to bleaching or pale corals due the impact into the carbon household of the coral host.

Anyways, I had this scenario before where the reagents were testing all over the place from one and the same tank sample with a Hanna device. So test your method repeatedly to see if the results are similar from a single sample of water.

@PSXerholic I am using this tester for testing my PO4: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/mi412-low-range-phosphate-photometer-milwaukee.html

This thing honestly has been rock solid for me personally when testing my PO4. I love the individually packed testing reagents that it comes with. I've been using it for quite some time and every time I've had issues with PO4 either being high/low, it's helped identify for me.

At one point I put in some new rock and my PO4 was really high. This little tester quickly identified the problem. I started doing weekly LC drips to bring the PO4 down within acceptable ranges. Thus far as far as I realize, I've not have issues with the testing results from it. I consider this tester a little higher grade than the regular Salifert/Hanna testers.

I could totally be mistaken about it's accuracy, but in the past I have compared and it's always been rock solid.

 

[PSXerholic]

@PSXerholic I am using this tester for testing my PO4: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/mi412-low-range-phosphate-photometer-milwaukee.html

This thing honestly has been rock solid for me personally when testing my PO4. I love the individually packed testing reagents that it comes with. I've been using it for quite some time and every time I've had issues with PO4 either being high/low, it's helped identify for me.

At one point I put in some new rock and my PO4 was really high. This little tester quickly identified the problem. I started doing weekly LC drips to bring the PO4 down within acceptable ranges. Thus far as far as I realize, I've not have issues with the testing results from it. I consider this tester a little higher grade than the regular Salifert/Hanna testers.

I could totally be mistaken about it's accuracy, but in the past I have compared and it's always been rock solid.

That’s fine. My concern is not the meter itself.
I’m using multiple brands of Photometers but very rarely there is a quality issue with the reagent bags where the bags next to each other show significant differences. Bear in mind the reagents are blended and there is potential for machines and packing error in large mass manufacturing facilities.

better safe than sorry ;-)

 

[mitch91175]

Well all I have to say is that I'll keep replenishing Strontium in my system when necessary. And I'll keep using the Red Sea program as well. One of the 2 has increased the growth in my SPS. I do not have a before and after picture, but I do see the additional growth. Wish I had documented it with pictures before starting the changes, but I wasn't trying to be scientific with all of this, just something to keep me engaged in the tank more.

Majority of the SPS have new growth that is to me definitely visible. Shout out to @PSXerholic and @Randy Holmes-Farley for the assistance in getting going.

 

[Littleii5278]

I kept Sr at 15 ppm once and the result was also amazing. Sps really color up nicely