Dosing NO Nitrates or Phosphates

[BeanAnimal]

For those who have tanks that have gotten to the point where no additional no3 or po4 input besides feeding is needed, how have you gotten to this point? Question is for anyone but especially sps keepers.


1. What is your filtration approach.
2. What do you do about water changes
3. What is your fish stocking level if any
4. What do you feed
5. What algae if any grows in your tank
6. Any other information you find relevant

I have had a reef for 25 or more years and never dosed nitrate or phosphate a single time…

I don’t watch YouTube, so maybe that is why it works.

 

[Aquadude1]

I have had a reef for 25 or more years and never dosed nitrate or phosphate a single time…

I don’t watch YouTube, so maybe that is why it works.

Did you start with Live rock? Im assuming so given the time frame

 

[BeanAnimal]

Did you start with Live rock? Im assuming so given the time frame

Why would you assume that?

In relative terms, live Rock is no more expensive now than it was 20 years ago. Moreover, it was not "easier" to get for most people. You had to have an LFS that stocked it, or order out of a magazine or over the phone from some far away place and pay a fortune for shipping. There were no "online stores" like we have today. Dry base rock has always been less expensive and easily obtainable, be it arragonite or some other base rock.

So no, my tank was started with dry aragonite.

Sometime after we hosted MACNA 2007 (Sept 14 - 16), I added some fiji rock that was left on the show floor for 4 to 5 days. In fact we split up a dozen or so boxes of the stuff between club members. Most of the wet rock that was in the displays was sold or raffled with them. Back then most vendors didn't want to take that stuff back home, so everything was sold, raffled or donated.

 

[Aquadude1]

Why would you assume that?

In relative terms, live Rock is no more expensive now than it was 20 years ago. Moreover, it was not "easier" to get for most people. You had to have an LFS that stocked it, or order out of a magazine or over the phone from some far away place and pay a fortune for shipping. There were no "online stores" like we have today. Dry base rock has always been less expensive and easily obtainable, be it arragonite or some other base rock.

So no, my tank was started with dry aragonite.

Sometime after we hosted MACNA 2007 (Sept 14 - 16), I added some fiji rock that was left on the show floor for 4 to 5 days. In fact we split up a dozen or so boxes of the stuff between club members. Most of the wet rock that was in the displays was sold or raffled with them. Back then most vendors didn't want to take that stuff back home, so everything was sold, raffled or donated.

I stand corrected. Ive seen some of your posts of the live materials you add to your tank and I falsely assumed it started with all materials like that.

Did you have any trouble with stony coral of any kind in the beginning?

 

[sim]

I started again after stopping 10 years ago (I started 25 years ago) and seeing nitrates and phosphates for sale that needed adding left me speechless...

 

[BeanAnimal]

I stand corrected. Ive seen some of your posts of the live materials you add to your tank and I falsely assumed it started with all materials like that.

Did you have any trouble with stony coral of any kind in the beginning?

My tank ran for months without coral or fish. I was in no hurry and took my time buying the lights, closed loop pump, etc.

I used a frozen shrimp as a starter. Somewhere along the way I added a cup of sand from a club member's tank.

I don't remember specific problems. I had SPS, LPS and soft coral growing like weeds. I lost some SPS, but who know why. I struggled more with puffy LPS than anything else.

I have never been big on testing, especially nitrate. I then (and now) go months without testing anything. "ooh things look a little rough, maybe I should check salinity" is about the extent of it.

I had a reefbot lab. It was a pain. It cost a fortune to run for (at least for me) no benefit. It collects dust, as does a small mountain of Hanna checkers. I bet I couldn't find 5 Hanna vials to along with the dozen or so checkers. I have (2) of most, and (3) of a few. LOL

 

[Aquadude1]

I started again after stopping 10 years ago (I started 25 years ago) and seeing nitrates and phosphates for sale that needed adding left me speechless...

I bet that would be a crazy change! Ive only been doing this 6 to 7 ish years. I was researching a while before I actually started though.

 

[sim]

I bet that would be a crazy change! Ive only been doing this 6 to 7 ish years. I was researching a while before I actually started though.

It just seems absurd to me. I've updated myself today, and you now have technologies I didn't have. Now I manage the new tank only by measuring the DOC, nothing else. And I only add fish food and occasionaly bacteria to the tank (I doubt it's necessary). It's saved a lot of money, and it seems to be working very well.

 

[Aquadude1]

It just seems absurd to me. I've updated myself today, and you now have technologies I didn't have. Now I manage the new tank only by measuring the DOC, nothing else. And I only add fish food and occasionaly bacteria to the tank (I doubt it's necessary). It's saved a lot of money, and it seems to be working very well.

Ive been following your updates. I think its a very interesting idea. I have always considered DOC to be an unhelpful measurement. Kind of like saying water is hard, when there are multiple things that contribute to hardness. But it is always cool to find one parameter that gives useful insight to many things! I hope your experiment goes well!