- Joined
- Apr 8, 2020
- Messages
- 46
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I’ve absorbed a lot of fantastic advice on the forum and have mostly come to the conclusion that I’d like to dose Nitrate and Phosphate to get them above zero. I’m having some relatively mild issues with diatoms (just on the sand) but am interested in avoiding any other issues that low nutrients might bring. Phos (Hanna ULR) has never been above 0.02 and is lately 0 or 0.01. Nitrate (Red Sea) was 4 a month ago but a large WC and a few ill-advised No-POX doses in early April has it essentially 0.
My targets are 0.08 phos and 1 nitrate (in line with Red Sea Reef Care Mixed).
My pause is that the tank is going as well as I could have hoped to this point. The green birdsnest has noticeable new growth every day and a new acropora frag is encrusting. I’m I crazy to dose?
32G biocube (Steve’s LEDs, 1 MP10, Tunze 9001, chemipure blue, carbon)
Water/Rock/Shallow sand - 1/5/20
Dr. Tim’s fishless cycle 2/1/20 - 3/15/20 (dosed a few times to be sure)
Fish: 2 small ocellaris
Corals
- acropora frag (encrusting) - 10 days in tank
- green birdsnest - significant new growth - 40 days in tank (pictures below)
- acan frag - not growing much but doing fine and will eat mysis - 40 days in tank
Alk 10.2
Ca 450
Mag 1350
Salinity 34
I feed with mysis 2x/week, Reef Energy 2x/week, and New Life Spectrum pellets 2x/day. Increased feeding does not seem to pump the numbers.
I’d dose very gently using the calculator here: http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm using Loudwolf Sodium Nitrate and Dibasic Sodium Phosphate
I’ve read a good bit on this on the forum but usually, the advice is in the setting of a significant algae problem which I don’t (yet) have and/or in tanks that are a bit older so I couldn’t help starting a new post. Thanks for your thoughts.
Bird on purchase:
Today (40 days later)
My targets are 0.08 phos and 1 nitrate (in line with Red Sea Reef Care Mixed).
My pause is that the tank is going as well as I could have hoped to this point. The green birdsnest has noticeable new growth every day and a new acropora frag is encrusting. I’m I crazy to dose?
32G biocube (Steve’s LEDs, 1 MP10, Tunze 9001, chemipure blue, carbon)
Water/Rock/Shallow sand - 1/5/20
Dr. Tim’s fishless cycle 2/1/20 - 3/15/20 (dosed a few times to be sure)
Fish: 2 small ocellaris
Corals
- acropora frag (encrusting) - 10 days in tank
- green birdsnest - significant new growth - 40 days in tank (pictures below)
- acan frag - not growing much but doing fine and will eat mysis - 40 days in tank
Alk 10.2
Ca 450
Mag 1350
Salinity 34
I feed with mysis 2x/week, Reef Energy 2x/week, and New Life Spectrum pellets 2x/day. Increased feeding does not seem to pump the numbers.
I’d dose very gently using the calculator here: http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm using Loudwolf Sodium Nitrate and Dibasic Sodium Phosphate
I’ve read a good bit on this on the forum but usually, the advice is in the setting of a significant algae problem which I don’t (yet) have and/or in tanks that are a bit older so I couldn’t help starting a new post. Thanks for your thoughts.
Bird on purchase:
Today (40 days later)