[tango]

Is there any harm in adding vitamin additives for fish in a reef tank? Will it do anything to my corals?

[Reefland]

Hi tango,

Most likely there will be no harm, but there will be no benefit either. Marketed vitamins for reef aquaria are usually useless and a waste of money. Your better off buying high quality foods and feeding the aquarium well.

[ANGRY JOHN]

i could not agree more and the general idea is not to use an additive that cannot be measured or having a known outcome. in a worst case senario it might cause an alge boom due to somthing in the additive you didnt thinkabout or knowabout in the firstplace

[tango]

Thanks guys,
I was just curious, I was reading an article in a magazine about fish health and they were saying how adding vitamins can help prevent dieseases in fish,
but it failed to say,
1)what effects it would have on a reef?
2)how can you tell if or how many vitamins are in your water and to what amount?
I was thinking along your way of thinking that good food, varied diet, and good water perimeters should keep your fish healthy.
Agree?
Thanks,Chris

[Reefland]

Totally agree.

[BubbaWPB]

Good food has plenty of vitamins. Using a variety of foods ensures that your critters are getting balanced nutrition including vitamins. The only "additive" I would recommend is garlic... much cheaper to add your own instead of getting some specially-formulated aquarium garlic (garlic-flavored snake oil).