Help with Color

[gtrider]

All,

I've been growing SPS in my tank for about 8mo and things have gone very well.

I have focused on keeping my parameters stable.

I think i'm at the point now where i want to start working on the SPS color.

I have very high Phosphates (.73ppm the last i checked), and i believe this is keeping my SPS to color-up to their highest potential.

Has anyone successfully slowly lowered their phosphates? I want to do it very gradual.

 

[jda]

A lot of people have. Lowering the is no issue as long as you go really slow... but you know this already.

GFO and Lan Chloride can both work, but frequent, small changes and does are what you need.

Once you get below .1, then take even more care to not bottom out. I do think that you will find more color. After lighting, elevated N over about 20-25 and P over about .25 have always led to dull color that I have seen... not all where some SPS are still fine, but others are dull.

 

[gtrider]

A lot of people have. Lowering the is no issue as long as you go really slow... but you know this already.

GFO and Lan Chloride can both work, but frequent, small changes and does are what you need.

Once you get below .1, then take even more care to not bottom out. I do think that you will find more color. After lighting, elevated N over about 20-25 and P over about .25 have always led to dull color that I have seen... not all where some SPS are still fine, but others are dull.

Thanks @jda . I was thinking about getting the small BRS reactor and using very small amounts of rowaphos while monitoring levels closely.. i have a hanna phosphate checker... and bringing the level down very slow. Do you think this is a good approach?

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Dose lanthium. Its so cheap and easy to use compared to gfo in a reactor. I used a gfo and a reactor for years and I will never go back once I found lanthium.

 

[gtrider]

Dose lanthium. Its so cheap and easy to use compared to gfo in a reactor. I used a gfo and a reactor for years and I will never go back once I found lanthium.

Interesting! I will do some research! Thank you @DesertReefT4r

 

[Sod Buster]

I agree, phosphate rx is so much easier than messing around with a reactor. If you follow the instructions, safer also because you control the dose.

 

[Grsfish]

Hi. I’m sort of in the same boat as you. When I got the Hanna checker realized mine was about .5. I have been using phosphate rx. which has lanthanum in it and it has worked great so far. Watch melevsreef on youtube. He does a good review on it

 

[gtrider]

Hi. I’m sort of in the same boat as you. When I got the Hanna checker realized mine was about .5. I have been using phosphate rx. which has lanthanum in it and it has worked great so far. Watch melevsreef on youtube. He does a good review on it

So funny you said that! I'm watching the melevesreef youtube vid right now. haha
Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to give it a go... and take it very slow. I don't want to mess up what i've built so far.

 

[Sod Buster]

I have a Herbie drain and drip it into the overflow. If you get the strong pure stuff, you need to drip it through a very fine filter sock to catch the precipitation.

 

[gtrider]

i see that BRS doesn't carry phosphate RX? strange. I have a gift cert. anyone used phosphate-e from brightwell?

 

[Sod Buster]

That appears to be diluted even more. Instead of drops, you'll use Ml's of product.

 

[Sod Buster]

Another that is diluted like that is agent green from atm.

 

[jda]

I feel like this needs a reminder, but if your tank P is high, then you have a lot of P bound in the aragonite. When the water level gets lower, the aragonite will release some and bounce the levels back up to usually just below where they were the last time - this can take a day or two. What you want to avoid is the following example where the levels bounce up and down quickly...

Day 1: use LC/GFO and take .50 down to .05
Day 3: aragonite released, tank P is now .46
Day 4: use LC/GFO to take .46 down to .05
Day 6: aragonite release back up to .42
Day7: use LC/GFO to take .42 down to .05
....

You want to avoid the roller coaster with most acropora and even some Z&P and LPS that are prone to melting. Some corals will not care at all, but this is the SPS forum, so I thought that this would be a good mention. The best approach is to use very little more often so that the drift from .50 to .42 in this example, is linear and slow.

I feel that nearly all healthy acropora can handle a few big swings, but after a while, they all get stressed.

 

[gtrider]

I feel like this needs a reminder, but if your tank P is high, then you have a lot of P bound in the aragonite. When the water level gets lower, the aragonite will release some and bounce the levels back up to usually just below where they were the last time - this can take a day or two. What you want to avoid is the following example where the levels bounce up and down quickly...

Day 1: use LC/GFO and take .50 down to .05
Day 3: aragonite released, tank P is now .46
Day 4: use LC/GFO to take .46 down to .05
Day 6: aragonite release back up to .42
Day7: use LC/GFO to take .42 down to .05
....

You want to avoid the roller coaster with most acropora and even some Z&P and LPS that are prone to melting. Some corals will not care at all, but this is the SPS forum, so I thought that this would be a good mention. The best approach is to use very little more often so that the drift from .50 to .42 in this example, is linear and slow.

I feel that nearly all healthy acropora can handle a few big swings, but after a while, they all get stressed.

This is great advice. Thank you. I just ordered some phosphate rx

 

[MrObscura]

I know Wwc uses phosphate-e when they need to lower po4. Read some horror stories about LC, but used properly and in low doses it should be fine, considering Wwc uses it in tanks with some very valuable fish/corals.

At .73 you'll propably need to take larger measures but Ive just been feeding less and doing water changes to balance po4 after dirtying up my tank to combat dinos.

 

[gtrider]

I know Wwc uses phosphate-e when they need to lower po4. Read some horror stories about LC, but used properly and in low doses it should be fine, considering Wwc uses it in tanks with some very valuable fish/corals.

At .73 you'll propably need to take larger measures but Ive just been feeding less and doing water changes to balance po4 after dirtying up my tank to combat dinos.

Yeah i'm going to be careful and go slow. I'm in no rush. I have zero algae and the corals are doing great.. i'm hoping to get some more color. i also think my zoas would be better off with lower phosphates.. they don't seem too happy all of the time.

 

[touchstone88]

All,

I've been growing SPS in my tank for about 8mo and things have gone very well.

I have focused on keeping my parameters stable.

I think i'm at the point now where i want to start working on the SPS color.

I have very high Phosphates (.73ppm the last i checked), and i believe this is keeping my SPS to color-up to their highest potential.

Has anyone successfully slowly lowered their phosphates? I want to do it very gradual.

Running GFO could possibly shock/starve the SPS- dropping from a nutrient rich environment to a ULN tank. imho, unless you have a couple additives to replace these nutes your extracting. Dropping from .73 to .05 is a quite the range.

FWIW, reef roids works wonders for my SPS (1/8th the recommended dose), I recently began polyp booster and have seen substantial increase of polyp extension. Do you run HID lighting?

 

[gtrider]

Running GFO could possibly shock/starve the SPS- dropping from a nutrient rich environment to a ULN tank. imho, unless you have a couple additives to replace these nutes your extracting. Dropping from .73 to .05 is a quite the range.

Thanks. I'm not planning on that dramatic of a drop. I'm hoping to get around .15, .25 and stick in that range. i'm going to do this very gradually too.

 

[touchstone88]

Thanks. I'm not planning on that dramatic of a drop. I'm hoping to get around .15, .25 and stick in that range. i'm going to do this very gradually too.

No worries, I've considered the same thing. But the results I have from high nute tank has me wondering about GFO. I used to run it all the time on previous tanks, vodka dosing etc.. Beginning to wonder if phosphates aren't all that bad

Sounds good man

 

[touchstone88]

Thanks. I'm not planning on that dramatic of a drop. I'm hoping to get around .15, .25 and stick in that range. i'm going to do this very gradually too.

FWIW, Cermedia is worth a look if you're not using it already