Strontium

[wsiong]

What is the benefit of adding strontium?

[Tanzy]

That is hard to say. Not everyone is convinced that adding strontium is actually beneficial for corals. It started in Germany with Dr Dietrich Stuber who managed to successfully keep acropora in captivity for the first time and he linked it to his regular addition of Strontium. Recently it has been shown that Strontium is actually a metabolic poison in calcification. Corals grown in increasing concentration of strontium have a proportional decrease in skeletal density.

[hongqixian]

I don't know, but generally, it is much safer to add all additives at half dosage. Perfectly fine for the tank and saves $$$ too.

[Stenopus Hispidus]

To those who are pro-strontium and wants to follow mainstream thinking, there are some reefers who overdose their tank with Sr 2X the recommended amount! But be careful. To do that, you got to know your tank very well. According to Dustan (1982), studies have shown that calcification rates in hard corals are dependent on light energy and that light-enhanced calcification appears to be essential to the construction and maintenance of coral reefs. Therefore, in tanks with a very, very high load of hard corals under strong MH lighting, it would be possible that Ca & Sr could be depleted to a point of exhaustion (J.C Delbeek) resulting in the stagnation of the calcification process until the next supplement comes pouring in. In such a case, the so-called overdosing may seem merely apparent. In short, how much to dose is really dependent on:

1. Your bioload of hard corals (how much Sr consumers you have in your tank)

2. The intensity of your lighting (how much each Sr consumer consumes). All else being constant, weaker lighting=less Sr/Ca consumption

To dose correctly, you should keep measuring the strontium level to ensure that it is kept at a consistent level. Do not skimp on your test just because Sr test kits are expensive. The more you do a test at various timings, the more you can gauge and understand the consumption pattern of strontium at your given bioload and execute the dosage accordingly. This intensive and religious monitoring may be a hassle for some to which the next alternative, although not ideal, would be to follow the instructions printed at the back of the product which are normally base on a very conservative and safe estimated dosage.

Besides assisting in the calcification process, it is also believed that Sr helps in preventing a malady whereby the coral tissue detaches itself from its skeleton.

On the hind side, Sr has always been a controversial additive for reef tanks. It is still shrouded in mystery and until today, no one has yet provided any empirical evidence supporting its use as a supplement for their reef tanks. Why then do the industry still use it…

The general consensus is;

1. The fact that Sr is found together with Ca in the skeletons of hard corals make some believe that Sr supplement plays an essential role in the calcification process of hard corals.

2. Influential experts use it and observe marked improvements in the rate of their hard coral growth.

3. Strontium levels do diminish in the tank indicating utilisation by the hard corals

Sounds like a neat justification, but if you could just spare some time to take a closer look, you will notice that each situation still begs for some scientific evidence as they broach along the line of speculation. This represents a case of hobbyists' experience catching up with scientific studies, which makes the whole issue of producing, selling and using Sr (amidst this uncertainty) highly controversial.

So until someone can prove otherwise, Sr will continue to be a supplement to reef tanks in the sustaining of hard corals. Just like Tanzy, I have started to come across articles indicating proponents lobbying against the use of strontium equating it to poison. I can't really recall where I read it but it could have been an article or an advert. off FAMA.

[hongqixian]

This intensive and religious monitoring may be a hassle for some to which the next alternative, although not ideal, would be to follow the instructions printed at the back of the product which are normally base on a very conservative and safe estimated dosage.

If the dosage was really that conservative then companies wouldn't have as many regular customers buying their products

I still think that most companies try to get you to dose the maximum amount without visibly or obviously harming your tank. They are mostly out to make profits

[B|uEc@rpEt]

HQ!

I agree! I am dosing Strontium, CA, Alk, Mg etc from Seachem...and they recommend dosing twice a week which often results in "off-table" readings when tested.

Hence...I found out that for my tank...it is best to half Seachem's recommendation...i.e for my case...instead of dosing X-element twice a week...I only do it once.

[Tanzy]

Aquarium Strontium tests kits are too iffy to start off with. Getting an accurate reading is notoriously difficult. At the most you can only consider it as a rough gauge but not accurate for precise dosing.

I don't dose Strontium because I have a Ca reactor which puts out Strontium and Calcium in the correct proportion.