SPS question for all the seasoned reef keepers out there

[cumbeje]

You don't need a PAR meter to know that not many people run their Radions at 100%

Not sure how that comment solves any issues?

 

[Greatreefer]

The meter i have is the pmk and currently the meter is stationary and is positioned in the middle of the tank which is regisitering at 100 par.

 

[cumbeje]

The meter i have is the pmk and currently the meter is stationary and is positioned in the middle of the tank which is regisitering at 100 par.

86% I am getting 250-350 PAR bottom to top. There are plenty of studies out now that this is the optimum range for sps. If you are only getting 100 PAR your actually to low.

I had poor color for sometime and it was solved by ICP test dosing missing trace elements. Nothing was changed.

 

[Greatreefer]

I think a couple of factors are at play here as ti why my readings are so low.

1) position of the par meter vs where the corals are.
2) the sensor needs to be cleaned.
3) surface agitation.

 

[Greatreefer]

86% I am getting 250-350 PAR bottom to top. There are plenty of studies out now that this is the optimum range for sps. If you are only getting 100 PAR your actually to low.

I had poor color for sometime and it was solved by ICP test dosing missing trace elements. Nothing was changed.

Cumbeje:
Why did you decide to do two 0% at the start and the end of your light cycle?

 

[cumbeje]

Cumbeje:
Why did you decide to do two 0% at the start and the end of your light cycle?

Just extra endpoints that I probably changed at one time.

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

Since nobody has answered your actual question yet, here is the correlation between coral color and NO3/PO4 levels. The algae living inside of corals (zooxanthellae) needs NO3 and PO4 as a food source, just like any marine plant like GHA or macroalgae. When there is too much, there will be an excess amount of zooxanthellae, causing corals to turn browner. When there is 0, the zoox will starve out and coral will become pale, showing only the natural color. Most people find the best coloration and growth between 1-5 PPM nitrate and a very low but detectable PO4 Level.

I would add this
my system is not ulns, but if it was 0/0, Id still have no bleaching due to quality and quantity of feed input and output.
all we have to do to test that is build and cycle a frag tank with no real reef substrate. keep it 100% water changed daily, and fully clear of detritus, and that water w be 0/0 on API gear for sure.
Spot feed every coral daily, and siphon out all the waste meticulously. give the system phytoplankton and living zooplanktors, $, then export the water out before any of it can rot into measurable nutrients in solution.
The corals will continue plating over their plugs solely off digestion and photosynthesis.

Corals are found in waters that would test 0 on our approximation test kits in the wild, they're not bleached due to availability of heterotrophic feed.
If you have zooplankton swimming and kicking around, that's not spiking nitrate or po4 (until they die and degrade in the water) and if a coral eats them, it gets its entire needs met for major and minor nutrients (considering some phytoplankton is there, was gut loaded into the zooplanktors etc) and all the while, 0 - seeming waters.

to me, the trend towards people heading to ULNS is about skipping work in the tank, and as such, they must feed less to keep their intended goals, and that's the bleacher mechanism. a busier reefer can be just fine in zero waters. Navy D was heading into the feeding territory agreed, lets see pics.

http://reefinabox.com/right-alkalinity-coral-growth/

Absolutely well put. Should almost be a sticky because a lot of people are asking the same questions and I've noticed that this keeps coming up over and over.

 

[Ashish Patel]

In my tank sps are growing better in 150 par then 250. It something i didn't think would happen. My old dead frags thrown in the back and side growing and encrusting. If your running low nutrients then keep it lower. Once your tank ages it will have more nutrients reagardless of test kits. Think bout it. More life on the rocks, larger fish and coral produce more waste. So I recommend starting low intensity and overtime adjust it. I startsd of 200-350 and had alot of bleaching. Hope this helps