Hey all, I’ve been working on getting my nutrients down in my 90 gal (not sure the size of the sump). This tank is 10+ years old and I’ve started testing recently as I’ve taken over primary care from my father. The nutrients are very high and it struggles to keep coral.
If I've read correctly, the tank is doing well, but has trouble with coral.....do they die? grow too slowly? Or what kind of struggle?
Corals are part animal and animals love nutrients.
The other part of them is plant (dinoflagellate algae) and it also loves nutrients!
I would look at other factors before you get too crazy on the nutrients.
From the log you posted, those numbers aren't too bad IMO....doesn't look "unkempt" at all. :)
blue tang
-Tomini tang
-coral beauty
-mocha Midas clown
-six line wrasse
-2 pajama cardinals
-sunburst butterflyfish
-engineer goby
-longnose hawkfish
-convict damsel (I can’t catch to get him out)
That's a lot of fish in a 90 (Engineer Goby is such a cool fish!!!!), but if it's been that way a while and it is stable, then it is what it is.
Sounds like you are trying thin out the population and that's good.....take your time and dont stress you or the fish out too much in the process.
FYI, nets are not really any good at this. Use something clear like a Lee's catch cup, perhaps using a net to "steer" the fish into the clear container. Much easier than net catching, but still easier said than done. Could be you'll end up needing to drain down the tank and remove some rock though.....cross your fingers but don't hold your breath, as the saying goes.
They’ve been on the way down and recently slipped back upwards as far as phosphate. Any ideas the help with the nutrients? I’ve got aqua forest phosphate remover that I have a power head directed on in my sump for flow, bright well reef biofuel that I’ve been dosing 5ml per day and my protein skimmer +filter sock combo for filtration. I’ve got quite a bit of live stock
Again, I wouldn't sweat the nutrient levels so much. But I will add this...
Make sure you aren't over feeding and that NO food is being wasted, drifting into the rocks and into the filters. Other than that, lowering the bio-load is the only real approach, and as you are finding out that takes time and effort. :) Mostly just try to be patient!
Take it easy with the phosphate remover and bacteria dosing – there's no real problem at hand to be solved, at least not yet.
How's the protein skimmer performing?
What do you have for flow and lighting on the tank? Has it had corals in the past?
My refugium is in the section before my filter sock.
Seems like it's not working. I'd either remove it or rehab it.
It shouldn't really even be necessary if you just want a reef tank, but it's cool if you want a refugium too.
Maybe there's not enough flow or not enough light?
