Magnesium (Mg)
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Too high- You are likely overdosing on your magnesium supplement but if you have excess levels of trace elements that can upset coral calcification and therefore decrease the uptake of the base 3 elements (calcium, carbonate and magnesium) this can also cause the magnesium level to increase until calcification resumes. Check the trace element & metal concentrations to ensure your uptake hasn’t been hindered. If you use a calcium reactor and your calcium is too high you may also find that magnesium is higher too. Some brands of salt are high in magnesium as well as some refugium substrates.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Too low- You can use our Part C Magnesium to slowly raise the level to 3.1 – 3.4 times that of your calcium level.
None detected- This won’t happen… if it does please contact your ICP analysis provider or start the tank again haha.
Strontium (Sr) Power Trace A
Too high- Not a massive issue unless levels are above 30ppm. Possible outbreaks of undesirable algae and an overdose can indicate a reduced uptake of calcium and alkalinity. Strontium is a component of Coral Power Trace A, if you are dosing this then consider reducing the dosage until your uptake of calcium and alkalinity resumes as normal or until you reach the desired level.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Too low- Vital to normal coral skeleton calcification and may be the cause of dull green coloration of SPS.
None detected- We recommend adding Coral Power Trace A but be mindful of barium levels as Trace A contains this too. Do another ICP test in a month to ensure your dosage is correct
Bromine (Br) Power Bromine
Too high- Bromine can be found in Coral Power Bromide, your dosage may be too high if your are using this product. Effects of Bromine overdose are pale or bleached corals. High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible. Poly-filter will also remove bromine if levels are above the desirable range.
Too low- Your corals can lack lustre and shine, have brown polyps or your corals May encounter difficulty in expelling old zooxanthellae to make room for new ones. Normal chromoprotein and skeleton production by coral happens when bromide is kept in range so please don’t forget about this element.
None detected- Consider adding Coral Power Bromide to your dosing regime to ensure your corals are bright and colorful.
Iodine (I) Power Iodine | Coral Power ki3 | power trace c
Too high- Iodine is in Coral Power Trace C and the stand alone Coral Power Iodine as potassium iodide & Coral Power Reef KI3 as Potassium iodide. A high iodine reading may indicate an overdose of these products if you are using the Coral Essentials range. Effects of elevated iodine may include greening of corals, loss of “shimmer” in SPS and it can fuel undesirable algae. High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove iodine and it’s counterparts.
Poly-filter will also remove iodine above the desirable range.
Too low- If your fluoride levels are good then consider adding a small amount Coral Power Iodine, if fluoride is low then you may increase the dose of Coral Power Trace C to enhance blue and purple coloration. Your soft corals will also benefit from adding a little more iodine. Soft coral, anemone and invertebrate dominated aquariums will usually consume more of this element. Refugiums growing macro algae may also show lower iodine levels.
None detected- Consider adding iodine for a healthy reef system, if you haven’t used it before then start on a half dose and work up to a full dose using another ICP analysis to perfect your dosage.
Iron (Fe) Coral Power Trace B
Too high- Iron is in Coral Power Trace B and the stand alone Coral Power Iron. A high iron reading may indicate an overdose of these products. Other causes could be GFO tumbling too fast in a reactor, rusting magnets or pump parts, rusting metal clamps or fittings, contaminated water storage, Corroded stainless steel can cause elevated iron levels. High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove iron.
Poly-filter will remove iron above a desirable level.
Too low- Macro algae reactors and refugiums consume iron, if you run a refugium then dosing more iron by adding Coral Power Trace B or Coral Power Iron will keep the algae happy and the levels in check. But if you are using Trace B then be mindful of the other elements in the bottle and decide if they can be increased along with iron.
None detected- If no iron is detected and you are dosing iron then this isn’t really a bad thing, you can slightly increase the iron dose until your next ICP test result returns or stay at your current dose if your corals and macro algae are doing well. Look for green coloration in SPS corals to gauge the iron dosage at low ranges.
Chromium (Cr) Coral Power Trace B
Too high- Abnormally high chromium levels may be due to stainless steel fittings or parts corroding in the aquarium, be mindful of adding any metal parts to the aquarium. You may experience bleaching or pale corals with elevated chromium levels.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove chromium.
Poly-filter will remove chromium.
Too low- Consider dosing slightly more Coral Power Trace B but be aware of the other elements in the bottle and check your ICP test to see if adding more will be detrimental. However overdoses are more detrimental than a low reading even though corals use this element in a few processes.
None detected- Not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you are adding it in some way. Consider adding more Trace B but don’t stress on chasing the perfect score with this one.
Zinc (Zn) Coral Power Trace B
Too high- Check for corroded metal parts in the water, particularly galvanised steel. Bleached and pale corals are likely when zinc levels are elevated. Check your IBC and tap fittings for potential contamination sources.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove zinc.
Poly-filter will remove zinc.
Too low- If you need to adjust zinc levels you can look at adding more Coral Power Trace B but be mindful of the other elements in the bottle and where those levels sit on your ICP results.
