Cobalt is a trace element present in a low concentration in oceans, varying between 0.002μg/L in north central Pacific Ocean and 0.39μg/L in Indian Ocean.

Cobalt is an integral part of vitamin B12 and plays a fundamental role in DNA; cell processes along being a nutrient for macro algae. It has been suggested that Cobalt might be a limiting factor of the bio-availability in the oceans and therefore an important trace element for the life of our animals.

Insufficient cobalt values reduce growth and colour formation.

Due to the extremely small amount needed in our aquariums, Cobalt is usually below the ICP detection limit. Nonetheless, despite potentially being present in undetectable levels the correction to reference levels will be ideal.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of cobalt supplementation a 4 and suitable for experienced reefers only.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete or pHplus will supplement cobalt helping to maintain adequate levels over time.

It is recommended to dose Cobalt continuously (as needed) in as many small doses as possible. This will ensure Cobalt is present and available in the water (despite depletion and potentially being below the ICP limit of detection).

Please note that for reference one drop is approximately 0.02-0.05 ml. If your recommended dose is below 1 drop per day, feel free to dose every other day (or less).

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with cobalt – barium, iron, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel and zinc.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements. We cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 0.20 µg/l please dose 0.13 ml of Reef Zlements Cobalt per day for 12 days.

Copper is a trace element present in small quantities in the seawater of reefs all around the world.

Copper is an essential trace element that kept in small concentrations has positive impacts on coral skeleton calcification, health and colouration along being needed for multiple biological processes of corals and other organisms.

It is important to check Copper levels through ICP analysis and ensure adequate levels and stability by dosing a Copper supplement as needed.

Naturally, Copper in seawater varies but its concentration doesn’t go above 3 µg/l.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of copper supplementation a 5 and suitable for experienced reefers only.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete or pHplus will supplement copper helping to maintain adequate levels over time.

It is recommended to dose copper continuously (as needed) in as many small doses as possible. This will ensure Copper is present and available in the water (despite precipitation and potentially being below the ICP limit of detection).

Please note that for reference one drop is approximately 0.02-0.05 ml. If your recommended dose is below 1 drop per day, feel free to dose every other day (or less).

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with copper – barium, iron, chromium, cobalt, manganese, nickel and zinc.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 0.20 µg/l please dose 0.15 ml of Reef Zlements Copper per day for 10 days.

Iodine is a trace element belonging to the halogen group, which is present in reefs all around the world, being one of the most important elements for all animals and plants in our aquariums.

It can be present in different organic and inorganic forms, however in our aquariums Iodine mainly exists as inorganic iodine, iodate, and iodide.

Nonetheless corals and bacteria can absorb all forms of iodine, and as such it is irrelevant in which form it is added.

Iodine concentrations in seawater vary widely, but it is commonly agreed that a level of 60-80 µg/l is ideal.

Iodine has been known to have a positive impact in aquariums where macro algae is present and to impact the blue and green colours of the genus Acropora and Montipora.

A low Iodine concentration manifests itself in poor colouration, reduced (or non-existent) growth, colourless growth tips or growth edges, and high light sensitivity allowing bleaching to more readily occur.

Low Iodine concentrations can also weaken the coral immune system, reducing any resistance to parasites.

Below ideal levels, Iodine will greatly impact bio-filtration and coral polyp extension is reduced (even when feeding LPS).

Very low levels of Iodine combined with low levels of other halogens such as Bromine can promote dinoflagellate growth.
With extreme iodine deficiency i.e. below 30 µg/l, SPS corals stop growing and RTN-STN infections occur more frequently.

With continued iodine deficiency, SPS corals start to STN from the base.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of Iodine supplementation a 9 and suitable for all levels of reefers.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete or pHplus will supplement Iodine helping to maintain adequate levels over time.

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with iodine – fluorine, lithium, molybdenum, selenium and vanadium.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 60.00 µg/l please dose 1.26 ml of Reef Zlements Iodine per day for 5 days.

