Can you have too much Strontium? What are the symptoms?

[Chipdog1]

Most of the tanks I know use Seachem Reef Advantage and Reef Builder to maintain Alk and Cal. It seems all them tanks do very good on keeping up both Alk and Cal but two of them. The only thing I have notice is that those two also add Kent Strontium. I know that on the Calcium powerd it says it adds Strontium. Is it possible that they extra Strontium in the tank could effect the levels of Cal and Alk?

Thanks for the input
Chip

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure if it will effect Ca or Alk but I am aware that too much stronium is toxic.

 

[wombat1]

Good question for Randy Holmes Farley. I stopped adding Sr a month ago after reading in one book that the supplements might be toxic to tridacnid clams. Another book suggested that Sr is taken up in coral skeleton because it competes with Calcium in the calcification process not because it is needed by the coral. I would at least test for it if you feel intent on adding it.

 

[reefland]

I haven't added strontium in about 4 years and haven't tested for it in about 3 years. Whatever amount is added with water changes seems to be plenty.

 

[Chucker]

IMVHO, the first rule of adding any supplement is the ability to test for it.

:idea: Simply put, how can you know that it is time to dose again, and how much to dose?

 

[wildbill]

I don't add any additives. years ago I tried everything then I bougt a cal reactor and now I sit back and watch them grow. If your like me I was always looking to excelerate growth but I probable inhibited it. Also I chucker said its important to know of present levels before adding anything. My problem was getting accurate measurements for str, Iodide,and cal. Now all I measure KH,PH,Salinity and temp. The single most important thing I've ever done was to add a cal reactor. It stabilized my ph and this was due to a higher stable KH. The money I've saved in the last 6 years with my reactor easly paid for the chemical's and test kits I kept trying.

Bill

 

[houstonreefer]

Idose it and iodine too. According to Julian Sprung Strotium is needed but too much will cause death of corals.

 

[Bubafat]

Strontium competes with calcium in the calcification process but it is much less efficent and can severly retard coral growth.

Bubafat

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm according to Delbeek & Sprung in TRA vol I (page 249):
Strontium...

is chemically very similar to to calcium, and many organisms incorporate it in their skeletons along with calcium. Its addition to reef aquariums aids in the growth of corals, coralline algae, and other organisms that lay down a calcareous skeleton or shell, including tridacnid clams. The survival of Acropora species in closed system aquariums is very depedent upon strontium additions (J. Sprung, pers. obs.)

The authors go on to point out that a study by Swart showed increased Sr levels increased Acro growth.

Is this info outdated?

 

[wildbill]

I wouldn't say the info is out dated; but in my case I haven't seen any negitive effects from not using it. From what I understand a small amount of Strontium is released by my cal reactor. I use Geo Marine Aragonite which has a high level of Strontium in it. Like I said earlier when I bought the unit I stopped using both Iodide and Strontium. I can say I never saw any negitive effects from using it. I never used more than what was reccomended and I could never get an accurate measurement on a consistant basis.

Bill

 

[Bubafat]

Hey Moe,
I have seen the article that s and b base that claim off of, but I've also seen a more recent article (i don't have the abstract here, i'll try to get it posted), that showed that the thermodynamics for strontium incorperation in the calcification process is much lower then calcium.

It is true that they find strontium in acro skeletons, BUT in a situation where there is excess calcium, calcification is lowered by adding more strontium due to the hinderance.

Buba

 

[wombat1]

"Studies have almost all shown strontium to be an anomaly of skeletogenesis, not required for calcification or growth." "The fact that strontium is incorporated into coral skeletons does not establish that it is of any real signifigance." "...corals are also higher in uranium content [than natural seawater]" from Aquarium Corals by Borneman, 2001. Water changes on a regular basis are all that is required to provide trace elements.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd like to see two small identical closed systems. Well, identical enough for statisticians.

One tank gets addtion of trace element X, the other does not.

Keep for one year, and observe differences.