Sps high nutrients myth?

[saltyfilmfolks]

Lets get this train back on track! Nutrients (nitrates and phosphates), Alk, Flow, Lighting....GO

you first. Whats the BigQ

 

[EJReef]

you first. Whats the BigQ

Will the ocean's reefs still be around after 4 years?

 

[fragit]

you first. Whats the BigQ

I don't really have any at this point. Just didn't want to get too off subject. And I feel I started the tangent so wanted to get things back on track.

 

[edosan]

@JBNY if I understand correct, basically is a 3 to 5 minutes "air" dip? No water of any kind, right?

 

[fragit]

@JBNY if I understand correct, basically is a 3 to 5 minutes "air" dip? No water of any kind, right?

That's what I took him to mean. It makes total sense to me. A lot of corals are left to cook in the sun when tides are low. They produce slime to defend against UV rays and to keep from drying out.

 

[JBNY]

@JBNY if I understand correct, basically is a 3 to 5 minutes "air" dip? No water of any kind, right?

Yes. Lots of people actually do this at this point. This is for acropora only. Well I have done it with montipora too but not as much with acropora.

 

[Stylo328]

It depends on your tank really. Some people can get away with just feeding more and others need to add more fish, and some people need to still dose on top of that. Mostly it is about how efficient at processing nitrates to be when you designed your tank when you set it up. I have 568 fish right now feed 12 cubes of frozen food, and 6 big pinches of pellets a day. I still have to dose KNO3 to keep nitrate in the tank.

Was that a typo on the 568 fish? Only asking as I am a big fan of your tank and am trying to gauge just how many small fish I can house in the 405. Looking to achieve similar success.

Thanks,

AJ

 

[bif24701]

My system:
180 display, 275 total
NO3, 5ppm
PO4, 0.00. Can't get a reading on either RS pro PO4 or Hanna ULR.
High flow, 60x display
Large skimmer, 10"
Cal 430
ALK 9.1, down from 11
Mag 1500

My corals turned pale when I removed my fish two months ago and been trying to increased nutrients. I have efficient export methods. Recently started to reduce ALK because my tips are burning/STN.

 

[Thales]

Thank you. Did you treat for the Phosphate or did It lower as the organisms used it. And was the drop after the change in light?
Ive done what I believe was similar.

I believe it lowered when I started doing automated water changes- but it still leveled off at 1.5 ish. You also asked for PAR at the top of the tank. Here is the graph - going to start moving the sensor around.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I believe it lowered when I started doing automated water changes- but it still leveled off at 1.5 ish. You also asked for PAR at the top of the tank. Here is the graph - going to start moving the sensor around.

Nice, thanks! Ive always assumed a lot of light was key to your high nutrient balance. Although I did expect slightly higher. My guess was 800.

 

[Thales]

I am on the fence about raising it or lowering it based on Dana's research. I need data from lower down first.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I am on the fence about raising it or lowering it based on Dana's research. I need data from lower down first.

yea thats a whole other debate. I've read Dana for years and was at the macna talk too. But A LOT of acro and old school guys would disagree.
My observation after a couple years on R2r is yea they do fine or great growth yea Dana's absolutely right. But a LOT of tanks running low pars have nutrient issues.
I feed like an Idiot sometimes, have a decent coral bioload, and have a lot of light. I don't get cyano much if ever. I'm pretty sure I'm using coal to out compete for nutrints and Carbon. That's with increasing nutrints slowly to half stupid levels and no to low zoa shrinking levels.
Maybe I have the world's most powerful bio filter but I dont think so. I also only have a tunze 9002 and a big fuge on a 55g. On my smaller tank I have to feed like a fool to keep nutrints up. That tank is sumpless and half the year It didn't have a skimmer.

 

[Screwloose]

I just wanted to add, I run a no water change reef, nitrates 100+ an phos last week on the ICP test was 2.45

nutrients have been high for years.

 

[fragit]

I just wanted to add, I run a no water change reef, nitrates 100+ an phos last week on the ICP test was 2.45

nutrients have been high for years.

And is your tank a species specific tank? Those are some high nutrients for and SPS tank

 

[Bacon505]

This is my system about 25 months. The last time i checked My nitrates and phosphates was when my tank finished cycling. I dont test anything else since then except for alk and calcium. I dont test for mag or potassium or any other trace elements either. I manually dose alk and cal when i feel like it and base on the look of my corals. Weekly 10-20gallon wc, sometime i get lazy or traveling will delay 2-3weeks at times.

 

[Bacon505]

Top down of some of my wild sps. Yes most of my sps frag to begin with. Risky but cheap lol

 

[evmibo]

This is my system about 25 months. The last time i checked My nitrates and phosphates was when my tank finished cycling. I dont test anything else since then except for alk and calcium. I dont test for mag or potassium or any other trace elements either. I manually dose alk and cal when i feel like it and base on the look of my corals. Weekly 10-20gallon wc, sometime i get lazy or traveling will delay 2-3weeks at times.

Tank looks beautiful, but since we don't know what NO3 and PO4 are how do we know it applies to the thread? I'm curious to know what your levels are.

 

[Bacon505]

I have a hannah po4 checker that i havent use in ages, let me check and report back later

 

[Preme]

I'm just starting to add SPS (mostly Acros) to my new sumpless set up. My nitrates currently sit around 5-10. Am I good, or should I be worried?

 

[bif24701]

This is my system about 25 months. The last time i checked My nitrates and phosphates was when my tank finished cycling. I dont test anything else since then except for alk and calcium. I dont test for mag or potassium or any other trace elements either. I manually dose alk and cal when i feel like it and base on the look of my corals. Weekly 10-20gallon wc, sometime i get lazy or traveling will delay 2-3weeks at times.

I'm trying to understand how you are able to maintain appropriate ALK and Cal without testing yet dosing additives for each. Very interesting how this is done.