Sps high nutrients myth?

[Vaughn17]

Harrr but you see the question is about acceptable range of (so called) vital water quality parameters really. That is more or less what this thread is about given so many have (so called) unacceptably high poor water quality parameters. yet have flourishing SPS reef tanks. Often the people chasing numbers are the ones who are experiencing some form of issue in their tank.

So you're saying that the term "chasing numbers" is just referring to nutrients in this thread? Well then, yes, I got off topic a bit...sorry.

As far as the acceptable range for nutrients and sps, I think it is much higher than zero zero, for certain. My acros don't seem to like NO3 much higher than 5 ppm, but I have seen (on this website) really excellent sps tanks that claim to have much, much higher levels, so there appears to be other factors involved. I have no skimmer and seldom run carbon, so perhaps dissolved organics cause my acros to be less tolerant of higher nitrate. I have been wondering about this for some time (yellow water definitely impairs lighting effectiveness) and have already purchased a skimmer for my new tank.

 

[atoll]

So you're saying that the term "chasing numbers" is just referring to nutrients in this thread? Well then, yes, I got off topic a bit...sorry.

As far as the acceptable range for nutrients and sps, I think it is much higher than zero zero, for certain. My acros don't seem to like NO3 much higher than 5 ppm, but I have seen (on this website) really excellent sps tanks that claim to have much, much higher levels, so there appears to be other factors involved. I have no skimmer and seldom run carbon, so perhaps dissolved organics cause my acros to be less tolerant of higher nitrate. I have been wondering about this for some time (yellow water definitely impairs lighting effectiveness) and have already purchased a skimmer for my new tank.

The yellow water thing is interesting. I run Oxydators and have done for over 25 years, whats yellow water? My water is gin clear and I have to be careful with SPS frags as I have bleached a number even though my LFS has them under high light levels. I don't chance numbers, well I would have to test weekly or at least fortnightly to really do that and when I do test little seems to have changed so I keep quite stable water. I do have low (5ppm) NO3 and lowish )0. 3) PO4 but then I run an algae scrubber which does what it says on the tin.

 

[atoll]

The yellow water thing is interesting. I run Oxydators and have done for over 25 years, whats yellow water? My water is gin clear and I have to be careful with SPS frags as I have bleached a number even though my LFS has them under high light levels. I don't chance numbers, well I would have to test weekly or at least fortnightly to really do that and when I do test little seems to have changed so I keep quite stable water. I do have low (5ppm) NO3 and lowish (0.03) PO4 but then I run an algae scrubber which does what it says on the tin.

 

[Vaughn17]

Over last couple months I reduced my wc from 10gl a week to 10gl a month and slowly started removing sand bed
Tank couple years old
Colors have never been better
Tested for first time in a while
NO3 10+
PO4 .14

http://reef2reef.com/threads/the-so-called-wifes-tank.281054/

Yes, I've been getting good colors with higher nutrients, as well. I have a purple slimmer that turns brown if the PO4 drops below .1. I have also noticed that my acros want more light with higher nutrients.

 

[Vaughn17]

H2O2? How do you run it?

 

[Robthorn]

Someone grab a camera and come to my house please. My cell phone pictures are crap and I have to retire someday so no cash for a new camera yet.
My purple slimmer is very purple at less than .03 ppm po4. Bring your test kits too so we can compare.

I do like this thread because it truly shows what is acceptable for coral care. Just because things in my tank would be dead and or very ugly with others peoples numbers doesn't mean it is gospel. Corals adapt and give us hope that oceans will continue to thrive.

 

[Vaughn17]

Someone grab a camera and come to my house please. My cell phone pictures are crap and I have to retire someday so no cash for a new camera yet.
My purple slimmer is very purple at less than .03 ppm po4. Bring your test kits too so we can compare.

I do like this thread because it truly shows what is acceptable for coral care. Just because things in my tank would be dead and or very ugly with others peoples numbers doesn't mean it is gospel. Corals adapt and give us hope that oceans will continue to thrive.

