Best Growth Strategy

[HardyG]

What are your secret tips for the best growth in predominantly LPS?

I currently have a small nano setup where I am growing out my favorite corals for the next year or so until we move and I set up a larger tank. In the meantime I am trying to get as much growth out of these pieces as possible while it is cheap and easy to dose, spot feeds, and do additives. What do you do outside of keeping parameters stable and good par that you feel directly correlates to polyp extension, new heads growing. Etc.

There is a lot of information about amino acids, reef roids, etc. just wondering if this stuff is truly worth it.

Thanks!

 

[X-37B]

This is my 5 month old 15" nano cube.
Live rock from lfs tank breakdown
I run esv 2 part
Floss in the cup
Chemipure blue nano size ×2
Tunze nano ato
Xr15 gen 5 blue ab+ 100%
I add DSR easy trace to my ato
2 g WC every 2 weeks
I get good growth see the spiral monti up top.
Note the leather bottom right.
Currently 2 fish and 37 coral.

 

[HardyG]

This is my 5 month old 15" nano cube.
Live rock from lfs tank breakdown
I run esv 2 part
Floss in the cup
Chemipure blue nano size ×2
Tunze nano ato
Xr15 gen 5 blue ab+ 100%
I add DSR easy trace to my ato
2 g WC every 2 weeks
I get good growth see the spiral monti up top.
Note the leather bottom right.
Currently 2 fish and 37 coral.

Oh wow! Very impressive! You gave me at least 3 things I need to research. ESV 2 part, DSR, and chemi pure blue. I usually run chemipure elite when my phosphates are up but have not heard of the blue.

I have floss, rox carbon, and chemipure elite in my first chamber, live rock rubble in chamber 2 (looking at getting the innovative marine skimmer), and the heater and return pump in the third.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Oh wow! Very impressive! You gave me at least 3 things I need to research. ESV 2 part, DSR, and chemi pure blue. I usually run chemipure elite when my phosphates are up but have not heard of the blue.

I have floss, rox carbon, and chemipure elite in my first chamber, live rock rubble in chamber 2 (looking at getting the innovative marine skimmer), and the heater and return pump in the third.

The Chemipure blue won’t do anything the elite is not already doing.

 

[X-37B]

Oh wow! Very impressive! You gave me at least 3 things I need to research. ESV 2 part, DSR, and chemi pure blue. I usually run chemipure elite when my phosphates are up but have not heard of the blue.

I have floss, rox carbon, and chemipure elite in my first chamber, live rock rubble in chamber 2 (looking at getting the innovative marine skimmer), and the heater and return pump in the third.

The blue is gac and resin.
No need for a skimmer.
I will use phosphate minus to reduce po4. I like.this brand beacuse it requires no rinsing.
I dose 2 part with Kamoer dosing pumps.
I would stay away from rock in the aio atea.
Using all live rock in the display is one of the most overlooked aspects in reefing today, imo.
Get your reef up and running with GLR. Use all premium.
I run 4 systems with one more on the way.
I currently have 2 builds going you can checkout if interested.
My 2 part setup and my current 14 month ext 170.

The Chemipure blue won’t do anything the elite is not already doing.

So it's the resin that removes po4.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The blue is gac and resin.
No need for a skimmer.
I will use phosphate minus to reduce po4. I like.this brand beacuse it requires no rinsing.
I dose 2 part with Kamoer dosing pumps.
I would stay away from rock in the aio atea.
Using all live rock in the display is one of the most overlooked aspects in reefing today, imo.
Get your reef up and running with GLR. Use all premium.
I run 4 systems with one more on the way.
I currently have 2 builds going you can checkout if interested.
My 2 part setup and my current 14 month ext 170.

So it's the resin that removes po4.

No, the resin does nothing useful in seawater. They do not literally claim it binds phosphate from seawater, and it won’t. It may or may not bind phosphate from fresh water, and likely are happy if you just assume it will in seawater.

No polymer material will bind a useful amount of phosphate from seawater in a normal reef tank. There is far too much competition from sulfate and chloride for the positively charged sites on the resin.

 

[X-37B]

No, the resin does nothing useful in seawater. They do not literally claim it binds phosphate from seawater, and it won’t. It may or may not bind phosphate from fresh water, and likely are happy if you just assume it will in seawater.

No polymer material will bind a useful amount of phosphate from seawater in a normal reef tank. There is far too much competition from sulfate and chloride for the positively charged sites on the resin.

Thanks as it kind of misleading with what they put on the package.

No, the resin does nothing useful in seawater. They do not literally claim it binds phosphate from seawater, and it won’t. It may or may not bind phosphate from fresh water, and likely are happy if you just assume it will in seawater.

