Refugium too effective? Should i feed zoas and how long before adding sps?

[NicholasP]

Hello everyone, my refugium has been running for around 10 or 15 days now and it dropped my no2 and no3 to undetectable levels. My phosphates are still pretty high (po4>2ppm).

My temp, ph, dkh, calcium, mg, sr, iodine and salinity are all constantly perfect, and all my livestock are thriving. My clowns, urchin, hermit and snail are happy and eating constantly, My discosoma grew twice it's size and my zoas are open wide and luminous with a couple of new polyps.
I use Aquaforests Reef+ salt for my water changes.
The question is, should I start feeding the zoas with such low no2 and no3? Should I try some carbon dosing? And should I wait for the refugium to soak up the po4, or use some kind of phosphate remover to get rid of them?

Also how long should I wait before delving into the sps realm? I currently ordered one more cheap zoa frag and a gsp to add some movement to my aquarium.

I would like to add a shelf like Monti and a couple of lps like a galaxea (which I really like but I heavily dislike it's aggressiveness, I'm really hesitant), and an acanthastrea plug.

Thanks a lot in advance everyone! This has been the most welcoming and helpful reed aquarium community I've been part of so far!

 

[Tahoe61]

What are you feeding the fish?
I am not a fan of aggressively bringing down phos levels when the corals and tank inhabitants are doing well.
You could turn off the skimmer if applicable. Increase feedings, but avoid foods that can increase phosphate values, such as roids and frozen foods.
You could use water changes to lower the phosphate.
Both my tanks have nitrates of 5, I use NeoNitro to maintain and increase nitrate levels.
I would not add sps until the nitrate and phosphate values are stable.

 

[NicholasP]

I turned off the skimmer for now. I feed microbe lift marine grain for the fish, and I also have some microbe lift powdered coral food from the previous owner, that I have not used yet as my pipette hasn't arrived. Should I feed the zoas and the disco when the pipette arrives?
Thanks a lot!

 

[Tahoe61]

I turned off the skimmer for now. I feed microbe lift marine grain for the fish, and I also have some microbe lift powdered coral food from the previous owner, that I have not used yet as my pipette hasn't arrived. Should I feed the zoas and the disco when the pipette arrives?
Thanks a lot!

I would not. If lighting is sufficient the zooxanthellae within the coral will provide carbohydrates/sugars.
If the corals appear healthy and growing then wait until the tanks nitrate and phosphate values are consistently stable.

 

[VintageReefer]

i dont even think you can feed Zoas. Certainly don’t need to. Just keep parameters normal and give them light

 

[mjszos]

i dont even think you can feed Zoas. Certainly don’t need to. Just keep parameters normal and give them light

I've gotten a decent feeding response from them with ReefRoids, but whether or not it actually does anything - I've got no idea.

 

[VintageReefer]

I've gotten a decent feeding response from them with ReefRoids, but whether or not it actually does anything - I've got no idea.

I don’t think it does
If anything it’s the phosphate boost the roids adds to water

Zoas love dirty water lol

 

[Rjramos]

I run large refugiums with chaeto and find the consumption of nitrates to be more than the downward effect on PO4. To the point I have to add Nitrate to stay off of 0. My PO4 has been up to 2, and I bring it down mostly with water changes. I run my refugium’s lighting accordingly, reverse cycle at night only when nutrients are low, and 24/7 when nutrients are high. Also harvesting the chaeto helps. The skimmer I run with a CO2 scrubber, connected to the Apex and pH controlled, pH below 8.3 skimmer comes in, pH reaches 8.35 skimmer goes off.

 

[mjszos]

I don’t think it does
If anything it’s the phosphate boost the roids adds to water

Zoas love dirty water lol

Lol, that's probably correct.

 

[NicholasP]

All of a sudden one of my zoa colony has closed up most of the polyps, I don't know why. I turned of the skimmer for now and will run the refugium during the night ,and see if it improves. My discosoma is doing alright tho

 

[BryanM]

I would stop feed roids, it is definitely a phosphate increaser. I use benereef.

 

[NicholasP]

Bump

 

[NicholasP]

My zoas are not opening all the polyps and my disco is now pretty retracted as well. The phosphates are at .05ppm now, but no2 no3 is basically untraceable. Are they starving or do you think my lighting is too bright?

 

[Lavey29]

Tank looks dark what are your par levels? Generally add SPS around 10 months unless you are an experienced reefer and know what you're doing

 

[NicholasP]

Tank looks dark what are your par levels? Generally add SPS around 10 months unless you are an experienced reefer and know what you're doing

It's the only wavelength my crappy phone camera will actually take a photo without showing my aquarium as a bright purple rectangle. I ran an actinic color scheme, 80% power, with blue purple red and green without whites, lumini pixie 150

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

There's not really a time frame for when you should add SPS. The best answer, in my opinion, is when the hobbyist is ready. I would not add them personally until you feel very comfortable with your tank's current state, and it's chemistry feels predictable.

Once you are there, look for monti digitata, birdsnest or stylophora as your first go. Good luck mate :)

 

[Lavey29]

It's the only wavelength my crappy phone camera will actually take a photo without showing my aquarium as a bright purple rectangle. I ran an actinic color scheme, 80% power, with blue purple red and green without whites, lumini pixie 150

You want blue and uv on the high end and red and green low about 25%. White is for viewing pleasure mainly. You need to rent a par meeter and par map your tank. Some zoas like low light some like high par. Additionally bottomed out nutrients mean your corals are starving to death.

 

[Poulpo]

Be careful to not nitrogen starve your corals. I had even rhodactis and toadstool die... The ICP was perfect (except low N). Add potassium nitrate or ammonium carbonate or urea... Any nitrogen source until your nitrate are detected again. If it is the problem, the reaction of the corals will be fast (a few days).

 

[Poulpo]

RHF advocate for ammonium carbonate as the best source of nitrogen...

 

[NicholasP]

UPDATE: It wasn't visible on my blues and purples, but opened the whites and the shroom has a think brownish film over it, and my zoa colony have a big brown patch covering some of the polyps, do I guess it's film algae. I will do a peroxide dip and change my zoa placement, higher up w more flow to avoid this from occurring again.
What can I do about the disco, since it can't do well in high flow?