Rick's Reefing Adventures
Active Member
Hey!
On my previous tank, I always struggled with bottomed-out Po4 and No3, which led to dinos, poor coral health, and overall instability. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t fully fix it. Now that I’ve upgraded to a 25G tank, I’m facing the same issue again.
After feeding, the sand is covered in food, but my conch, crab, and snails eat all the leftovers. Still, no algae, no unusual issues—but also no detectable nutrients.
The new tank has been running for about three months now.
Any tips would be highly appreciated. I'm thinking about hooking up No3 and Po4 to a doser, but then I'd have to remove the Power Elixer and AFR, which means I'd have to start with waterchanges again...
On my previous tank, I always struggled with bottomed-out Po4 and No3, which led to dinos, poor coral health, and overall instability. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t fully fix it. Now that I’ve upgraded to a 25G tank, I’m facing the same issue again.
What I’m Currently Doing:
- Stopped water changes
- Weekly testing and dosing: Every week (on what used to be water change day), I test and dose back up to No3 at 10ppm and Po4 at 0.1ppm. However, within a week, levels drop back to nearly zero (tested with Hanna and Salifert).
- Removed my skimmer
- Lowered flow: This allows more detritus to settle, making my filter roller take longer to advance.
Feeding Adjustments (Daily Basis):
I also tried the simple approach of “feeding more.” Despite significantly increasing feeding, I still see no algae growth on the rocks, sand, or glass—there’s no visible sign of nutrients. The only thing I am noticing is an increase is bristle worms.- Pellets: 3–4 pinches (previously 1 pinch)
- Frozen mysis: 2 cubes (previously 0.5 cubes)
- AF Zoa food: 3 scoops (only need 1)
- Dutch Reef Roids copy: 3x the amount I used before
- AF Power Elixir: 5mL
After feeding, the sand is covered in food, but my conch, crab, and snails eat all the leftovers. Still, no algae, no unusual issues—but also no detectable nutrients.
Current Stock:
- 2 Clownfish
- 1 Purple Firefish
- 1 Banggai Cardinal
The new tank has been running for about three months now.
Any tips would be highly appreciated. I'm thinking about hooking up No3 and Po4 to a doser, but then I'd have to remove the Power Elixer and AFR, which means I'd have to start with waterchanges again...