No polymer material will bind a useful amount of phosphate from seawater in a normal reef tank. There is far too much competition from sulfate and chloride for the positively charged sites on the resin.

Elite has po4 media blue does not so they are not equal, imo.
They don't say blue binds, the labeling is misleading then to most, imo.
Blue says Avanced phosphate removal for reef.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree that the Chemipure claims are misleading.

 

[areefer01]

No polymer material will bind a useful amount of phosphate from seawater in a normal reef tank. There is far too much competition from sulfate and chloride for the positively charged sites on the resin.

Are all polymer's the same? I may not be asking the question properly but as I am reading your reply I recall just the other day coming across a product, BioSphere Bio Pellets that says it naturally reduces nitrates and phosphates from the aquarium. I did not catch to see if it is saltwater or fresh though.

Had to o back through my search history:
"Bio-Spheres bio pellet media is a 100% pure biologically degradable polymer solid carbon source that helps reduce nitrates and phosphates within a marine environment by encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria and enzymes on the media’s surface. Bio-Spheres provides a food source required for beneficial bacteria to reproduce and metabolize nitrates and phosphates.J"

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are all polymer's the same? I may not be asking the question properly but as I am reading your reply I recall just the other day coming across a product, BioSphere Bio Pellets that says it naturally reduces nitrates and phosphates from the aquarium. I did not catch to see if it is saltwater or fresh though.

Had to o back through my search history:
"Bio-Spheres bio pellet media is a 100% pure biologically degradable polymer solid carbon source that helps reduce nitrates and phosphates within a marine environment by encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria and enzymes on the media’s surface. Bio-Spheres provides a food source required for beneficial bacteria to reproduce and metabolize nitrates and phosphates.J"

No, not all polymers are the same.

Some, like proteins or biopellets can be broken down and metabolized, and that is the reasonable basis for the nitrate and phosphate reduction claim: it’s basically organic carbon dosing.

Others, such as Brute cans, polyethylene trash bags, car tires, and acrylic aquaria will sit there and do almost nothing. Ion exchange resins as in a di will just sit there as the loosely attached ions come and go.

While I do not k ow exactly what polymers are in Chemipure blue, they likely bind organics like Purigen does.

 

[areefer01]

No, not all polymers are the same.

Some, like proteins or biopellets can be broken down and metabolized, and that is the reasonable basis for the nitrate and phosphate reduction claim: it’s basically organic carbon dosing.

Others, such as Brute cans, polyethylene trash bags, car tires, and acrylic aquaria will sit there and do almost nothing. Ion exchange resins as in a di will just sit there as the loosely attached ions come and go.

While I do not k ow exactly what polymers are in Chemipure blue, they likely bind organics like Purigen does.

Thank you. Appreciate the detailed reply.

 

[HardyG]

So I currently just toss in the chemipure elite when my phosphates get up above x but I am not ready to do a water change. For instance my nitrates are still pretty low 5-6 days after a water change. This has a lot to do that may kids like to feed pellets so I let them. Not usually more than I watch them eat. Maybe I should also look at some better pellet options..

Am I wasting my resources with the skimmer for this tank? It’s 15g.

 

[exnisstech]

Am I wasting my resources with the skimmer for this tank? It’s 15g.

I won't say wasting but I run 5 tanks currently and only run one skimmer on my largest tank with a heavy fish load.

To the original question I'm not too good with LPS but @VintageReefer has been known to grow 1 or 2 with decent success and may have some advice?

 

[VintageReefer]

The blue really doesn’t help with phosphates on saltwater.

The elite is gac, resin beads, and Phosguard, and does help with phosphates.

Keeping parameter stable, good lighting, and target feeding lps 2x a week will promote growth

 

[HardyG]

Oh wow! Very impressive! You gave me at least 3 things I need to research. ESV 2 part, DSR, and chemi pure blue. I usually run chemipure elite when my phosphates are up but have not heard of the blue.

I have floss, rox carbon, and chemipure elite in my first chamber, live rock rubble in chamber 2 (looking at getting the innovative marine skimmer), and the heater and return pump in the third.

The blue is gac and resin.
No need for a skimmer.
I will use phosphate minus to reduce po4. I like.this brand beacuse it requires no rinsing.
I dose 2 part with Kamoer dosing pumps.
I would stay away from rock in the aio atea.
Using all live rock in the display is one of the most overlooked aspects in reefing today, imo.
Get your reef up and running with GLR. Use all premium.
I run 4 systems with one more on the way.
I currently have 2 builds going you can checkout if interested.
My 2 part setup and my current 14 month ext 170.

