Necessary Trace Elements for FOWLR?

[twentyleagues]

Let’s ask @Paul B how many icp test he’s done or how many trace elements he doses, his tank is 47 years old or something crazy like that! He’s got a pair of clowns over 20 years old if I remember correctly… haha! I don’t think he even changes water

I was going to mention Paul. I think he does or at least did some small amount yearly maybe? lol I know he says there is still probably water in his tank that is 47+ years old now. I dont think most people can be Paul though.

 

[Marquarium]

I would not worry about n and p at any level for the fish. I would do nothing for those levels right now other than water changes. The water changes would be mostly to replenish calc, alk, yes they would remove some n and p too. What kind of caulerpa do you have and how much? You may need to give the caulerpa some iron and manganese but remember food you feed the fish will also add stuff like this so it will be more of a how healthy does the macro look and is it growing? My reef tank runs at around 30n and .09-.12p with caulerpa feather and grape and I need to harvest it every 2 weeks. Levels stay pretty steady week to week, for the first year they slowly rose until they leveled off. I do have a lot of corals that help as well and I do not think your macro alone will handle the bio load in time unless there is a lot of it and a lot of room for it to grow. I have not done a water change in I dont know how long to remove n or p. I did a 30g change (about 20%) to remove meds in august. I do dose afr but its a reef tank so I have to dose something. What kind of fish do you have? What size is the tank?

I started the refugium about a month ago and you gave me the idea to harvest it. I've been controlling excess nusiance algae if any but not harvesting caulerpa. And wow... I was able to harvest a TON and still leave a huge portion.

I'm just a little worried because in my old tank (which I saw you posted on!) I had nitrate issues like crazy. It was definitely heavy stocked but even large water changes didn't help. I realize now I was doing a lot wrong and my bioballs became nitrate factories. Now I need to prevent the matrix I have in my sump from doing the same.

 

[Jerry Barnes]

I’ve got a 10 year old 400 FOWLR stuffed with fish. I do not dose anything. Change 100 gallons monthly. I was running nitrates at 200 and the fish seemed perfectly happy. I installed two Reefmat 1200’s and now I run around 30 nitrates. If you are worried about nitrates I can tell you the filter rollers make a huge difference

 

[Marquarium]

I’ve got a 10 year old 400 FOWLR stuffed with fish. I do not dose anything. Change 100 gallons monthly. I was running nitrates at 200 and the fish seemed perfectly happy. I installed two Reefmat 1200’s and now I run around 30 nitrates. If you are worried about nitrates I can tell you the filter rollers make a huge difference

I wonder if I could fit one in my chamber with the skimmer and then stop using filter socks. I hate changing out filter socks. I like this idea, just don't know if it'd fit.

 

[Marquarium]

A little concerned as nitrates were at 25 today and I did a 10% water change yesterday. I did harvest a lot of the refugium. Either way it increased ~5ppm since last check and I even did the change.


Also the cleanup crew may be doing a really good job but all the algae I've let grow on the back walls is all gone and not coming back. This tank looks super new for how heavy stocked it is and how long it has been running. Weird the nitrates show 25ppm.

 

[twentyleagues]

A little concerned as nitrates were at 25 today and I did a 10% water change yesterday. I did harvest a lot of the refugium. Either way it increased ~5ppm since last check and I even did the change.


Also the cleanup crew may be doing a really good job but all the algae I've let grow on the back walls is all gone and not coming back. This tank looks super new for how heavy stocked it is and how long it has been running. Weird the nitrates show 25ppm.

That will happen after harvest. They will recede again if input does not increase. 25n is not a worry at all.

 

[Louis Z]

If you keep inverts with in the FOWLR . U should do water changes . Build up of some elements may become toxic . If you don’t test and no water changes , you may end up with unexplained invert deaths . I think starfish and urchins are quick to go if something is too high .

 

[maxberter]

I have a FOWLR. At one point my shrimps died and I realized that they hadn't molted in a long time and I wondered if that's why they died. Some research suggested they need iodine to molt. So I started dosing iodine. Still do. But dont really know if its needed. I also do weekly water changes (always have).

 

[CrewePD210]

ould hate to put a crab in my small tank and it's a cr

If you keep inverts with in the FOWLR . U should do water changes . Build up of some elements may become toxic . If you don’t test and no water changes , you may end up with unexplained invert deaths . I think starfish and urchins are quick to go if something is too high .

I though a FOWLR had no inverts. That is what thew FO part is? I'm thinking about putting Asternia stars in mine so my puffer and trigger fish will have something to snack on.

 

[Louis Z]

I though a FOWLR had no inverts. That is what thew FO part is? I'm thinking about putting Asternia stars in mine so my puffer and trigger fish will have something to snack on.

Inverts meaning cuc . Snails , crabs , urchins .

 

[Louis Z]

I have a FOWLR too but keep CUC to eat any leftover food or food that drifts under the rocks . I look at it as necessity for a healthy tank . Some inverts become food for the fish too . I have amphipods and copepods that I see my fish go after .

 

[Puggz]

One of my FOWLR tanks has still not needed a water change ever since I set it up ~4 months ago. Nitrates will not go above 18ppm and since this is a FOWLR I was going to start doing water changes once they hit 30. After all this time it still has still been in the 13-18ppm range.

I know for a reef tank I would need to be dosing trace elements that are depleted by the corals. But for a FOWLR what do I have to replenish if I am not doing water changes?

A LFS said I need to still be doing water changes to get trace elements the fish need. I've been thinking Seachem's Marine Trace for fish would've been enough though.
Reading online I've seen mixed things but most people don't seem to mention trace elements for fish.

QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION:
Should I be doing water changes on a FOWLR if the fish are all doing well and nitrates are not above 20?
Should I start doing water changes because if I don't down the line nitrates could become a problem? (Thinking of doing small 10% changes 2-4 times a month)
If I don't need to do water changes, what should I be dosing for fish?


Thanks!

I would take your LFS advise with a grain of salt (no pun intended) because they just want to sell salt and additives.
Are you running a refugium? How are you keeping your nitrates in check? Your answers are on this forum - we just need for info.