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- Oct 25, 2018
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So my tank is over 6 years old now. All the fish are the same core, and they're all doing well. But even after 6 years, there is just something about algae and even coral that I just can't ever get down in this hobby. Here's the tank today. Mind you, I moved tanks about 4-5 months ago after buying my first house. Used the same rock and didn't really see a cycle, though I suspect those diatoms? on the sand might be caused by the move.
Coral eventually almost always die in this tank. They'll survive for a while, some even flourish and grow rapidly (even some lower level SPS and plating SPS), but eventually they will brown out, algae takes them over, or they'll otherwise stop all polyp extension and wither away.
Alk: 8.6
Calc: 430
Mag: ~1300
Nitrate: 25
PO4: ~1 (I know, this is probably the "red flag", but I'll speak about this later).
I have always battled with high phosphate. At it's best, it hovers around a .30 - .50. At its worst, like now, it's around 1. I feed everyday, between 1-2 times a day, sometimes once a day. I'll feed around a half a cube of frozen brine/mysis and hikari pellets each feeding. So everyday is about a cube of frozen and pellets. I have 6 fish. I really don't think that's to much food. I see people on these forums feeding CONSIDERABLY more and not having problems. I also see beautiful tanks in the 1 PO4 range, filled with colorful SPS. I've never been one to hunt down a number, but at this point, I feel like I have to do something and that might include a change of mindset. Thing is, even if it was the food, I attribute my success keeping fish fat, healthy, and alive for years is also the food, and how much I feed them - so do I really want that to change?
Now you know how much I put in, here's what I do to take the nutrients out. I admittedly don't do enough water changes. I might do one every 2 months or so. I have a Reef Octopus Classic 200 INT skimmer that oddly fills up the skimmate cup extremely slowly (I can go months without emptying it). As of the move 4 months ago, I now have a refugium (in which I can't get chaeto to grow, as it'll turn white and wither away too). I don't use filter socks.
It seems like I can just never do anything right, except for keeping the fish nice and healthy. Any advice would be appreciated.
Coral eventually almost always die in this tank. They'll survive for a while, some even flourish and grow rapidly (even some lower level SPS and plating SPS), but eventually they will brown out, algae takes them over, or they'll otherwise stop all polyp extension and wither away.
Alk: 8.6
Calc: 430
Mag: ~1300
Nitrate: 25
PO4: ~1 (I know, this is probably the "red flag", but I'll speak about this later).
I have always battled with high phosphate. At it's best, it hovers around a .30 - .50. At its worst, like now, it's around 1. I feed everyday, between 1-2 times a day, sometimes once a day. I'll feed around a half a cube of frozen brine/mysis and hikari pellets each feeding. So everyday is about a cube of frozen and pellets. I have 6 fish. I really don't think that's to much food. I see people on these forums feeding CONSIDERABLY more and not having problems. I also see beautiful tanks in the 1 PO4 range, filled with colorful SPS. I've never been one to hunt down a number, but at this point, I feel like I have to do something and that might include a change of mindset. Thing is, even if it was the food, I attribute my success keeping fish fat, healthy, and alive for years is also the food, and how much I feed them - so do I really want that to change?
Now you know how much I put in, here's what I do to take the nutrients out. I admittedly don't do enough water changes. I might do one every 2 months or so. I have a Reef Octopus Classic 200 INT skimmer that oddly fills up the skimmate cup extremely slowly (I can go months without emptying it). As of the move 4 months ago, I now have a refugium (in which I can't get chaeto to grow, as it'll turn white and wither away too). I don't use filter socks.
It seems like I can just never do anything right, except for keeping the fish nice and healthy. Any advice would be appreciated.
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