General Parameters Question

[goldenhurricane2]

So I've been in this hobby around a year now and my tank has changed tremendously over the past year and needless to say, I've learned a lot!

When I initially began testing my water shortly after I got everything up and running with a fish and a couple of soft corals, both my nitrates and phosphates were extremely high - this was due to my lack of adequate filtration: I only had a canister filter. Through several changes, I've been able to get my parameters (mostly) in order: I do biweekly water changes, adding fresh carbon each time, upgrades to a reef octopus hob 100 protein Skimmer, added a 4 gallon hob refugium with cheato and rubble/live rock/sand, and finally I added a media Reactor with phosban.

This has taken my phosphate and nitrate levels down from a 0.12ish and 0ish respectively.

My question is: what else can I do to get my phosphates down a little further? I still see some nuisance algae here and there but I am careful about feeding (only pellets) as well. What else can I do to run a better, cleaner system while still seeing healthy growth?

Also, I don't dose anything as of now, but my KH is a little over 7, Ca is 450, and Mg is 1480.

 

[CodyRVA]

You could carbon dose, but I would try different foods first. Pellets/Flakes are packed with nutrients. Have you tried frozen foods? Rinse them before use; I typically thaw a bunch, rinse it, then add tank water and a scoop of pellets into a squeeze bottle. Most frozen foods are mostly water with far less nutrients, this allows me to add the amount of nutrients I want to my food mixture so my fish are still getting what they need.

 

[goldenhurricane2]

I've tried rods before as well as a couple of other brands of mysis but I had always heard they add a lot of extra nutrients to the water.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

two things. more coral. better flow in the fuge and more or different spectrum.
a little gfo in a bag in high flow. vitamin c(carbon dosing), no pox, vinegar vodka dosing. bio pellets. caulerpa in the fuge.
or if the corals look good. Nothing at all.

Po varies from place to place in the sea, and phases in a tank depending on a lot of stuff age being on strangely big factor(mature bio filter). many including myself have had pretty good success with higher nutrient levels.
I feed pretty indiscriminately and notice low nutrints make my zoas pout and my xenia shrink. higher nutrints and higer light made my acro explode, these are in the same tank.
months later I used only a refugium to strip the same tank to undetectable of No and Po.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/nutrient-saturated-systems.268359/

 

[CodyRVA]

I've tried rods before as well as a couple of other brands of mysis but I had always heard they add a lot of extra nutrients to the water.

Yea some do, some don't, i rinse all of my frozen just to be safe. If you do, no way it'll add up to as much nutrients as pellets.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea some do, some don't, i rinse all of my frozen just to be safe. If you do, no way it'll add up to as much nutrients as pellets.

I belive thats actually been disproven in the Advanced aquarist article. Assuming its not a junk brand. thats just melamine and sugar.

 

[CodyRVA]

I belive thats actually been disproven in the Advanced aquarist article. Assuming its not a junk brand. thats just melamine and sugar.

Really? I've seen some gross stuff come off frozen, but never had nutrient issues feeding frozen like I have when feeding pellets or flakes. Could be user error though.

 

[goldenhurricane2]

I'm assuming when you rinse, you do so with RO?

 

[CodyRVA]

I'm assuming when you rinse, you do so with RO?

Usually, if not I'll use warm tap water to thaw then RODI to rinse

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Really? I've seen some gross stuff come off frozen, but never had nutrient issues feeding frozen like I have when feeding pellets or flakes. Could be user error though.

lol. guts are always gross.

 

[goldenhurricane2]

Usually, if not I'll use warm tap water to thaw then RODI to rinse

Ok that sounds a lot more economical than just pouring ro over it until it melts. I will give that a try, because I've been using strictly pellets now for several months.

 

[CodyRVA]

Ok that sounds a lot more economical than just pouring ro over it until it melts. I will give that a try, because I've been using strictly pellets now for several months.

Yea, i buy the 16oz flat packs, break off however much I need: i usually use mysis, plankton, and blood worms. Thaw it in a cup of warm tap water, use a fine strainer to rinse it, then rinse with RODI. I keep it in a squeeze bottle in the fridge, and as mentioned, i might add some small garlic pellets or veggie pellets, I also add a scoop or two of the BRS reef chilli. I supplement it with a veggie clip for fish like tangs, rabbit fish, etc.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ok that sounds a lot more economical than just pouring ro over it until it melts. I will give that a try, because I've been using strictly pellets now for several months.

IMO, happy food, happy fish, happy poop,happy coral
there is a bit to nutrition as PaulB likes to preach. everything eats everything in the ocean in the tank. so if the apex predator and pooper is eating poorly everything else is too.
most folks scoff and are afraid of frozen because of "Number chasing Nutrients" in the juice.

 

[goldenhurricane2]

I would obviously keep the thawed mysis in the fridge, but how quickly does it need to be used before it "spoils"?

 

[CodyRVA]

IMO, happy food, happy fish, happy poop,happy coral
there is a bit to nutrition as PaulB likes to preach. everything eats everything in the ocean in the tank. so if the apex predator and pooper is eating poorly everything else is too.
most folks scoff and are afraid of frozen because of "Number chasing Nutrients" in the juice.

Maybe its a personal preference in that I can better judge how much i'm feeding with a squeeze bottle of frozen foods vs pellets or flakes, but yea i've just never had the nutrient issues with frozen like i do dry foods.

 

[CodyRVA]

I would obviously keep the thawed mysis in the fridge, but how quickly does it need to be used before it "spoils"?

Depends how much feeding you do, how many fish you have, size of them, etc. I can make a squeeze bottle of food, the large bottles BRS sells, and it will last me 3 weeks give or take.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Maybe its a personal preference in that I can better judge how much i'm feeding with a squeeze bottle of frozen foods vs pellets or flakes, but yea i've just never had the nutrient issues with frozen like i do dry foods.

OG def agreed.
i cube or break it off. flakes are snacks. btw the new PE mysis pellets are GOOOD. stinky to. the LPS all open up when I drop it in. I usually soak it.

 

[goldenhurricane2]

Depends how much feeding you do, how many fish you have, size of them, etc. I can make a squeeze bottle of food, the large bottles BRS sells, and it will last me 3 weeks give or take.

I have a 55 gallon with 6 relatively small fish (pair of clowns, two blennies, damsel, and a royal gramma) and I only feed once per day. So you keep a bottle of melted shrimp in your fridge for around 3 weeks?

 

[CodyRVA]

I have a 55 gallon with 6 relatively small fish (pair of clowns, two blennies, damsel, and a royal gramma) and I only feed once per day. So you keep a bottle of melted shrimp in your fridge for around 3 weeks?

Yep, doesn't seem to break down at all, looks just as good on the last day as it did on day 1. If you're skeptical, make a small batch and see how it goes. As long as you keep it refrigerated you should be fine as long as its not sitting in there for forever.

 

[goldenhurricane2]

Nice - well I'm definitely going to give that a try. I noticed you said you used a bottle from BRS - what exactly are you referring to?