Liquid Supplements for Aquariums: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury and ability to maintain ideal water parameter levels as is the case in the ocean, or being able to pump it from the ocean to your aquarium. Because of this we are surmised to adding synthetic salt mixes to freshwater, while dosing liquid additives and supplements to replenish many of the valuable salts, buffers and vitamins lost through respiration, chemical and biological filtration or gas exchange. Mixing and dosing supplements may not be all that it is cut out to be and the benefits may be outweighed by the costs and drawbacks.

There is some good that can be achieved through the addition of supplements, vitamins and trace elements. Not all salts are the same as for the amount of calcium or trace elements. Some may even contain phosphate and elevated levels of boron etc. that may not be beneficial. As mentioned above, certain supplements will become depleted quicker than others as a result of filtration and respiration and need to be replenished. Liquid supplements can provide this luxury in an easy manner. The health of your livestock will depend on the availability of ideal water parameters and stability as well. Being able to offer a varied diet and vitamin, trace, mineral formula or supplement can help with fish and invertebrate health. Soaking and adding garlic and a vitamin C supplement to your frozen food or freeze dried food stuff can increase the health benefits(antioxidants and disease resistance).

The bad when it comes to dosing supplements can be illustrated through overdosing, not testing what you are dosing and the possibility of adding more than what it says it is on the label and list of ingredients. When it comes to overdosing some supplements either are not as quickly removed or become toxic when overdosed such is the case with iodine and strontium. Testing what you dose is a good rule of thumb to follow and dosing less than the recommended amount can help you from getting into trouble. Remember that problems will arise sooner and become more visible the smaller the volume of water. If you dose calcium, you are going to want to dose alkalinity and magnesium as well since they work in opposite directions of each other and the level of one will have a direct bearing on the other.

Now for the ugly! If you do not do things slow such as adding pH buffers, raising or lowering the salinity or temperature of your water or not dosing correctly, you could not only kill a fish or invertebrate but possibly wipe out your tank. By following the directions on the label and reading the contents of the product you wish to purchase you will have a better grasp on ensuring that you are doing it right. If you run out to purchase a calcium supplement because you want to raise your calcium level from 420 to 480,thinking your levels are too low and do not test your water and buy an alkalinity and magnesium additive, you may put your water way out of whack. Since calcium levels will tend to rise when alkalinity levels decline and vice versa and magnesium levels should be maintained at three times your calcium level, you must check these parameters frequently and in and of themselves. Some products contain phosphates, nitrates, silicates and other non beneficial elements, so be sure to read the label. Increased cyanobacteria, diatoms, microalgae, dissolved organics and excess waste can be experienced if dosing improperly, overdosing or adding the wrong product.

Make sure to follow directions, perform frequent water changes, which ultimately, makes the most sense as for replenishing lost trace minerals, vitamins, salts and buffers. Test frequently as well to reduce the likeliness of either having elevated or negligible amounts of what it is you are testing for. Many times, what you are dosing, you don't need to as it is more of a money waster than anything else. Depending on what you have in your tank will provide you with some insight as to what you need to maintain and supplement. Obviously, if you don't have any corals, you probably don't need t run out and purchase a calcium supplement and test for calcium either. If you have many filter feeders like sponges, tunicates, Tridacna Clams and Feather Dusters, you may want to invest in a zooplankton and/or phytoplankton food.

In my opinion, purchasing an iodine supplement(Lugol's), vitamin C and garlic is ideal and if you have a nice array of corals, then a calcium, alkalinity and magnesium supplement should be included for the best results. Other than that you could just be wasting your money or opening up the door to human error or worse, the death of one or more animals in your aquarium.