Iron is present in reefs all around the world, being one of the most important elements for all animals and plants in our aquariums. Having a strong role in many different metabolic processes, including the transport of oxygen in the blood of animals.

Iron gets depleted (precipitates) from the water in our tanks very quickly.

Iron has been known to have a positive impact in aquariums where macro algae is present and to improve green colours.

It also plays an important role in the availability of nitrogen.

A deficiency of Iron can result in corals and biofilms (bacteria) not being able to process nitrogen compounds as well, if at all.

The reflection of this is that nutrients (NO3 and PO4) in the system increase substantially.

Often Iron is a limiting factor in the nitrogen cycle and carbon dosing (CarboPlus) will not perform as expected in reducing PO₄³⁻ and NO3- due to a lack of Iron.

A good Iron supplementation will improve the green and yellow colours in corals.

Iron not only precipitates quickly but, is also removed by filtration and consumed quickly, it is recommended that the dose shown below is performed weekly by splitting in to as many doses as possible (ideally dosed more than once a day).

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of Iron supplementation a 7 and suitable for all levels of reefers.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete or pHplus will supplement Iron helping to maintain adequate supplementation over time.

It is recommended to dose Iron continuously (as needed) in as many small doses as possible. This will ensure Iron is present and available in the water (despite the quick depletion and potentially being below the ICP limit of detection).

If you maintain macro algae please multiply your daily dose by 2x. However, if yellow corals do start to appear green, reduce the dose.

Please note that for reference one drop is approximately 0.02-0.05 ml. If your recommended dose is below 1 drop per day, feel free to dose every other day (or less).

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with iron – barium, chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel and zinc.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 0.40 µg/l please dose 0.10 ml of Reef Zlements Iron per day for 29 days.

Lithium is a metal that is present in reefs all around the world in substantially high quantities.

The effects of Lithium on animal and plant physiology are still to be researched but it is thought to be important for overall health.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of lithium supplementation a 4 and suitable for all levels of reefers.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete or pHplus will supplement Lithium, helping to maintain adequate levels over time.

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with lithium – fluorine, iodine, molybdenum, selenium and vanadium.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 200.00 µg/l please dose 15.04 ml of Reef Zlements Lithium per day for 2 days.

Manganese is present in all reefs around the world, being an extremely important element for animals and plants in our aquariums.

Being a cofactor to many enzymes it has a strong role in the metabolic processes of almost all organisms, Manganese has been known to have a positive impact around the oxidative processes in organisms and is an essential element for corals having an impact in both growth and colouration (specially red).

Manganese in the aquarium precipitates quickly making it almost non-existent thus, can only be detected if the concentration is much higher than needed.

A lack of manganese is visible in dull tissue, reduced growth (or none at all), colourless growth tips and little to no polyp extension in Goniopora and Alveopora corals as well as light sensitivity in LPS.

Manganese also plays an important role in photosynthesis making it crucial for corals, algae and phytoplankton.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of manganese supplementation an 8 and suitable for all levels of reefers.

If GFO is used we recommend the additional supplementation of Manganese as GFO will absorb Mn.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete/pHplus or our NO3/PO4 reduction supplement CarboPlus will supplement Manganese helping to maintain adequate levels over time.

It is recommended to dose Manganese daily and as in as many small doses as possible. This will ensure Manganese is present and available in the water (despite precipitation and potentially being below the ICP limit of detection).

If you maintain Goniopora corals, macro algae or a high coral bio-mass please multiply your daily dose by 2x.

Please note that for reference one drop is approximately 0.02-0.05 ml. If your recommended dose is below 1 drop per day, feel free to dose every other day (or less).

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with manganese – barium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel and zinc.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 2.00 µg/l please dose 0.44 ml of Reef Zlements Manganese per day for 34 days.

Selenium is a trace element present in small quantities in the seawater of reefs all around the world.

​Selenium is a very important trace element that kept in small concentrations has positive impacts on coral skeleton calcification, health and coloration along protecting the corals from oxidative compounds. To maximise its benefits Selenium should be used in conjunction with VitaPlus.

