Bacteria utilization

[Reefer911]

But you still have to diligently keep up with your part like water changes etc... your original question about bacteria also this is why I dose PNS probio weekly and also Reef Actif weeklyto make sure the good guys always outnumber the bad guys.

Yeah I’m still doing my part for sure. My water changes are roughly about 16% every two weeks. Sometimes I let it go further out if I’m busy but that’s the general schedule

 

[sghera64]

Not sure how you arrived at bacteria being the problem. So many good comments/questions from others regarding what might be happening.

For bacteria, I like to buy my fish food from the local sea food counter (salmon, shrimp, etc.). I mince these up and freeze. They feed the fish, but also provide a constant supply of oceanic bacteria. Sometimes I place the outer exoskeleton from shrimp and crab into a net and soak in the sump. I also dose small amounts of molasses as a carbon source. One study indicates molasses causes a population increase in a certain type of bacteria that helps break down larger waste products in tanks (fish poop). Go easy on molasses. A little goes a long way and can really crash your PO4 levels.

I also feed my system 1-2x per day of reef roids. My Goni's, SPS and LPS seem happier when I do this every day. If my PO4 gets too high from this, I dose a little molasses.

The most important factor for you corals might not be a single parameter, but stability of all parameters.