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Special Additives :

A number of specialty additives are available. These include : Iodine, KSM, and Liquid Gold, all from my own company, and a number of nutrient formulas from Coralife, e.g. Appetite stimulant, Micro nu- trients and Calcium supplement. I know of no other two companies offer- ing such a wide assortment of specialized supplements, other than trace elements and bio-elements.

Are they necessary? Well, if they were not, I would not have dev- eloped them, and I would not have spent money on the research necessary to do so. Additionally selling merchandise that is not "necessary" does not reflect well on a company"s image, and products that are of no value to the Hobbyist would not be around for long, as no one would buy them for any length of time. Hopefully that answers your questions.

The same reasoning applies to products from companies such as, for example, Coralife. Why would they stake their reputation and money to bring you products that are of no value ? Obviously they would not. It would be totally uneconomical to do so !

So yes, such additives are important, but not for every one. It all depends what kind of corals and invertebrates you keep, and whether or not you have a full-fledged reef tank. If you do, I strongly suggest that you consider using them. Again, the cost of adding a few drops of a supplement from time to time, may save you lots of dollars in the long run, not to speak of having a healthier and better looking tank, and keeping the lifeforms you have now in your aquarium alive for much longer, and growing.

A Reef tank is an aquarium where the orientation is towards corals, anemones, polyps of many kinds, mushrooms, and such type of lifeforms, supplemented, of course, with fish. The main thrust is invertebrates. A tank with many fish and 2 or 3 anemones will obviously not have the same requirements.

Iodine is a compound that is required by many higher algae, and by many invertebrates. Foam fractionation removes Iodine quickly from the water, and it needs to be replaced as a result. P. Wilkens, G. Hueckstedt, and others pointed this out years ago. Moe (1989) recently reintroduced the concept in his new book . Use Iodine supplements with care. Iodine is a strongly redox potential increasing compound. Follow the directions carefully. But use it, it is a very beneficial additive.

KSM is an additive I developed for my own use in keeping hard corals, especially Elegance. Often these corals literally come out of their hard skeleton. Hueckstedt, many years ago, hinted at a lack of certain trace elements,and P. Wilkens tested until he had evidence that the missing elements were strontium and molybdenum. KSM provides both in an easy to use mixture.

Use it if you keep _Catalaphylia plicata_ (jardinei), better known as Elegance Corals, _Gonoporia_ species corals, also known under names such as Sunflower, Moon, Flower Pot corals (and others still), _Euphyllia_ corals or plate corals, and other types of hard skeleton corals. If you only keep anemones, tube worms, mushroom corals (_Actinodiscus_ sp.), and corals without a hard skeleton, you do not need KSM. If you fall in the other category, do yourself a favor, and invest in a few ounces every month or so. Don't buy large quantities, you only need ounces.

Micro-Nutrients are a definite requirement in every Reef. Since they are the ones present in the smallest quantities, they are also the first ones to be depleted. Will you see your Corals perk up when you use them ? Probably not, but you will find that in the long run your Reef will do much better if you do use them. I do. The product is hard to manufacture, and the only company at the time of this writing who had it available was Coralife, which of course also markets many other Reef specific products.

Liquid Gold :

this is a very special additive, and one that is very close to me. I developed it over the last 5 years, and finalised its formula about 1 year ago. I use it every day, and would not do without it. I call it by that catchy name because I really believe that it does special things for the animals in my Reef set-ups.

"Liquid Gold" contains not only nutrients, and can therefore be considered a food, but it also contains selective amounts of trace elem- ents, small amounts of 4 vitamins that I consider very important for corals and invertebrates, free amino acids, fatty acids, pigments, a selected number of organic compounds necessary to filter feeders and corals of amongst other the _Actinodiscus_ types, iodine, strontium, molybdenum, carbodydrate, saccharides, polysaccharides, organic forms of metals such as gold, iron and silver, and many many others yet. It is truly a super-mixture of "all" the elements and compounds, organic and inorganic , that available literature has demonstrated to be both necessary and beneficial for corals, invertebrates and other lifeforms kept in Reef Aquariums. I unequivocally, and without hesitation, highly recommend it to you too.

You do not need much of it, so don't be alarmed by its price. I could, of course, sell it in diluted form, make you use more of it, and charge less per container. You would then go through more containers. The end result, cost-wise, would still be the same. It is, therefore, sold in 2 oz dropper bottles that are easy to use, and in 4 oz refills.

Appetite Stimulant from Coralife is another additive that is "special", insomuch as they are the only ones making such a product. Use it according to their instructions and you will be impressed with the results you obtain. Feeding is triggered by certain stimuli, and that is exactly what this product does. It promotes feeding.

Ridalgex :

a water additive by Thiel-Aqua-Tech for those Hobby- ists who have difficulty with their water chemistry, and who, as a result, experience high amounts of micro-algae and slime algae growth in their tanks. Although better water chemistry would take care of the problem, when such is not practical or not possible, Ridalgex will rid the tank of undesirable slime, hair and other micro-algae. It increas- es the time between cleaning the glass (or acrylic) as well. Safe for reef tanks, and effective. Sold in 1 ounce dropper bottles. This is a product to be used when needed, e.g. when normal procedures do not rid the aquarium of red, slime, brownish and other type of algae.