You know, I honestly don't know if my purple slimmer colored up because of higher PO4. That was my assumption, because when I lowered PO4 for a few weeks, it began to turn brown and when I raised PO4, it grew purple again, but the coral could have been reacting to something else and the timing was just coincidental.

 

[atoll]

H2O2? How do you run it?

In an Oxydator in fact 2 in my 100 gallon

 

[FarmerTy]

I always believe in each tank being its own little ecosystem and what works in one may not work in others.

For my own ecosystem, I employ heavy feeding and large fish populations to give my corals ample nutrients and food and counter it with aggressive nutrient removal to get rid of the wastes. In those respects, I aim to mimic the ocean as best as possible. Heavy import of food without the residual nutrient issues that come with it.

I feed 6x/day between a combo of pellets, nori, and frozen. And when I feed frozen (which is 2x/day), its a virtual snowstorm in there.

My nutrients are kept at 5-8 ppm nitrates and 0.03 ppm of phosphates. I've been able to run less phosphate removal media over the years as my coral mass has increased, helping become a nutrient sponge of its own.

Here's the latest tank video on my system.



Growth shots for fun. This is over a 4 month time span.

For my system, phosphates over 0.18 ppm brown my acros and some start to STN. Anything over 15 ppm of nitrates and my acros tend to look a little more brown but still healthy.

 

[FarmerTy]

Some obligatory top down, macro, Glamour Shots-esque photos.

 

[alten78]

Wow, truly inspiring! No problems with the angels I'm assuming, I'm always scared to add them.

 

[FarmerTy]

Wow, truly inspiring! No problems with the angels I'm assuming, I'm always scared to add them.

Thank you. Just wanted to add my results with my nutrient levels so we have a more robust collection of data.

I'd be scared to add any angels if you didn't have a ton of SPS and minimal softies and LPS. They'll devour zoas like Skittles and nip any large polyp LPS to death.

 

[Robthorn]

Yeah Vaughn maybe it was just the change that messed with colors and in time colors would get used to the new levels. Mine turned brown when I brought it home for a few months but my tank was only a few months old at the time.

Farmer your tank looks great.

 

[FarmerTy]

Yeah Vaughn maybe it was just the change that messed with colors and in time colors would get used to the new levels. Mine turned brown when I brought it home for a few months but my tank was only a few months old at the time.

Farmer your tank looks great.

Thanks Rob! Haven't been in the game as long as you though so still rookie status here comparatively. Hopefully I get better with time and experience. [emoji106]

 

[Robthorn]

I don't see anything that you need to change but hey I am still learning too. Doesn't help that I am old and forgetful and have to keep learning some of the same things over and over.

 

[najer]

In an Oxydator in fact 2 in my 100 gallon

England her, I run 3 oxydators in about 140 G water volume!

 

[arman]

wow nitrates was too high.

 

[MaddyP]

For my own ecosystem, I employ heavy feeding and large fish populations to give my corals ample nutrients and food and counter it with aggressive nutrient removal to get rid of the wastes. In those respects, I aim to mimic the ocean as best as possible. Heavy import of food without the residual nutrient issues that come with it.

I think this is the missing key to reefkeeping. There is a reason corals in the ocean grow with such low levels of nitrate/phosphate, it has to be the corals are getting nutrition from another source. Millions of gallons of water passing over them with billions of bacteria, zooplankton, and phytoplankton is something we struggle to mimic in our limited boxes of water. I think with carbon dosing and bacteria dosing this hobby is on the verge of something great. The tanks we see with amazing corals at zero nitrate/phosphate have to be compensating somewhere (bacteria?).

You have an amazing tank and would definitely consider you much further beyond the "beginner" status than you claim to be. Great job in demonstrating how excessive feeding in an established reef can exhibit amazing coral colors and nutrient control!

 

[joeyb54]

Mine is stable at:

Dkh 9-10
NO3 5-10ppm
PO4 trace
Mag 1440
Ca. 440

I feed heavy and have no algae and have excellent growth and color in my SPS and LPS.

How do you feed heavy and no have algae? Good skimmer and filtration or water changes? I have bad algae.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Just a nwb150 reef octopus. Filter socks and bi monthly 10% water changes.