It is recommended to dose Selenium continuously (as needed) in as many small doses as possible. This will ensure Selenium is present and available in the water (despite precipitation and potentially being below the ICP limit of detection).

Please note that for reference one drop is approximately 0.02-0.05 ml. If your recommended dose is below 1 drop per day, feel free to dose every other day (or less).

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of selenium supplementation a 5 and suitable for experienced reefers only.

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with selenium – fluorine, iodine, lithium, molybdenum and vanadium.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 0.20 µg/l please dose 0.13 ml of Reef Zlements Selenium per day for 12 days.

Vanadium is a metal present in reefs all around the world in different states of oxidation. It is an essential element for many marine creatures as it is an enzymatic cofactor, promoting many processes to occur in particular in the metabolism of cells.

This transition metal is extremely important in colouration, growth of coral tissue along other organisms present in the aquarium.

Vanadium is also deeply connected to nutrient export and without Vanadium this is highly impacted leading to high levels of Nitrate and Phosphate in the aquarium. In parallel it also leads dull colours without contrast our fluorescence.

​Vanadium gets depleted from the water in our tanks quickly, particularly in aquariums with a refugium as Vanadium helps algae to perform photosynthesis optimally.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of vanadium supplementation an 8 and suitable for all levels of reefers.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete or pHplus will supplement Vanadium helping to ensure a constant supply over time. Dosing CarboPlus will also supply the aquarium with Vanadium.

It is recommended to dose Vanadium continuously (as needed) in as many small doses as possible. This will ensure Vanadium is present and available in the water (despite precipitation and potentially being below the ICP limit of detection).

Please note that for reference one drop is approximately 0.02-0.05 ml. If your recommended dose is below 1 drop per day, feel free to dose every other day (or less).

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with vanadium – fluorine, iodine, lithium, molybdenum and selenium.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 2.00 µg/l please dose 0.15 ml of Reef Zlements Vanadium per day for 34 days.

Zinc is a trace element present in reefs all around the world and is one of the most important elements for all animals and plants in our aquariums as it is involved in many metabolic and cellular processes.

Zinc concentrations in seawater normally vary between 0.6-5 µg/l, however, Zinc gets depleted from the water in our tanks very quickly.

Low Zinc concentrations will impair coral growth and render corals more sensitive to light and bleaching.

The nutrient cycle is also impacted and the bio-export of NO3 and PO4 is significantly reduced.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 high) we classify the importance of zinc supplementation a 4 and suitable for experienced reefers.

The use of our 2 part systems like Complete or pHplus will help to maintain adequate levels over time.

It is recommended to dose Zinc continuously (as needed) in as many small doses as possible. This will ensure Zinc is present and available in the water (despite potentially being below the ICP limit of detection).

Please note that for reference one drop is approximately 0.02-0.05 ml. If your recommended dose is below 1 drop per day, feel free to dose every other day (or less).

For ease of dosing and if you wish you can dose our elements via a dosing pump mixing them together in 2 solutions.

The following Reef Zlements elements can be mixed with zinc – barium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese and nickel.

Please note that given the different products available in the market the above only applies to Reef Zlements trace elements and that we cannot guarantee the safety of the mix with other products.

To reach the desired level of 5.00 µg/l please dose 1.50 ml of Reef Zlements Zinc per day for 25 days.

Chromium is an essential trace element however toxic in high concentrations.

Chromium can enter the aquarium via cement or man made rock or decoration as well as some trace element solutions. Feeding frozen food can also be a source of chromium.

The higher the PO4 and alkalinity levels the less impact higher chromium levels will have, nonetheless, we recommend to lower this level by performing 6x 20% water changes with a high quality salt.

Nickel is an essential metal linked to many biological processes however, levels of nickel above 5-10 ug/l will cause coral leaching, growth is reduced/stopped and ultimately corals will STN/RTN.

Corals immune system is weakened leaving them more exposed to parasitic/bacterial infections.

Nickel can be introduced into the aquarium via trace element supplements, frozen/dry food, nori or via rusting equipment/metal around the aquarium. If levels are high, it is important to check for the source.