None detected- Not a massive concern for a zero reading, as long as you are adding some then your aquarium will benefit. Don’t try to chase numbers too much with zinc.
Boron (B) Coral Power Boron
Too high- Reduce the dose of Coral Essentials Coral Power Boron if you are adding it. Boron is also added into some pH buffering products so you may need to check the ingredients if you are using that type of product. Levels around 8ppm aren’t much concern, some people run boron higher for better red coloration in some corals.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Too low- Consider using our Coral Power Boron supplement to slowly raise the level to 4-5ppm.
None detected- A zero value of boron is highly unlikely but should this happen then you’ll need to begin adding it using Coral Power Boron.
Manganese (Mn) Coral Power Trace B
Too high- A high manganese level can be due to some substrates or bio media such as scoria. Manganese is in Coral Power Trace B but it’s highly unlikely a high reading will be due to that even with an overdose as manganese is quickly taken up in the aquarium.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove manganese.
Poly-filter will remove manganese in levels above a desirable value.
Too low- For a low detection of manganese we recommend slightly increasing the dosage of Trace B, be mindful of the other elements in the bottle.
None detected- Macro algae refugiums will consume a decent amount of manganese so a zero detection could be due to macro algae growth.
Cobalt (Co) Coral Power Trace B
Too high- Potential overdose of Coral Power Trace B but very unlikely, other elements such as iron would be need to be very high also for cobalt to be in dangerous levels.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove cobalt.
Poly-filter will remove cobalt.
Too low- An unlikely scenario due to the minuscule amount needed. But you can use Coral Power Trace B to bring the level up, be mindful of the other elements in Trace B and how the increased dosage will effect your other ICP results.
None detected- This isn’t an element you need to chase the perfect level on. As long as it’s being added and depleted then your aquarium will benefit as corals use it to aid in vitamin uptake.
Coral Power Potassium| Coral Power ki3 | power trace c
Too high- You could experience burnt tips in SPS, sluggish growth and overall browning of corals in extreme levels. Elevated levels could indicate an overdose of Coral Power Potassium, Coral Power KI3 & Coral Power Trace C but the former is more likely. High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Too low- Tissue necrosis starting from the base of colonies, pale colours in coral especially blue, purple, red and pink are possible effects of low potassium.
None detected- A very unlikely scenario. Potassium is a very important element for many internal coral functions and of course the colour so we recommend making sure you maintain levels within range by adding Coral Power Potassium If you need to.
Fluoride (F) power trace c
Too high- Bleached, pale or completely stripped flesh in corals are potential outcomes of elevated fluoride levels. Consider that some city water supplies contain fluoride and using using untreated, unfiltered tap water in your system plus using a fluoride trace element supplement could result in elevated levels. Coral Power Trace C contains fluoride so this may also be reduced if you have elevated levels.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove excess fluoride.
Too low- You may experience dull looking blue and violet corals, consider adding a small amount of extra Trace C to brighten these up.
None detected- Fluoride is used in coral skeleton construction and zooxanthellae regulation so we recommend making sure your level stays on target for brighter and stronger corals.
Copper (Cu) Coral Power Trace B
Too high- Check for exposed cables/wires, corroded brass fittings, copper fittings, copper pipe feeding your house water supply, brass/copper fittings on your RO/DI machine, using old rock or substrate that was used in a copper dosed hospital tank. Our Coral Power Trace B also contains copper at very low yet beneficial concentration so a high copper value may be due to an overdose but it’s unlikely.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove copper.
Poly-filter will also remove copper in levels above a desirable value.
Too low- This isn’t really a concern and if you have a low copper reading then any small addition of the element will be beneficial for the colouration of all corals.
None detected- Consider dosing Coral Power Trace B if you have no copper entering the system at all, be mindful of the other elements in Trace B to ensure you maintain a balance. However don’t go out of your way to chase numbers on this element.
Nickel (Ni) Coral Power Trace B
Too high- Bleaching or pale corals is the most likely result of elevated nickel levels, if you are using our Coral Power Trace B then consider lowering the dose for your aquarium but be mindful of other causes of elevated nickel such as some aquarium substrates and corroded stainless steel will release nickel.
High readings could be remedied with some small water changes, be sure to buffer the new water change water to match major parameters like calcium, magnesium & alkalinity to avoid parameter swings and ensure that the new water isn’t contaminated if possible.
Activated carbon will remove nickel.
Poly-filter will also remove nickel.
Too low- Nickel allows corals to process foods and vitamins more efficiently. So as long as it’s there and present on the ICP test you shouldn’t be too concerned, you can add more Trace B but be mindful of the other elements in Trace B to make sure that by increasing the dose rate you won’t ruin the balance of other elements.
None detected- Again, Coral Power Trace B will elevate the nickel concentration to a safe level. If you are dosing Trace B already then consider adding a fraction more if the other levels of elements in Trace B allow it. Have another ICP test done after a month or so to ensure your new dose rate is on target.