The Chemipure blue won’t do anything the elite is not already doing.

So it's the resin that removes po4.

Out of curiosity why would you avoid live rock rubble in the filter chamber? I am trying to figure out what is best to keep in the caddy in section 1 then section 2 as well..

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The blue really doesn’t help with phosphates on saltwater.

The elite is gac, resin beads, and Phosguard, and does help with phosphates.

Keeping parameter stable, good lighting, and target feeding lps 2x a week will promote growth

The elite is gac, resin beads, and Phosguard (GFO), and does help with phosphates.

 

[X-37B]

Out of curiosity why would you avoid live rock rubble in the filter chamber? I am trying to figure out what is best to keep in the caddy in section 1 then section 2 as well..

Can you post a pic.
Put the rubble in the display.
It will become a detrius trap in short order. You could put some small pieces in a nylon bag so it's easy to remove and clean but why?
In a small system it's not needed, imo.
Floss, heater,return, ato, carbon is all you need on nano.
Gfo not needed and I don't worry or test po4 in a small system.
Just tossing in gfo is never recommended without knowing current levels.
What do you currently test for? A
10% 2g WC every 2 weeks keeps po4 from getting to high.

To focus on growth you need to have your parameters established and a plan to keep them in range which is no different than a larger system..

 

[HardyG]

Can you post a pic.
Put the rubble in the display.
It will become a detrius trap in short order. You could put some small pieces in a nylon bag so it's easy to remove and clean but why?
In a small system it's not needed, imo.
Floss, heater,return, ato, carbon is all you need on nano.
Gfo not needed and I don't worry or test po4 in a small system.
Just tossing in gfo is never recommended without knowing current levels.
What do you currently test for? A
10% 2g WC every 2 weeks keeps po4 from getting to high.

To focus on growth you need to have your parameters established and a plan to keep them in range which is no different than a larger system..

Thanks for this information!

I can provide some pics when I get home from work this afternoon. I currently have a few bigger pieces under my racks that may should be reduced to enhance flow.. hmmm

I do weekly water changes mostly closer to 5 gallons just because it’s easier doing my full bucket instead of determining where half is. In the future I may just buy some 2.5-3g buckets and do that.

I currently test Po4 and No3 twice a week because I am a few weeks on the good side of a Dino outbreak and am a little paranoid because my nitrates get pretty low (may be a sign I need to feed more?). I threw in some GFO last week because my Po4 went up from .07-.14 after dosing just a minimal amount of reef roids. Maybe I need to go even less and eliminate the new life spectrum pellets I’m using every so often.

I would love to get to a point where I don’t have to test phosphates anymore, but after my Dino outbreak, it will be a while of solid tests and stability before I can get to a point where I don’t test that. That’s the goal though!

 

[X-37B]

Thanks for this information!

I can provide some pics when I get home from work this afternoon. I currently have a few bigger pieces under my racks that may should be reduced to enhance flow.. hmmm

I do weekly water changes mostly closer to 5 gallons just because it’s easier doing my full bucket instead of determining where half is. In the future I may just buy some 2.5-3g buckets and do that.

I currently test Po4 and No3 twice a week because I am a few weeks on the good side of a Dino outbreak and am a little paranoid because my nitrates get pretty low (may be a sign I need to feed more?). I threw in some GFO last week because my Po4 went up from .07-.14 after dosing just a minimal amount of reef roids. Maybe I need to go even less and eliminate the new life spectrum pellets I’m using every so often.

I would love to get to a point where I don’t have to test phosphates anymore, but after my Dino outbreak, it will be a while of solid tests and stability before I can get to a point where I don’t test that. That’s the goal though!

So this is a small frag tank from the looks.
What are you feeding the pellets to?
Live or dead rock in the tank?
I don't feed the corals I feed the fish. In small systems it does not take much dry food to drive up po4.
I have never tested no3 or po4 in my nano. Maybe I will today just to see where they are after 5 months.

 

[HardyG]

So this is a small frag tank from the looks.

Yes! Just growing out some of my favorite corals until I move and have the space for something larger.

What are you feeding the pellets to?

Just to the couple of fish in there.

Live or dead rock in the tank?

Live rock

I don't feed the corals I feed the fish. In small systems it does not take much dry food to drive up po4.
I have never tested no3 or po4 in my nano. Maybe I will today just to see where they are after 5 months.

I am open to any strategy to reduce the amount of testing and increase stability! Those rocks under the racks are a little too large in my opinion. I wonder if the rubble would be better suited down there to allow for more flow.