Should I ditch the carbon/gfo??

Michael43 · Aug 10, 2016

I can get some pics tomorrow. For the most part the corals and tank are doing very well. It's just a few chalices that lost some color and look a little fuzzy white and I lost a couple sps pieces with paling on more and don't have great color coming from a lot of them but maybe I'm expecting too much. I have great growth in some sps in a short period of time and others haven't grown even a bit after months. I understand some have easier care and are faster growers. I do appreciate your input. As for the dosing of stuff. I'll certainly stop and give it a chance. I only dose these based on advice from other members and local reefers. I can say after dosing acro power, which I only started about a month ago I noticed a good difference in some corals. I will cut out the strontium, iodine and lps aminos. Should I add trace elements? I'm guessing my Red Sea coral pro salt has those. I do weekly water changes of about 15%. More than that and my alk jumps too much due to the high # in Red Sea coral pro. By big 3 I assume you mean alk, ca and mag? I do dose them via apex and levels are pretty consistent. I do keep a pretty well stocked tank with fish. Most smaller fish and they get some pellets in the morning and frozen once a day feedings. I do dip any new corals I get as well. I only really run the uv with hopes of keeping a bacteria bloom or free floating parasite possibility at bay. It does make the water very clear as well. Oh and tank is up about 8 months. I think that's everything you mentioned

Ike · Aug 10, 2016

Michael43 said:
I can get some pics tomorrow. For the most part the corals and tank are doing very well. It's just a few chalices that lost some color and look a little fuzzy white and I lost a couple sps pieces with paling on more and don't have great color coming from a lot of them but maybe I'm expecting too much. I have great growth in some sps in a short period of time and others haven't grown even a bit after months. I understand some have easier care and are faster growers. I do appreciate your input. As for the dosing of stuff. I'll certainly stop and give it a chance. I only dose these based on advice from other members and local reefers. I can say after dosing acro power, which I only started about a month ago I noticed a good difference in some corals. I will cut out the strontium, iodine and lps aminos. Should I add trace elements? I'm guessing my Red Sea coral pro salt has those. I do weekly water changes of about 15%. More than that and my alk jumps too much due to the high # in Red Sea coral pro. By big 3 I assume you mean alk, ca and mag? I do dose them via apex and levels are pretty consistent. I do keep a pretty well stocked tank with fish. Most smaller fish and they get some pellets in the morning and frozen once a day feedings. I do dip any new corals I get as well. I only really run the uv with hopes of keeping a bacteria bloom or free floating parasite possibility at bay. It does make the water very clear as well. Oh and tank is up about 8 months. I think that's everything you mentioned

With 15% weekly changes should be more than enough to maintain all trace elements as well as well as strontium and potassium (if they're even depleted and needed in any way).

What's your photo period like and what type of lighting are you using? Some of the things your describing could also be related to too or exacerbated by too much light...

Usually when people dose amino acids such as acro power and notice an improvement it's a good sign that their nutrients are too low. Amino acid supplements probably aren't a whole lot more than a really expensive nitrogen source. Generally they seem pretty harmless other than potentially helping a little more algae/cyanobacteria grow. A lot of what you describe points to you possibly driving some nutrients dangerously low, perhaps it could have just been for a short time some weeks ago and you're just now seeing the damage. One of the frustrating things about this hobby is it only takes things being out of wack for a short time to do some damage that could take a coral months to recover from.

Take it easy on the gfo and gac, simplify things a bit, and I have a feeling things will be on the upswing.

Lastly, I'd be really skeptical of future advice from anyone that gas told you to add those supplements.

Good luck!

Michael43 · Aug 11, 2016

I use ecotech radion xr30G3 Pros. I run the SPS-AB program at 50%. I have a lux meter but not par meter so not sure where par really is but its a common light setup and schedule. I want to find a nice schedule for my vortechs tho. I have always run them at 55% constant. I want to maybe develop a more custom map for them. I test pretty regularly. My nitrates are generally in the 2-5 range which I'm happy about considering the amount of fish and feedings I have. My phos levels are usually in the .01-.02 range according to hanna ulr using about 1/3 the recommended gfo amount. I tried running about 10% or so the recommended gfo amount for about a week recently and phos went up to the .03-.04 range so a I added a little more during my last waterchange and it came back down to my usual levels. My salifert kit always say 0 for phos so I don't trust it. what about iodine? Should I be adding that you think? I have some inverts. Lastly you think I should disconnect my UV? I love how clear my water always is and, knock on wood, I am yet to have ich or bacteria blooms since I don't have a QT before adding fish. I don't plan on really adding anymore until I can find my last 2 grail fish and I don't see that being anytime soon.