ATS or carbon dosing for SPS tank ?

[Yanir34]

Hello everyone, I'm settling up my new SPS dominant tank (750 liters) .

I bought santa monica surf×4 ATS , but I saw few hobbiest that wrote about that method...that ATS will not be good choice , and recommend carbon dosing insted....any reason for that ?

 

[billyocean]

Perhaps the ats pulls out more trace elements than carbon dosing? With enough sps in the tank IME neither may be needed if it is being used to control nutrients.

 

[Yanir34]

Perhaps the ats pulls out more trace elements than carbon dosing? With enough sps in the tank IME neither may be needed if it is being used to control nutrients.

Why is that ? Why none of them will be needed ?

 

[billyocean]

Why is that ? Why none of them will be needed ?

Each component has a value or reason for applying to a system. Some use ats or carbon dosing to bring nutrients down in a system struggling to keep values lower. Some use refugium or ats for offset photoperiod of display to help with ph. Some use the carbon dosing to benefit bacteria for coral consumption or other things. Im no expert on the ins and outs of all the facets with either method or both in tandem. Ive seen awesome tanks with either methods. If its a newer system, the ats is probably unnecessary and carbon dosing may not needed for a while. Hopefully someone with better experience can guide you better than I on this. You've had awesome success previously so you know the game!

 

[djf91]

What main tank lighting for this new build? Metal halide?

 

[BryanM]

I think you nailed it, element stripping. The turf algae uses up some stuff thats also beneficial for the tank.

 

[Yanir34]

What main tank lighting for this new build? Metal halide?

Nope...simply restart

 

[Yanir34]

I think you nailed it, element stripping. The turf algae uses up some stuff thats also beneficial for the tank.

In that case I think that I'll go with bacto balance....or zeovit

 

[exnisstech]

TBH I would wait untill the tanks settles in to a natural state and see if either is needed. I had to dose N and P in my SPS tank for almost 2 years to keep N and P detectable. I have no idea why nutrients were so low. I wasn't even skimming, just running a reefmat and I shut it down and let it overflow a few nights a week. The third year it finally settled in and I no longer have to dose. N and P is still low but detectable.
The surf 4x is a good ATS but only in a tank with higher nutrients IMO. I run one in my 330 and it grows algae like crazy and I feed it to my tangs but the tank runs N 30-50 and P 0.4 - 0.9+

 

[BryanM]

In that case I think that I'll go with bacto balance....or zeovit

This thread got me reading more... I do like the idea of carbon dosing, but I hate skimmers, so its still a no go for me.

 

[Biff0rz]

I do both

 

[djf91]

How about a remote tank full of rock and sponge and no lighting over it. My system really seemed to stabilize after large amounts of sponge started growing everywhere in my multiple unlit sumps. This did take several years to achieve though.

 

[Yanir34]

How about a remote tank full of rock and sponge and no lighting over it. My system really seemed to stabilize after large amounts of sponge started growing everywhere in my multiple unlit sumps. This did take several years to achieve though.

Established cryptic zone will tank several years...