LPS dominant tank- How to keep nutrients up?

[cracker]

I'm dosing Seachem also. A little more work but more controllable.

 

[LV3]

How long before you noticed results?

I was reading zero in my test kits for both NO3 and PO4 and dosed a small amount of sodium nitrate to get the tank registering a detectable value. You could try seachem flourish which is their line of nitrate and phosphorus additives. Once I got the nutrients where I wanted, the tank has been on auto-pilot nutrient-wise with the chaeto and skimmer doing the nutrient export. Hope that helps.

 

[Semper.Reefing]

I have an exclusively LPS 60G tank with well over 50 different LPS, and I would remove the filter socks and slow down on skimming. I do not use filter socks and do not skim. I also feed very heavily. I feed fish at least 3-5 times a day (smaller amounts of food, mostly dry) and corals every other day (huge amounts of food, mostly frozen).

It is also important to feed LPS correctly. You should try to avoid dramatically changing flow (blasting a coral with a big burst from a turkey baster is a no no) or else many LPS will go into a defensive response and will actually develop a snot-like layer. They will then discard this layer of mucus (including all the food you thought was sticking and being eaten by your coral) after a few minutes. Many people think they are feeding their LPS, when really they are just encouraging a defensive response that actually creates a loss of energy for their corals. If you don't see the food go 100% into the corals mouth, don't consider it fed.

When I feed my LPS, I blanket the entire tank with mass amounts of tiny particle frozen and powdered food. This encourages a strong feeding response, and has trained my LPS to feed in the day without any need to turn off pumps. After blanketing the tank with tiny particle food, I wait for the feeding response. I then strategically drop in larger pieces directly upflow from the corals I want to feed with a turkey baster. If you are gentle enough, you can also use tweezers to directly place larger pieces onto the coral itself, but you must do this very gently. By feeding this way you will notice many of your LPS become very good at catching food from the water during regular day to day flow, and you will also have less poaching of food by shrimp, hermits, bristleworms, starfish, etc. because there is so much food everywhere for everyone.

This is my strategy and you may choose to not feed LPS at all (many don't feed). But feeding promotes strong growth, I think a variety of foods is also an important factor. I feed frozen mysis, cyclops, brine, and reef frenzy as well as a host of dry foods such as various pellets, nori, flake, powders, and zooplankton/associated fluids. If you do feed more, don't start dumping extra food in right away , gradually increase your feeding to allow your tank time to adjust. Your LPS will benefit immensely from extra food in the water. It may sound contradictory, but I've seen a marked decrease in algae growth in my display (have a refugium where algae continues to grow quickly at all times) with increased regular feedings.

I also would not worry about your nitrates/phosphates unless you see problems. Chasing numbers can present a host of problems by itself (inaccurate test kits being one of the biggest issues), and I have personally never tested a tank for nitrates or phosphates. I have been reefing since 2005, and I have always found its best to observe first and test second (then even double check your tests at an LFS if you have any doubts). Side note, I think Mg, Ca and Alk are much more important to test (as well as PH and salinity of course).

In regards to phyto, I would increase your live plankton if possible. Live plankton is extremely beneficial for any reef and it is underused in this hobby. Live is less potent than the concentrated plankton in your LFS's fridge, so using more is usually not a problem if you gradually increase your dosing and watch how your tank responds. I'm currently dosing 2.5 liters every week, so that equates to over 300 ml a day, or 5 ml per gallon. This may seem like a lot and makes my water a little green for a minute, but my tank greedily consumes this amount in no time. I have feather dusters popping up everywhere.

If you read this entire novel, congratulations. I hope you got something useful. Best of luck!

Two years later but thank you for the insight! I just upgraded to a 75 gallon with a 20 long sump built with a larger refugium. I decided that I’m going to make this a dominant LPS tank. I will keep this “novel” in mind. Thank you!

 

[ajtomase]

I have an exclusively LPS 60G tank with well over 50 different LPS, and I would remove the filter socks and slow down on skimming. I do not use filter socks and do not skim. I also feed very heavily. I feed fish at least 3-5 times a day (smaller amounts of food, mostly dry) and corals every other day (huge amounts of food, mostly frozen).

It is also important to feed LPS correctly. You should try to avoid dramatically changing flow (blasting a coral with a big burst from a turkey baster is a no no) or else many LPS will go into a defensive response and will actually develop a snot-like layer. They will then discard this layer of mucus (including all the food you thought was sticking and being eaten by your coral) after a few minutes. Many people think they are feeding their LPS, when really they are just encouraging a defensive response that actually creates a loss of energy for their corals. If you don't see the food go 100% into the corals mouth, don't consider it fed.

When I feed my LPS, I blanket the entire tank with mass amounts of tiny particle frozen and powdered food. This encourages a strong feeding response, and has trained my LPS to feed in the day without any need to turn off pumps. After blanketing the tank with tiny particle food, I wait for the feeding response. I then strategically drop in larger pieces directly upflow from the corals I want to feed with a turkey baster. If you are gentle enough, you can also use tweezers to directly place larger pieces onto the coral itself, but you must do this very gently. By feeding this way you will notice many of your LPS become very good at catching food from the water during regular day to day flow, and you will also have less poaching of food by shrimp, hermits, bristleworms, starfish, etc. because there is so much food everywhere for everyone.

This is my strategy and you may choose to not feed LPS at all (many don't feed). But feeding promotes strong growth, I think a variety of foods is also an important factor. I feed frozen mysis, cyclops, brine, and reef frenzy as well as a host of dry foods such as various pellets, nori, flake, powders, and zooplankton/associated fluids. If you do feed more, don't start dumping extra food in right away , gradually increase your feeding to allow your tank time to adjust. Your LPS will benefit immensely from extra food in the water. It may sound contradictory, but I've seen a marked decrease in algae growth in my display (have a refugium where algae continues to grow quickly at all times) with increased regular feedings.

I also would not worry about your nitrates/phosphates unless you see problems. Chasing numbers can present a host of problems by itself (inaccurate test kits being one of the biggest issues), and I have personally never tested a tank for nitrates or phosphates. I have been reefing since 2005, and I have always found its best to observe first and test second (then even double check your tests at an LFS if you have any doubts). Side note, I think Mg, Ca and Alk are much more important to test (as well as PH and salinity of course).

In regards to phyto, I would increase your live plankton if possible. Live plankton is extremely beneficial for any reef and it is underused in this hobby. Live is less potent than the concentrated plankton in your LFS's fridge, so using more is usually not a problem if you gradually increase your dosing and watch how your tank responds. I'm currently dosing 2.5 liters every week, so that equates to over 300 ml a day, or 5 ml per gallon. This may seem like a lot and makes my water a little green for a minute, but my tank greedily consumes this amount in no time. I have feather dusters popping up everywhere.

If you read this entire novel, congratulations. I hope you got something useful. Best of luck!

I would love to see a picture of this tank!!