Additives

Most additive problems we see are not deficiencies. They are three products on the same tank all raising alkalinity, and an acro that browned out over a weekend for a reason the owner cannot find.

Test first, dose second, change one thing at a time. A reef sitting stable at 8 dKH is in better shape than one being pushed toward 9 by a supplement it never needed.

What is here covers the four jobs additives actually do. Bacteria and conditioners for cycling, and for chlorine and ammonia after a water change: Seachem Prime, Fritz, DrTim’s Aquatics, Brightwell MicroBacter7. Two-part, trace elements and single ions for when coral growth outruns what your salt mix puts back: Tropic Marin, Captiv8 Reef BluePrint, Brightwell. Amino acids and coral foods for tissue and color. And treatments for named problems, like Ruby Reef Kick-Ich Pro.

Sizes run from 25 g and 60 mL bottles meant for a nano up to 4 L jugs for systems that have earned them. If you are not sure which of the four your tank needs, send us your numbers and tell us what the animals are doing. Sometimes the honest answer is that you do not need any of it.