Trace elements

They are contained in sufficient quantities in the salt mixtures and do not necessarily need to be added when stocked with soft corals, leather corals, encrusting anemones, disc anemones, horn corals, etc.

Adding trace elements is also hardly necessary for a small population of small stony coral offshoots. In this case, water changes are the answer. Only with relatively large stocks and a sufficient number does careful addition make sense to replenish the depleted elements—or with only a few, small water changes. When using trace elements, the motto should be: more is better than less.

Spuris cannot be used to forcefully inject color into corals. Perhaps the tubes and bulbs are worn out, the LED doesn't produce the necessary spectra, or the lighting time is too short. Everyone has to find the right amount of additive for their tank. The information on the products is only a guideline for tanks with perhaps moderately large corals.

Those with only a small coral population to start with will need less and less; a tank overgrown with large stems may need twice as much. The current widespread belief in the zero-nitrate/phosphate philosophy in hard coral reef tanks often results in the death of corals due to starvation and is a balancing act between success and failure. If the deficiency is too high, the hard coral will consume itself, become lighter, lose color and tissue, and become almost impossible to save.

In such a zero-nutrient system, you can try moving the affected stocks to darker areas of the tank. In such zero-nutrient systems, you can then use powdered food and liquid indigrenzia to prevent deficiencies in the corals. This doesn't mean that we'll now accumulate amounts of 50-60 mg of nitrate, but levels of 10 mg NO3 and 0.1 mg PO4 shouldn't be a concern at all.

Even these low levels don't trigger an algae infestation. In our system, we run approximately 2-3 mg NO3 and 0.02 mg PO4. However, at these low levels, a sufficient daily nutrient supply is essential. Many aquariums we've seen over the years have been those with very dense fish populations, low nitrate and phosphate levels, and regular, large water changes—which can amount to up to 30% per month—that have been the most colorful. A little food in the fridge is always soothing for our nerves!

A tip: As with the type of salt, this applies here too: regularly alternate between different products! (We say this even though we produce and sell our own trace element combination!!!) Author: Joe Woschnik