Managing nutrient spikes after coral feeding

[tzabor10]

Looking for any and all opinions.
I have started to take nutrient management seriously. PO4 was at 1.6 and currently got it slowly to .5 thanks to Rowaphos
NO3 hangs out around.24.
I have reduced fish feeding (Reef Jerky by Avast)
Also started testing much more often.
But nutrients spike the day after coral feeding ( Reef Roids and Benepellets).
Would you recommend using Elimaphos and Elima-NP the morning after an evening feeding to prevent this spike?
Thanks

 

[KrisReef]

I’m struggling to understand why you are suddenly focusing on your nutrients, are the corals not healthy, are you trying to make them more colorful or grow faster or?

The idea of feeding corals and then stripping the water of nutrients is similar to the problem humans have, clinicians call the thing bulimia nervosa, binge eating and then purging the food.

Your reasoning for nutrient “management”?

Just hoping to figure out what you are thinking about doing and why, to help focus the conversation and make it as productive as possible for all.

 

[tzabor10]

I’m struggling to understand why you are suddenly focusing on your nutrients, are the corals not healthy, are you trying to make them more colorful or grow faster or?

The idea of feeding corals and then stripping the water of nutrients is similar to the problem humans have, clinicians call the thing bulimia nervosa, binge eating and then purging the food.

Your reasoning for nutrient “management”?

Just hoping to figure out what you are thinking about doing and why, to help focus the conversation and make it as productive as possible for all.

Kris,
I have bryopsis that is quite difficult to manage. I hope to stop it from growing. Also, I have some nice SPS that just doesn’t grow. Lowering phosphate and nitrate seems to be a way to handle two problems.
I am removing algae by hand as well as removing rocks to scrub. Squirting peroxide on the scrubbed algae helps as well.
In regards to the bulimia, I have heard several experienced reefers talking about High input High output. Adding a lot of food, and pulling out the extra.
Thank you

 

[KrisReef]

An old remedy for bryopsis is raising the magnesium levels to 1500ppm. I had bryopsis that went away after raising Mg in my reef. I don’t remember if I focused on phosphate or nitrogen levels when I raised Mg?

I do remember that bryopsis was a scourge, but it went away after raising Mg in the system I had running.

 

[JTP424]

After the spike does it stay raised? How much of an impact would lessening the dose of benepellets/reef roids?
Completely understand the high input high output. Just seeing if there is a way to lessen the spike, without adding more? Does that make sense?
Someone who is more experienced may be able to speak up regarding quick high nutrient export.
.... Actually.... How often do you coral feed? Do you perform water changes? If so, is it possible to tie a water change in with correlation to how often you feed?

 

[tzabor10]

An old remedy for bryopsis is raising the magnesium levels to 1500ppm. I had bryopsis that went away after raising Mg in my reef. I don’t remember if I focused on phosphate or nitrogen levels when I raised Mg?

I do remember that bryopsis was a scourge, but it went away after raising Mg in the system I had running.

Excellent idea. One tank with higher Magnesium has lower Bryopsis. I’ll certainly try ramping it up.
Thanks

 

[tzabor10]

After the spike does it stay raised? How much of an impact would lessening the dose of benepellets/reef roids?
Completely understand the high input high output. Just seeing if there is a way to lessen the spike, without adding more? Does that make sense?
Someone who is more experienced may be able to speak up regarding quick high nutrient export.
.... Actually.... How often do you coral feed? Do you perform water changes? If so, is it possible to tie a water change in with correlation to how often you feed?

Water changes once a week. Usually Saturday and Sunday for one tank and the other. 12% in my 120 gallon and 20% in the 75gallon. I feed twice a week. Reef Roids for the smaller corals. But the 75 has a dozen anemone, 3 Lobo, cynarina, and a meat coral. They get the benepellets.
The nitrates and phosphate do drop a few days later. Adding chemicals to help speed up the process is a new idea for this week.
Also, I am testing much more frequently to track these things.

 

[JTP424]

Water changes once a week. Usually Saturday and Sunday for one tank and the other. 12% in my 120 gallon and 20% in the 75gallon. I feed twice a week. Reef Roids for the smaller corals. But the 75 has a dozen anemone, 3 Lobo, cynarina, and a meat coral. They get the benepellets.
The nitrates and phosphate do drop a few days later. Adding chemicals to help speed up the process is a new idea for this week.
Also, I am testing much more frequently to track these things.

Gotcha, I would see how much your nitrates/phosphates drop after a water change, that will at least help with one of the weekly feedings. The second one, not sure of...
I'm more of a "less chemical" guy :D. If they work for you then ABSOLUTELY use them! We'll keep trying to bump this so others can chime in.

