Export/import of nutrients has so many confusers.
I don’t know how to judge “appropriate” feeding except through the following guidelines: all visible food consumed within two minutes and reasonably fat fish. That seems to be a pretty loose definition. I also don’t really have a great handle on light, medium or heavy bioload (fish). There are no obvious guidelines for how many or how large fish should be per gallon. But many people use the term heavy or light bioload, nonetheless. I’ve certainly used those descriptors and visited reefing friends and thought other tanks have looked over or understocked. So it seems we all use our individual rule of thumb for number of fish , size of fish and appropriate feedings. But no other objective measurement except measuring nitrates and phosphates which really doesn’t quite answer whether we have enough fish or feed appropriately.
Then we each have different export schemes. I think universally most of us would like heavy import (so lots of building blocks/food for our coral) coordinated with heavy export so we don’t pollute the tank. And it seems these export schemes can be pretty effective in combination (macroalgae, skimming, siporax, sand, rock, water changes, bio balls, carbon dosing, etc—personally i utilize the first six listed). Plus it seems as tanks get established for longer periods of times, that they become biologically more efficient at export.
Our experience typically comes from our very personal experiences within our universe, our home tank. And we can’t forget that each tank is set up and run somewhat uniquely. Some of the experiences being shared revolve around very specific schemes. I’m not suggesting that there are not universal truths to reef keeping because I’m sure there are. In my universe, with lots of pretty fat fish, my nitrates will go down to .02 ppm or less without KNO3 daily supplements.
I aim for around 5 ppm nitrates but have some latitude and so yes my nitrates occasionally creep up to 10 ppm or more and down to near zero but generally not abruptly. I travel a lot so feedings vary greatly while I’m away—someone feeds and adds the KNO3 while I’m away . Typically upon my return, simply resuming normal feedings and normal nitrate supplementation, the tank equilibrates back to my ideal numbers.
I’ve been dosing nitrate for a good while now and haven't used gfo in what seems like forever (years). Between keeping my fish well fed and dosing nitrate, phosphates get pushed down in my system. I don’t track phosphates frequently though anymore. I track alkalinity and nitrate levels weekly or even more frequently. Now I need to track my phosphates more frequently for perhaps a more knowledgeable disclosure and perhaps routine. I’ve been confident that my feedings have been so heavy (or maybe I should say adequate) that I can’t imagine my phosphates bottoming out with all the food I add. But unless I test weekly, I don’t really know. I just hate the Hanna ULR phosphorus tester—it’s such a pain. I’ve been relying on ICP testing but that is not very frequent.
You have me intrigued with this. Although I have some significant concern about getting nutrients too low because it makes me feel like the tank is on the very edge of a delicate balance. I have presumed rightly or wrongly that with a bit more nitrate and phosphate that I’m less likely to tip the balance against me. But you are correct, “you don’t know unless you know”
I don’t know how to judge “appropriate” feeding except through the following guidelines: all visible food consumed within two minutes and reasonably fat fish. That seems to be a pretty loose definition. I also don’t really have a great handle on light, medium or heavy bioload (fish). There are no obvious guidelines for how many or how large fish should be per gallon. But many people use the term heavy or light bioload, nonetheless. I’ve certainly used those descriptors and visited reefing friends and thought other tanks have looked over or understocked. So it seems we all use our individual rule of thumb for number of fish , size of fish and appropriate feedings. But no other objective measurement except measuring nitrates and phosphates which really doesn’t quite answer whether we have enough fish or feed appropriately.
Then we each have different export schemes. I think universally most of us would like heavy import (so lots of building blocks/food for our coral) coordinated with heavy export so we don’t pollute the tank. And it seems these export schemes can be pretty effective in combination (macroalgae, skimming, siporax, sand, rock, water changes, bio balls, carbon dosing, etc—personally i utilize the first six listed). Plus it seems as tanks get established for longer periods of times, that they become biologically more efficient at export.
Our experience typically comes from our very personal experiences within our universe, our home tank. And we can’t forget that each tank is set up and run somewhat uniquely. Some of the experiences being shared revolve around very specific schemes. I’m not suggesting that there are not universal truths to reef keeping because I’m sure there are. In my universe, with lots of pretty fat fish, my nitrates will go down to .02 ppm or less without KNO3 daily supplements.
I aim for around 5 ppm nitrates but have some latitude and so yes my nitrates occasionally creep up to 10 ppm or more and down to near zero but generally not abruptly. I travel a lot so feedings vary greatly while I’m away—someone feeds and adds the KNO3 while I’m away . Typically upon my return, simply resuming normal feedings and normal nitrate supplementation, the tank equilibrates back to my ideal numbers.
I’ve been dosing nitrate for a good while now and haven't used gfo in what seems like forever (years). Between keeping my fish well fed and dosing nitrate, phosphates get pushed down in my system. I don’t track phosphates frequently though anymore. I track alkalinity and nitrate levels weekly or even more frequently. Now I need to track my phosphates more frequently for perhaps a more knowledgeable disclosure and perhaps routine. I’ve been confident that my feedings have been so heavy (or maybe I should say adequate) that I can’t imagine my phosphates bottoming out with all the food I add. But unless I test weekly, I don’t really know. I just hate the Hanna ULR phosphorus tester—it’s such a pain. I’ve been relying on ICP testing but that is not very frequent.
You have me intrigued with this. Although I have some significant concern about getting nutrients too low because it makes me feel like the tank is on the very edge of a delicate balance. I have presumed rightly or wrongly that with a bit more nitrate and phosphate that I’m less likely to tip the balance against me. But you are correct, “you don’t know unless you know”
