Fallow reef nutrition

CoralClasher · Feb 2, 2019

Well I've been plagued with one fish disease after another. Seem like for ever since I had fish in DT. I've been adding nitrogen trying to stay above 1ppm No3. And adding phosphate daily trying to stay at .02. Corals are looking ok but not real happy what else should I use to feed them?

CoralClasher · Feb 2, 2019

Seems like I'm using a lot of phosphate to stay at .02. My daily phosphate tests have been 0.00 with adding 33 drops of Neo phosphate in the morning, lunch time and before bed. Not seeing algae growing but I don't know wher the phosphate is going? Will phosphate level out sometime? Or should I setup a dosing pump?

ngoodermuth · Feb 2, 2019

Are you sure your test kit is good? Have you tried a fresh kit to be sure?

When my tank was fallow, I dosed nitrate as needed, and fed coral-sized foods once a day (like baby brine, cyclops, phytoplankton, oyster feast, etc)

Food alone should give you the phosphate you need... nitrate is the one you are really missing without fish poo. I had to run fallow twice in a row because my first round failed. So my tank was empty for a LONG time.

CoralClasher · Feb 2, 2019

Yes my Hanna checker is working good tested hospital tank and it was high. I've got mixed answers on nitrogen some say above 5 some say lower my corals look ok at 1.5ppm No3. And that's why I was wondering about coral food daily might be better than just phosphate?

CoralClasher · Feb 2, 2019

I had to remove biopellet reactor because of a phosphate crash two weeks ago I couldn't keep phosphate in the tank then in one night phosphate jumped above 1.02 I watched the phosphate fall daily after I removed reactor and as soon as I got a 0.00 reading I started adding phosphate again. I don't want to keep bottoming nutrients and have a crash again.