 

[tzabor10]

Gotcha, I would see how much your nitrates/phosphates drop after a water change, that will at least help with one of the weekly feedings. The second one, not sure of...
I'm more of a "less chemical" guy :D. If they work for you then ABSOLUTELY use them! We'll keep trying to bump this so others can chime in.

I am all about less chemicals as well. I am trying to dose 10 ml elimaphos and 5 ml Elima-NP. Not too much. Just taking the edge off of a spike.
Water changes after one feeding would make sense. But doing this twice a week seems cumbersome at this time.

 

[Biokabe]

What's your CUC like in the tank(s) with bryopsis? Filtration? Just the standard socks + skimmer, or do you have a refugium, an ATS, some kind of media reactor, or anything else?

My tank has always been somewhat high nutrient, and for years I had persistent problems with bryopsis and other GHA-type invaders. I finally started winning the fight after I added in the ATS and seriously beefed up my CUC.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Looking for any and all opinions.
I have started to take nutrient management seriously. PO4 was at 1.6 and currently got it slowly to .5 thanks to Rowaphos
NO3 hangs out around.24.
I have reduced fish feeding (Reef Jerky by Avast)
Also started testing much more often.
But nutrients spike the day after coral feeding ( Reef Roids and Benepellets).
Would you recommend using Elimaphos and Elima-NP the morning after an evening feeding to prevent this spike?
Thanks

Before we get too far along, is that really 0.24 ppm, or 24 ppm nitrate?

Bryopsis has traditionally been known as an algae that did well at low nutrients, and trying to starve it out usually fail as far as I know.

I'm not convinced the magnesium being elevated will help, but its not hard to try. I think the effects on it that folks found using Kent Tech M are more likely to have been from an impurity than magnesium itself, since other brands did not always work.

 

[KrisReef]

Before we get too far along, is that really 0.24 ppm, or 24 ppm nitrate?

Bryopsis has traditionally been known as an algae that did well at low nutrients, and trying to starve it out usually fail as far as I know.

I'm not convinced the magnesium being elevated will help, but its not hard to try. I think the effects on it that folks found using Kent Tech M are more likely to have been from an impurity than magnesium itself, since other brands did not always work.

Randy,

My experience with Mg was using bulk salts to increase the concentration of Mg. The only thing that gives me pause in that result was your observation that our hobby test kits are not very good at determining the actual concentrations of Mg. I did add a lot of magnesium powder and the bryopsis seemed to respond fairly quickly as it faded away.

It wasn’t a careful science test but I did have good results.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy,

My experience with Mg was using bulk salts to increase the concentration of Mg. The only thing that gives me pause in that result was your observation that our hobby test kits are not very good at determining the actual concentrations of Mg. I did add a lot of magnesium powder and the bryopsis seemed to respond fairly quickly as it faded away.

It wasn’t a careful science test but I did have good results.

I don’t doubt that. The question still remains, I think, whether it is magnesium or an impurity, but there’s no big apparent risk in trying. :)

 

[tzabor10]

What's your CUC like in the tank(s) with bryopsis? Filtration? Just the standard socks + skimmer, or do you have a refugium, an ATS, some kind of media reactor, or anything else?

My tank has always been somewhat high nutrient, and for years I had persistent problems with bryopsis and other GHA-type invaders. I finally started winning the fight after I added in the ATS and seriously beefed up my CUC.

For both tanks:
CUC is red legged hermits ( but they often die off or are killed)
Margarita turbo snails
Periscope snails
Collector urchins.
The urchins are doing most of the work.
I move snails and urchins a few times a week to the more affected areas.
I have been running Rowaphos in a reactor. I like it better than GFO because I don’t get iron spikes.
Also run carbon, changed monthly.
Both have the Trigger fleece rolls. They can be fussy to set up, but I love the ease of use. Set up on timers, not sensors.
Reef octopus skimmers. Both set up for a wet skim. Adjusted weekly as needed.
But overfeeding is my downfall.

 

[tzabor10]

Before we get too far along, is that really 0.24 ppm, or 24 ppm nitrate?

Bryopsis has traditionally been known as an algae that did well at low nutrients, and trying to starve it out usually fail as far as I know.

I'm not convinced the magnesium being elevated will help, but its not hard to try. I think the effects on it that folks found using Kent Tech M are more likely to have been from an impurity than magnesium itself, since other brands did not always work.

24 for nitrate. It spiked to 48 or so the morning after feeding.
Thanks for catching my error.
I really appreciate the high quality feedback on this issue.