Seachem Cichlid Trace

250 mL

$26.95

Sold Out

Pack size

250 mL

Cost per litre

Under 1c

Water type

Freshwater

Seachem Cichlid Trace

$26.95

Sold Out

Replaces the trace elements your cichlids lose between water changes.

Seachem Cichlid Trace is a liquid trace element supplement for freshwater cichlid aquariums. It carries only the elements demonstrated to be required by fish – calcium, magnesium, iodine, potassium and a measured set of micro-elements – at a dose of 5 mL per 80 L, twice a week. It suits Rift Lake and American cichlid systems, where heavy stocking and frequent water changes strip minerals faster than tap water puts them back.

Key features

Only the demonstrated requirements – Seachem restricts the blend to elements shown to be needed by fish, rather than a broad mineral mix, so you are not adding chemistry the tank has no use for.
Published guaranteed analysis – every element is declared with a stated minimum, and calcium with a maximum as well. The full table is below.
One simple rate – 1 capful (5 mL) per 80 L, twice a week, straight into the tank.
Includes iodine and potassium – two of the first elements to fall away in a heavily stocked cichlid tank on a weekly change schedule.
Three sizes – 250 mL for a single display tank, 500 mL for a rack, 4 L for breeders and shops.
Formulated to pair with a matched diet – Seachem recommends using it alongside NutriDiet Cichlid Flakes.
Under 1c per litre at every size – treating water at the label rate costs under 1c per litre in all three bottles, and the 4 L works out cheapest per litre

Dosage and directions

Dose Seachem Cichlid Trace at 1 capful (5 mL) for every 80 L of aquarium water, twice a week. Add it to an area of good flow – near the filter outlet is ideal – so it disperses instead of settling.

The table scales Seachem's rate to common tank sizes and shows how long each bottle lasts at twice-weekly dosing.

Tank volume	Dose per addition	Used per week	250 mL lasts	500 mL lasts	4 L lasts
40 L	2.5 mL	5 mL	50 weeks	100 weeks	800 weeks
80 L	5 mL	10 mL	25 weeks	50 weeks	400 weeks
200 L	12.5 mL	25 mL	10 weeks	20 weeks	160 weeks
400 L	25 mL	50 mL	5 weeks	10 weeks	80 weeks
800 L	50 mL	100 mL	2.5 weeks	5 weeks	40 weeks

Seachem does not publish the concentration each element reaches in the aquarium after a dose, so this page does not state one. Dose to the label rate rather than chasing a target test reading.

Guaranteed analysis

As declared by Seachem, per 1 g of product.

Element	Declared amount
Calcium (min)	2.40%
Calcium (max)	2.64%
Magnesium (min)	0.792%
Iodine (min)	0.1%
Potassium (min)	0.1%
Copper (min)	0.032 mg
Iron (min)	0.007 mg
Manganese (min)	0.002 mg
Zinc (min)	0.007 mg
Selenium (min)	0.00002 mg
Fluorine (max)	0.001 mg

Specifications

Brand	Seachem
Type	Liquid trace element supplement
Water type	Freshwater only
Dose rate	5 mL (1 capful) per 80 L, twice a week
Sizes stocked	250 mL, 500 mL, 4 L
Contains copper	Yes – 0.032 mg minimum per gram
Invertebrate safe	No – the declared copper content rules out shrimp and snail tanks

By size

Size	Capfuls per bottle	Total water dosed per bottle	Cost per litre
250 mL	50	4,000 L	Under 1c per litre
500 mL	100	8,000 L	Under 1c per litre
4 L	800	64,000 L	Under 1c per litre

Which size do I need?

Work from the table above rather than from tank size alone – what matters is litres multiplied by doses. A single 200 L Malawi tank uses 25 mL a week, so a 250 mL bottle covers about ten weeks and a 500 mL bottle about twenty.

The 4 L container is a bulk pack. It earns its place on a breeding rack or a shop system running several hundred litres a week, and it is poor value sitting half-used on a shelf for years – trace supplements are best bought in a size you will finish.

Suitable for, and not suitable for

Suitable for

African Rift Lake tanks – Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria
Central and South American cichlid tanks
Breeding, grow-out and fry systems on frequent water changes
Hard-water community tanks with no invertebrates

Not suitable for

Shrimp, snail or other invertebrate tanks – it declares a minimum copper content
Marine or reef aquariums – it is a freshwater formulation
Use as a substitute for water changes, or as a way to correct nitrate
Use as a buffer or a salt – that job belongs to Cichlid Lake Salt and the matching buffers

Safety and handling

Keep out of reach of children and away from food.
Contains copper at a declared minimum of 0.032 mg per gram. Copper is toxic to shrimp, snails and most aquarium invertebrates.
Do not double a dose to make up for a missed one.
Store sealed, out of direct sunlight.
Seachem publishes a Safety Data Sheet for this product at sds.seachem.com.

Goes well with

Seachem Cichlid Lake Salt – sets the major-ion chemistry of the Rift Lakes; trace elements sit on top of it, not instead of it
Seachem Malawi/Victoria Buffer – holds pH around 7.8–8.4 for Malawi and Victoria tanks
Seachem Tanganyika Buffer – the higher-pH option for Tanganyikan species
Seachem American Cichlid Salt – the softer-water equivalent for Central and South American tanks
Seachem NutriDiet Cichlid Flakes – the diet Seachem formulates this supplement to accompany
Seachem Prime – the conditioner for the water change that precedes each dose

Warranty, delivery and Australian notes

This is a consumable aquarium supplement, so there is no manufacturer equipment warranty attached to it. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply in addition to anything the manufacturer states, including the guarantees that goods are of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose described.

Bottles ship sealed. The 4 L container is a bulk size and is substantially heavier than the 250 mL and 500 mL bottles, which is worth factoring in before ordering one.

Common questions

How often should Cichlid Trace be dosed?

Seachem's rate is 1 capful (5 mL) per 80 L, twice a week. On a 200 L cichlid tank that is 12.5 mL per dose, or 25 mL a week.

Is Cichlid Trace safe with shrimp or snails?

No. Seachem declares a minimum copper content of 0.032 mg per gram, and copper is toxic to shrimp, snails and most other aquarium invertebrates. Use it only in fish-only freshwater systems.

What is the difference between Cichlid Trace and Cichlid Lake Salt?

Cichlid Trace supplies the micro-elements shown to be required by fish. Cichlid Lake Salt reproduces the major-ion chemistry of the African Rift Lakes at lake concentrations. Rift Lake tanks usually run both; American cichlid tanks generally use the trace supplement without the Rift Lake salt.

Does dosing trace elements reduce how often water changes are needed?

No. A trace supplement replaces minerals removed by uptake and by the water change itself. It does nothing about nitrate, phosphate or dissolved organics, which is what water changes are for.