Euphyllia nutrient levels. Anyone with real experience?

[kilnakorr]

It is pretty common to hear euphyllia likes 'dirtier' water with nitrates at 10-15ppm and phosphate around .05-.1ppm.
Has anyone any real experience with lower vs. higher nutrients, and if so what did you learn in terms of color, growth etc.?

 

[kevgib67]

It is pretty common to hear euphyllia likes 'dirtier' water with nitrates at 10-15ppm and phosphate around .05-.1ppm.
Has anyone any real experience with lower vs. higher nutrients, and if so what did you learn in terms of color, growth etc.?

Those are the exact numbers I shoot for as well as keeping higher magnesium of about 1400, seems to keep them happy.

 

[kilnakorr]

Those are the exact numbers I shoot for as well as keeping higher magnesium of about 1400, seems to keep them happy.

Yes. But have you kept them at lower nutrient levels and seen any difference?

 

[The_Paradox]

No personal experience with higher levels but mine seem to do ok lower. They add new heads every month or so and the flesh bands extend down at least an inch. Last time I tested numbers were:
Magnesium 1410ppm
Phosphorus 4ppb
Nitrate 0.4ppm

 

[VintageReefer]

I do great at low levels

April 2023
Knicks and grail both 1 head


February 2024
Knicks 4 head, grail 5 heads





During that time nitrates were usually 0, but had a high of 1.6

Phosphates Usually 0 - .02, high of .05

Also grew a hammer colony from 2 heads to 25+

 

[crazyfishmom]

I do great at low levels

April 2023
Knicks and grail both 1 head


February 2024
Knicks 4 head, grail 5 heads





During that time nitrates were usually 0, but had a high of 1.6

Phosphates Usually 0 - .02, high of .05

Also grew a hammer colony from 2 heads to 25+

Gorgeous tank. Not trying to take over the thread but had to comment!

 

[crazyfishmom]

It is pretty common to hear euphyllia likes 'dirtier' water with nitrates at 10-15ppm and phosphate around .05-.1ppm.
Has anyone any real experience with lower vs. higher nutrients, and if so what did you learn in terms of color, growth etc.?

I’ve been over feeding as part of ich management so my nutrients run on the higher side. Nitrates are usually 15-20 and phosphate 0.2-0.4 (yes, that’s not 0.02-0.04). I have lots of hammers and torches all doing amazing. I don’t take great photos but here are some:

 

[kevgib67]

Yes. But have you kept them at lower nutrient levels and seen any difference?

No, those have been my target since the beginning. Every tank system is different and I’m sure people will chime in with varying levels of higher and lower that have great success., although it might not work in my system. I’ve seen on this forum beautiful sps tanks with high nutrient levels that blew my mind but worked for them.

 

[Reefer Matt]

It is pretty common to hear euphyllia likes 'dirtier' water with nitrates at 10-15ppm and phosphate around .05-.1ppm.
Has anyone any real experience with lower vs. higher nutrients, and if so what did you learn in terms of color, growth etc.?

Well, heck, my sps tank likes those numbers! Lol! But with euphyllia and fimbriaphyllia, I keep them in about 30-40 nitrate, and .08 phosphate. I haven’t noticed a difference in lower nutrients.

 

[VintageReefer]

Teal Hammer - March 2023 - 2 heads


March 2024 - 27-28 heads

 

[VintageReefer]

Don’t try and tell me 0 nitrates and phosphates yields starving corals



Ignore the dreaded “I spilled the reef roids while trying to pour” accident in March 2024. We pretend that day doesnt exist

 

[twentyleagues]

Years ago in my previous reef life I had 3 tanks tied together. 120 lps zoa, 125 sps, 90nps. I think from the nps tank and my 2 300g stock tanks full of not reef safe fish my nutrient levels got quite high even with weekly water changes and a large refugium. Zoas and lps looked great, sps looked ok but didnt really grow well and some darkened in some cases turned brown but were alive. This went on for about 2 years. Typically I'd see 50+nitrate and 2.0 phosphate. Then the ulns started to become a thing. A reef buddy/mentor that had been doing this uln thing for quite a while gave me some tips and I implemented changes. Some of these changes were getting rid of most of the fish in the 2-300g stock tanks or cutting them off of the main system. Second start using biopellets and dosing bacteria and using gfo. I went slow for the most part had 1 issue with too much gfo, took 2 years to get to less the 10 nitrate and somewhere around .08-.12 phosphate. Other than the gfo mishap everything looked fine through it all. After about a year of stability at those levels I noticed 2 things sps started to grow well and color up a lot, zoas started to shrink and some large colonies basically just disappeared, lps started to look weird thinned polyps and shrinking flesh bands a couple polyps bailed out. I decided to back off on maintenance a bit let numbers creep up a little shot for 15-20 nitrate and .15-.20 phosphate. When I sold my system it was about 2 years since the last change and everything across the board looked great, sps happy and growing, lps recovered and thick flowing and happy, zoas reclaiming empty rock.

Currently I am back with a mixed reef but really its mostly lps and zoas. This tank has only been set up since end of January with first corals mid to late feb. Things are doing good but its early still. I check nitrate with api...10-20 weekly, phosphate i am using the same Hannah that I bought back in 2008 (I think) around .03 po4 probably off.

 

[Lasse]

6.5 years ago note the coral in the red circle

A week ago - before the disaster. It shows up that the skeletons was around 15 cm and the heads was to heavy. One morning - it was on the sand

The whole coral was divided into pieces and I rescape the whole middle part

PO4 during these years - between 0.08 and 0.42 - NO3 normally around 3-6 mg/L but has been 60 mg/L sometimes

Sincerely Lasse

 

[dbroncos]

I’ve been over feeding as part of ich management so my nutrients run on the higher side. Nitrates are usually 15-20 and phosphate 0.2-0.4 (yes, that’s not 0.02-0.04). I have lots of hammers and torches all doing amazing. I don’t take great photos but here are some:

Great looking any idea what PAR these are at?

 

[doubleshot00]

Mine grow like weeds in 20-30 no3 and .2-.4 po4. Par is around 200

 

[crazyfishmom]

Great looking any idea what PAR these are at?

I’ve mapped out my tank and they’re all at between 125-175.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It is pretty common to hear euphyllia likes 'dirtier' water with nitrates at 10-15ppm and phosphate around .05-.1ppm.
Has anyone any real experience with lower vs. higher nutrients, and if so what did you learn in terms of color, growth etc.?

Im in that range and mine grow out of control. Right side of tank especially, they keep climbing

 

[dbroncos]

I’ve mapped out my tank and they’re all at between 125-175.

wow that’s higher than I would’ve expected.

 

[VintageReefer]

Mine are all around 150 par

 

[707Nick]

Don’t try and tell me 0 nitrates and phosphates yields starving corals



Ignore the dreaded “I spilled the reef roids while trying to pour” accident in March 2024. We pretend that day doesnt exist

What devise did you use to analyze and graph?