lduncan Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 So, based on the above, it says what perhaps the main ingredient is, but if it contains other ingredients it has not been disclosed. To call a product "K-Balance" which suggests specifically a potassium supplement and not state any other additives in it seems a little far fetched. This is from the current zeo-guide: K-Balance contains multiple potassium salts as well as two additional available elements in highly concentrated form. What are those two additional elements doing in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 You don’t have to worry about potassium. To get an accurate test kit you will have to spend hundreds/thousands.. It is not easy to test for. Adding potassium will darken you corals. Even if levels are low I doubt they will effect your corals much as it is not used much like calcium and kh. Main things to test is Po4 Nitrate Calcium Kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 You can add magnesium to that list too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 yes, i forgot about that. so list should read Po4 Nitrate Calcium Kh magnesium and have these kits available if you have problems so you can test. ammonia nitrite and if you have time to test strontium iodine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 I Might try some. How much and what is the dosage please. How much in the bottle? Why, you of all people with the colours you have?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifty Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 thats the problem with this hobby, even when your tank looks great people are always trying to get that little bit more, usualy ends up messing the tank up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 even when your tank looks great people are always trying to get that little bit more I am still trying to get to the great bit. so i might dose some boron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Adding potassium will darken you corals. brilliant, thats what im after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Chim I have 1/2 a bottle of K balance bring a "small bottle" & I'll give u some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bychineva Posted October 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 something of the zeovit guide.... Potassium deficiency can be diagnosed in different animals as follows: Montipora, especially plating types, display slower growth and appear washed out to grey. Latent potassium deficiency may also lead to tissue loss, spreading from one or more spots. Stylophora and Pocillopora appear as if they have been exposed to air for a long period of time. Polyps are completely withdrawn and colors are light and without depth. Seriatopora may completely loose all tissue, starting from the base, within only a few days. The pink coloration may turn into a light brown. Acropora may loose their color and get lighter and pale. Growth stops completely. If the potassium deficiency continues tissue is lost, mostly starting from the base. Tubinaria Reniformis stops growth completely and withers away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Hope they've got some valid research to backup those claims. Somehow, i'm doubtful they do ;-) The zeoguide is hardly a reliable source for information of that sort. They are trying to sell a product, of course the blurb is going to try and entice people into thinking they need it. It's called marketing. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 thats the problem with this hobby, even when your tank looks great people are always trying to get that little bit more, usualy ends up messing the tank up. Bloody hell mate, Thats the best piece of sense Ive heard in awhile. Im even trying to do the same.... Stupid me...... It already looks great... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Chim I have 1/2 a bottle of K balance bring a "small bottle" & I'll give u some already got some. just coz its stated that "you need some form of potassium for good coral growth and colour" doesnt mean you have a defficiency in your own tank. from a basic diagnosis of my tank - taking the colours of some corals and not others plus other BASIC research, I came to the general consensus that it could be due to lack of potassium. so far so good FOR MY TANK. doesnt mean its going to be the same results for anyone elses. im sure most of you have worked out by now that something thats good for one persons tank does not mean its going to work for another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 You don’t have to worry about potassium you assume its not needed, any hard facts? so i might dose some boron you sell it!!! salifert boron! aren't you the importer for it? if it is no use then why did you bring it in? $? cracker wrote: I Might try some. How much and what is the dosage please. How much in the bottle? sure give it try if you use ASW if you use NSW it would be no use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEOvitANZ Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Since we are allowed to advertise in the forum I will too. Yes, a test kit is available from me and believe it or not it is very accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Some great posts, and some good common sense. One of the biggest struggles for me anyway, is to leave things alone, most of us love to tinker! There is the other side of the coin too though, that pushing the boundaries into new areas may result in disaster, but if nobody ever did push the boundaries, there would have been fewer of the advances that have taken place over recent years. Agree with Cookie also, if you're using NSW, with already a good level of potassium, there may not be much to be gained by dosing it. Having said that, I use NSW but still have got nice visible results from dosing potassium, so I do dose a small amount. People using ASW though, are likely to get more benefit from dosing potassium, some of these benefits will not be visible, but there is growing anecdotal evidence overseas that proper potassium levels go a long way towards preventing TN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Yes, a test kit is available from me and believe it or not it is very accurate. Looking forward till I get mine! Potassium has certainly helped me with my colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 you sell it!!! salifert boron! aren't you the importer for it? if it is no use then why did you bring it in? $? You are out of date with times. i have not sold boron test kits for 3 -4 years as i found no use for them personally on my tank. i only used the boron example as a joke. so sorry not making any $ if i dont sell boron test kits. you assume its not neede any hard facts? i think my tank is more than enough facts for me. i dont add any pottasium. tried it and found that it darken my corals, i dont have bleech corals like zeovit users who have to darken corals. pottasium might help some but i dont see any hard facts either. believe it or not it is very accurate. Sure it is, increments of 50ppm does not sound really accurate to me. i will get one form hollywoods when they arrive. Since we are allowed to advertise in the forum I will too. Hows does boron advertise anything? no zeovitnz/aust. did you lose the aust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 pushing the boundaries into new areas may result in disaster, but if nobody ever did push the boundaries, there would have been fewer of the advances that have taken place over recent years "this is the starship enterprise "we are going were no reefer has gone before. not to wrong is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 if you're using NSW, with already a good level of potassium, there may not be much to be gained by dosing it. Having said that, I use NSW but still have got nice visible results from dosing potassium, so I do dose a small amount but does nz nsw have differing levels of potassium than say around typical tropical reefs? or is it the same level worldwide? (coral reefs probably get it from when poachers use potassium cyanide to stun fish for export and we get it from fertiliser run-off ) whats the typical uptake of potassium by corals? im sure its still possible to have a deficiency even when using NSW - especially if you only change your water every 6-8 weeks :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 I look at it this way. Calcium and potassium levels are similar in NSW. Calcium is mineralised in significant quantities (through calcification). Once it's been deposited, it generally doesn't get cycled through living tissue again. Potassium is used in cellular processes. It's not minerialised (at least not actively in significant quantities). In that sense you can think of it like phosphate. It's taken up by organisms, when the cells die, it's becomes available for other cells to use. It's cycled tightly in the system. There are no significant sinks of potassium. It doesn't go anywhere permanently. Given that, i would have thought it's more likely to accumulate rather than deplete in aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 This may help. Habib ( Mr. Salifert ) ran some tests over time on a tank, and found negligeable depletion of potassium. The tank was mostly softies, hardly any sps. A number of people with tanks crowded with sps, find measureable depletion of potassium, requiring replacement if it is to be kept at NSW levels. So, while it is not a controlled experiment, it could be said there is anecdotal evidence that it is the sps corals that use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 A number of people with tanks crowded with sps, find measureable depletion of potassium, lend me your pottasium kit when you get it and i will test the theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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