Micro-Algae Control :

a product similar to the one just mention- ed above, to control the growth of all forms of micro-algae, including slime, hair, and others, on rocks, glass, and in the aquarium. This is one is by Coralife, a very reputable company that brings you many other Reef and Salt water tank products. Safe for reef tanks, and very effective. Sold in Coralife's usual large bottles with dropper top. This product, based on the instructions, is geared towards maintenance and prevention. KH Generator Fluid :

any tank containing hard corals needs to be run at a relatively high carbonate hardness. Thiel (1989) explains the reasons for this in detail in both his books on Reef Tanks : The Marine Fish and Invert Reef, and Advanced Reef Keeping Made Simple (I). Many other authors concur.

Suggested levels are between 12 and 18 dKH, or between 4.28 and 6.43 meq /liter. This is much higher than the carbonate hardness one gets from using aquarium salts, obviating the need for a supplement. Peter Wilkens (1973) suggest levels that are even higher : dKH 15 to 20. Wilkens (1973) and Thiel (1989) both suggest the addition of "kalkwasser" or limewater, over and above the use of carbonate and bicarbonate additives. More references on how to do this exactly, can be found in "Marine Reef" the newsletter.

Tablets, and powders, are available from several manufacturers, e.g. Instant Ocean (Aquarium Systems). Fluids are available from Thiel-Aqua-Tech and from Coralife as well. You can even make your own buffers if you take the time to do so, and can get the chemicals needed. Moe (1989) gives a suggested, and totally safe, formula based on the use of sodium ash and sodium bicarbonate, a two component mixture.

The reason I recommend liquids, and have been doing so for years, rather than tablets, is that the latter may make your skimmer foam excessively, resulting in floods. Liquids do not need to contain binders, and can therefore be added safely, without having to worry about your protein skimmer.

Be aware, too, that some manufacturers try to sell you straight baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) for a hefty price. Although that is obviously one of the necessary constituents of a good KH generator, it is only one of at least 4 compounds that should be present. Don't pay premium prices for a product that is not complete, even if it comes in a nice container, has an appealing color, and may come from abroad. You can buy pure baking soda for pennies at your local supermarket, and it will not even contain binders that make your skimmer foam excessively, as some of the products referred to above do.

As a general remark : Colored products are not necessarily "better", indeed, color is often a harmless dye that is added, and that dye does not enhance the efficiency of the product, it just makes it look better. Granted, the dyes used that we looked at, are safe.

A good KH generator should not only raise your carbonate hardness, but it should keep it there for quite some time. How long, is hard to state because it depends on the biological load of the tank. The higher that biological load, the more organic and other acidity will be present, and the faster the carbonate hardness will drop. Carbonate hardness is also a factor of how many algae, both micro and macro, are growing in the tank. Algae require carbon dioxide because of the carbon present in it.

If they cannot find free carbon dioxide, or if they cannot find enough free CO2, they remove the carbon from the the bi-carbonates and carbonates present in the water. At the extreme, biogenic decalcification takes place, and a white powdery dust covers the rocks and the glass. This, of course, reduces the carbonate hardness greatly. Even without biogenic decalcification, carbonate hardness is reduced and needs to be adjusted by the addition of an additive. Adding CO2 to the tank, does not do away with the need to adjust the KH, to the contrary, it may increase it (Thiel, 1988). This is described in detail in "The Marine Fish and Invert Reef Aquarium" and also in some issues of Marine Reef, Aardvark Press' newsletter, of which bound issues are available as well.

KMnO4 :

Hobbyists who do not use ozone, and some who do, but have a need for more oxidative power in the water, use a strongly diluted solution of Potassium permanganate, and add it drop-wise to the tank or filter sump (best).

The use of oxidizers on a more generalized basis, is a rather recent occurance, and needs careful watching. Several German sources I deal with find it very helpful, providing the user has the maturity necessary to deal with a chemical where the difference between the right dose, and too much, is not all that large.

KMnO4 is a strong oxidizer and not a chemical you want to play around with, unless you know exactly what you are doing. It can, as far as I have been able to determine, be added safely to an aquarium, for brief periods of time, and intermittently. If you are new to this type of a chemical compound, best is to use the liquid form.

What is important, is that you buy the product from a company that you can rely on to have tested the strength of the solution they sell. It should never in my opinion, exceed 550 millivolt of ORP (redox), and should be added to your tank only in the slow drip method fashion. If the product is too strong, after you test it with your own redox meter, further dilutions are necessary, and must be done by using distilled (U.S.P. purified) water only. In fact, water purer than USP purified would be even better. Unless you are really familiar with how this works, do not use KMnO4 until someone who does has carefully explained to you how to go about adding it.

Hydrogen Peroxide :

an absolute no for reef tanks. It can quickly raise the oxygen content of the water, but it can also do so much damage so quickly, that we ask you to not use it at all. Wilkens and Hueckstedt have both described methods of adding it safely. Experience shows, however, that hobbyists usually overdose, and that all corals and invertebrates greatly suffer, to the point where they will be lost.

If you must use hydrogen peroxide, you should do so only after you have consulted with someone who has done so before you, and has experience with strengths and dosages. I know of no product in the hobby using hydrogen peroxide safely as an additive.

Sodium perborate :

same remarks as for hydrogen peroxide. Please do not use this chemical either. It works fine in fish-only tanks, just as peroxide does, but in Reef aquariums too many disastrous situations have been reported by hobbyists who did not really heed the instructions. One can even find mixtures of the above two chemicals. Stay away from those too. The latter are usually sold as products that will quickly increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water.

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