Turbo-Strontium - How Dangerous is it?

I just got a jar of Kent Turbo Strontium. The directions say NOT for the novice etc. etc.....

Is this stuff really that big a deal or is that just so Bozos' don't screw up their tanks?

 

just make the stock solution and never add it right to the tank in dry bead form .. Us as directed it just souped up calcium almost thats what makes it so difficult to test it's levels in the system.. .. 4 or 5 Tsp to 16oz is the strength I mix my stront to .

 

Thanks Tang.

How many ounces of your mixture do you add per gallon?

How often do you dose it?

 

You want your reef-building corals to not be stressed as they build their skeletons. As a result, it's really best to match NSW fairly closely.

Stonies will use Sr, Ca, and Mg interchangeably. There are no substitutes for alkalinity.

The word "use" is actually a misnomer. All 3 of those substances are actually a poison for the polyp but it has developed a way over eons to getting rid of said poison. It becomes a skeleton and then another polyps have a chance to be "born".

Think of it this way....your dad is short, you're short, your brother is short. You would prefer that you little boy was taller. Would you give him steroids and HGH (human growth hormone)???? That's what people are doing who run ultrahigh levels......and then they wonder why their SPS break so easily and don't live for years and years like other people's SPS.

 

Curt,

Are you saying that If my Ca Levels are fine I Don't need Strontium?

 

You want your Mg levels fine too (it serves a purpose other than just calcification....it helps manage the see-saw effect of Ca Vs. Alkalinity).

But yes. The amount in your salt mix should be sufficient. At least that's my experience. Tangster, apparently sees value in dosing it so we'll see what his experience is.

 

I am clear on that. Thanks.

So, if I understand your point, if my Ca / Mg levels are good then I should not be adding Strontium.

...and so if I were low on Ca and needed to dose it then I could use Strontium and my Ca levels would increase.

 

Because we don't do water changes and tend to have sps dominated tanks, we do feel the need to dose it

 

overdosing Sr will wipe out your tank. the toxicity level of Sr for some inverts is around 35. nsw is around 8-10. ones that house sps's maintain Sr, i keep mine around 20, its like jet fuel.
Chemistry and the Aquarium

 

I would recommend against the addition of Sr, for not only the above mentioned reasons but since Sr is in the same family as Ca and Mg it is easily used by corals for skeletal growth. Sr has been shown to reduce Ca transport in coral tissues and therefore reduces the calcification rate.(R.Shimek) He then goes on to say that the denser skeletons created by the use of Sr is a result of stunted coral growth. Essentially keeping the Sr level above NSW levels has no known benefit and will only lead to potential problems. To quote Shimek again,"NO known physiological processes in corals or other cnidarians that require strontium."
Heck people are concerned about bromide and there is more bromide in seawater than Sr....
I would pass on the Sr....

Happy supplementing!!