0 phosphates

[Screwgunner]

I understand 0 is not good hanna checker only reads to .00 100th and the ocean is in the 1000th .005 so 0 is good we are trying to duplicate the ocean right . My water looks like my fish are floating in air . I do not have a nitrate checker that is any good but my coral looks good and fish are fine. Clean my spunge and spray off my screen on my ats once a week . Thats it 4 month latter 0 phosphates 0 nitrates well test shows yellow . I feed 1 emerald cube and one cube brine and latter one pinch flake. .5 sheet nory everyother day. I do not know if that is good or not for 1. 4 inch yellow tang 1 5.5 inch one spot foxface 1 1.25 inch neon goby 7 blue green chromis 2 inch and under 2 clarkii clowns 2 inchs 1 hovans wrasse 3.5 inches . Display lights on for 8 hours algea turf on for 16 hours . Think I will sit back and see how this turns out. Just put in 2 montiporas today will see how they do. If it wasn't lights out I would post pics . They will have to wait. 125 gallon with 120 pounds rock . Koralia wave pair alternate on front bottom right and back bottom right about 2100 gph with one running a jap. Wave maker middle left hand side pointing up on pulse have a 1 inch wave on top of water back and forth. Two corner overflows down to a 30 gallon sump clear pro aquatics 2 inch and a half pipes connect high in the back with slots that spill over a 12 x14 pinky filter pad and 5 gallons of blue bio balls under that through the large spunge into the protein skimmer ,reactor, and return pump. Well, took out bio balls removed tray and filter pad and 1.5 inch pipes and cut my own pipes with the slit long ways put two screens in them dropped in two 100 watt equivalent 3000k led bulbs and off to the races.left the spunge only mechanical I have. I change 5 gallons every weekend and another 5 for evaporation .I know that's only 20 gallons a month water change but I do not have many corals yet as long as my calcium and alk stay were they are now I will worry about it when it changes.8

 

[Benjammin]

These guys know more than I do:

Cats Eye Orange Chestnut Snail (Turbo castanea)

Very voracious algae eating snail for any reef tank.

aquariumdepot.com

 

[Benjammin]

Sorry wrong link

 

[Frogspon]

Not to hijack your thread, but interested to know..

.03 phos with nitrates slightly over 0 is ideal- now does a healthy tank maintain this level naturally, or is it good tank husbandry with a dash of extreme luck?

 

[mdb_talon]

good we are trying to duplicate the ocean righ

You may be I certainly am not because i know i cant get close to replicating the constant availability of nutrients as in the ocean if I am at .00 phosphates or 0 nitrates . There are good reason the hobby has moved away from trying to get to .00x phosphate in our tanks.

 

[mdb_talon]

Not to hijack your thread, but interested to know..

.03 phos with nitrates slightly over 0 is ideal- now does a healthy tank maintain this level naturally, or is it good tank husbandry with a dash of extreme luck?

I think longterm it is hard to just get lucky with that. I think most who keep healthy tanks in that range do so because they have a lot of nutrient export capacity, but also heavily feed/add nutrients. Fish are great as a "time delayed nutrient imort".

On the other hand I think when people try to get to that level by starving the tank is when they have issues. I am a big believer in the "heavy import heavy export approach".

It is related to the OP topic in my opinion...the ocean has very low nutrient levels....but is also has constant availability of nutrients. If we try to keep our levels the same as the ocean it becomes near impossible to not go too low and have no available nutrients.

 

[blasterman]

Bigger tanks are more stable with nutrients because they buffer nutrients better due to their displacement. Phosphate in particular is typically less annoying to chase in bigger tanks than smaller ones.

For the sake of argument the ocean has infinite displacement and infinite nutrient levels. The detectable levels might be a fraction of a captive reef tank, but they never run out. As to why captive tanks seem to run better at higher nutrient levels its conjecture at this point. If I were to guess its bacterial related but its just a hunch.

 

[Screwgunner]

Bigger tanks are more stable with nutrients because they buffer nutrients better due to their displacement. Phosphate in particular is typically less annoying to chase in bigger tanks than smaller ones.

For the sake of argument the ocean has infinite displacement and infinite nutrient levels. The detectable levels might be a fraction of a captive reef tank, but they never run out. As to why captive tanks seem to run better at higher nutrient levels its conjecture at this point. If I were to guess its bacterial related but its just a hunch.

That does sound right to me . I was shooting for .03 and my ats finally kicked in and my hanna low range reads 0 so I hope I am close to .01 I started feeding alittle more fish seem to like it . See what happens

 

[Aqua Man]

See what happens

Dinos. IMO, start reading the Dino thread now if you haven’t already!

 

[twwety]

Coral will take in some of that as you add them you might have to lower the light period on the ATS or feed heavier if you notice deflated or pale corals. The ocean isn't so low because if doesn't produce phosphate it's so low because it consumes phosphate.

 

[Screwgunner]

Thank you all for helping me understand the differance between the two.