To lower high Nickel concentrations from the aquarium use a high quality activated carbon like Reef Zlements activated carbon which you can find here and or perform 6x 20% water changes with a high quality salt.

Silicon is a non-metallic element that occurs in the ocean and the aquarium in large quantities.

Despite being commonly seen as a problematic element the reality is that it isn’t and corals will tolerate very high concentrations of Silicates, in fact it is essential for corals, algae and sponges. Nonetheless, diatoms require silicates in high quantities to multiply, as such, high levels of silicon can lead to diatom blooms, leading to nutrient depletion and other issues.

Silicon can enter the aquarium via ceramic bio media, salt, food, supplements aimed at fighting dinoflagellates or RO containing high levels of silicates.

We therefore recommend you installing a Reverse Osmosis unit with a high quality DI resin like the Reef Zlements DI resin click here after the membrane and performing 6x 20% water changes with a high quality salt.

Phosphorous is likely the most important nutrient in the reef aquaria when it comes to corals, however too much in the form of Orthophosphate can lead to corals losing colour, becoming brown and to the reduction of coral growth.

It can also lead to algae and bacterial issues.

Swings can lead to STN/RNT so, it is important to carefully manage Phosphorous/Phosphate levels.

To manage PO4 adequately, a conscious fish load and feeding should be observed, this will in turn help avoiding the deposits of organic matter containing undesired excess of nutrients.

We recommend the use of our new high efficient liquid Phosphate remover PhosFate or a good quality Granular Ferric Oxide (GFO) like RowaPhos.

Total Phosphate is the sum of all forms of phosphate present in a given sample. Phosphate (PO₄⁻) can exist in different chemical forms depending on factors such as pH, temperature, and the environment.

The three main forms of phosphate are:

• Orthophosphate (PO4³⁻) which is also measured with the Advanced ICP test, is also known as inorganic phosphate and is the most biologically available form of phosphate. It is directly used by corals, algae, bacteria and other organisms as a nutrient. Orthophosphate is the primary form of phosphate that aquarium hobbyists should focus on, as it has the most significant impact on the corals and the aquarium.
• Polyphosphates are composed of multiple phosphate molecules linked together. In water, they can break down into orthophosphate over time and become biologically available.
• Organic phosphates are phosphorus compounds bound to organic molecules, such as nucleic acids, phospholipids, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). These compounds can also be contained in plants/algae, bacteria, detritus, etc. and are generally not readily available as a nutrient source for most aquatic organisms, as they need to be released into the water, broken down and converted into orthophosphate by biological processes before they can be utilized.

When measuring total phosphate via ICP testing, all these forms of phosphate are included in the analysis to get a comprehensive view of the total phosphorus content in a sample. This analysis is essential for understanding the nutrient dynamics and potential eutrophication (excessive nutrient enrichment leading to algal blooms) in aquatic environments, including in reef tanks.

For reef aquarium hobbyists, it’s often more critical to monitor and control orthophosphate levels since it is the primary form of phosphate that affects coral and algae growth in the tank.

High orthophosphate levels can lead to algae issues and negatively impact coral health, nonetheless reefers can likely infer the amount of detritus, plankton, bacteria and ultimately water quality level looking at the difference between the Total Phosphate and the Orthophosphate concentrations. The bigger the difference is the more likely is the presence of detritus, algae, bacteria, etc. in the water thus potentially reducing the water quality.

To resolve the above, reefers should use adequately sized skimmers, filter rollers like the Clarisea along with UV and Ozone systems which will help to remove these “detritus” from the water.

Following from the above a total phosphate concentration as close to the orthophosphate concentration as possible is likely a good indicator of a “clean water” free from detritus and other undesired bodies.

To manage PO4 adequately, a conscious fish load and feeding should be observed, this will in turn help avoiding the deposits of organic matter containing undesired excess of nutrients.

If the Orthophosphate is equally high, we recommend the use of our new highly efficient liquid Phosphate remover PhosFate or a good quality Granular Ferric Oxide (GFO) like RowaPhos.