trace components and trace elements

I was looking at some marine supplements and I came across Reef Plus which is a supplement of vitamin C, B12, amino acids, fatty acids, and other trace components. There is also Reef Trace which is just trace elements. What is the difference between trace components and trace elements?

 

This is probably answered best by Seachem them self. They have a forum here.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/seachem/

I use Reef Plus as the only other additive beside my CR and really like it.

 

It is not recommended to add ANYTHING to your tank that you haven't tested for and found to be lacking sufficient amounts.
When you feed your tank, you add trace elements of all kinds, beneficial an problematic ones as well, including iodine forms.
I do water changes to REMOVE trace elements.
The trace components would be better for soaking food in before feeding to your fish ONLY if the foods you are feeding lack these particular components.

 

Reef Plus I believe(again ask SeaChem) is designed to replenish some of the quickly depleted elements found in SW. Lost to chemical media, skimming, or just plain usage.
"It is not recommended to add ANYTHING to your tank that you haven't tested for and found to be lacking sufficient amounts."
Is a good idea but we will never have test kits for everything. I test for Iodine/Iodide monthly and work out a dosing schedule that is beneficially. I noticed better coral coloration and I believe natural levels of Iodine/Iodide benefit invert health. For a time I stopped using and my Iodine level fell to 0. Nothing died but after a couple months I started using it again and saw an increase in SPS coloration and my cleaner shrimp molted 3 times in 6 weeks. It works for me.

 

In a normal salt water tank, there are no quickly depleted trace elements, even with a skimmer.
As far as testing for Iodine and it's forms, there are no dependable test kits to acurately tell what level you actually have in your tank.
Even Randy Holmes-Farley quit dosing Iodine when he determined that it wasn't necessary for molting or corals or anything else that he could find, beyond what is normally in your salt water (and gets added with food additions)
I'm happy for you that it works in your tank, but you are in the minority as far as reefing goes.
With ten tanks on the go, and in over 12 years of reefing, I've never found a need to dose iodine or other trace elements.
While some do water changes to replenish trace elements, I believe the water changes help by REDUCING the trace element levels, as I had preveously mentioned. This is especially important with hobbyists who feed their tanks heavily as I do.
For most situations though, trace elements are a moneymaker for the makers and the LFS's but are unecessary for most tanks.

 

I add trace elements everyother week only because I have sponges and I notice the my xenia will pulsate more. I always test my Iodide and Iodate, and Iron levels before adding anything. I like to soak the food in Selcon which has the vitamin C, B12, and Fatty Acids. Reef Pluse has the same ingredients with the added trace components. What is in the trace components?

 

Sorry, I can't help you on the trace components. Did you not ask Seachem via the link that Covey supplied in his first post?
The link is:
SEACHEM FORUM