What is a balanced food for easy fish

Backreefing

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I have a 90 gallon aquarium sumpless , no skimmer, just a canister filter. The fish are mostly demsels and some cromis. Maybe 20 fish . I’m feeding flake food . They seam happy. But this is also a SPS tank and I like my nutrients low . And they are low . Nitrates are usually 12-16 ppm and phosphate is usually between.040-.060 depending on how much I feed . I’m thinking about changing food because the montipora ain’t so great . The acropora are happy. Frogspawn and hammers are happy to. I’m thinking about things I can’t measure for like the food maybe has some type of phosphate in it that I can’t measure ( montipora turn brown, then die slowly) . Aim I the first to think about this . I know about inorganic and organic phosphates and I can only test for one , only pros. can test for the other. I’m thinking of changing food that is low in phosphate.
anyone got a food idea.
 

BranchingHammer

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I don't think the presence of phosphate is killing your montis, maybe something else. How recently have you checked the TDS of your RODI water? There might be a contaminant in your water. Also, the absence of a skimmer may make some harmful compounds build up. I would make sure your parameters are stable, especially alk.
 
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Backreefing

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Thx for the reply. I have not checked my rodi filter. I just change the filters on a schedule. But the tap water here is awesome. I went for many years without a rodi filter.
The alkalinity is rock steady. Tested today at 8.7 dkh . High for my opinion. I backed off the kalk until it’s 8.1-8.4 . Tomorrow or the next day it will fall there. Acropora seam fine and doing well . I thought they are much more sensitive than montipora.
 
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Backreefing

Backreefing

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I’m leaning toward inorganic phosphate, or to intense lighting. I can’t find a affordable par meter and soon I’m out of food . Thought to change the food . I’ve been changing the activated carbon ever few days. Without any affect.
 
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Backreefing

Backreefing

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One thing about demsels is they don’t turn down a meal . They eat anything. I’m keeping Talbots, kupang, springers , two types of cromis. They are ok . Not the monsters we read about all the time .
 

CanuckReefer

Simple...Salt, Water, LR, Lighting and Flow.
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I blend my own. Pulse shrimp, scallop, mussel, fish, clam (all wild caught exception the mussels rope grown, so no antibiotic crap in the mix), with dulse , nori and garlic in the blender to a fine consistency with a bit of RO. Then freeze, do it once every few months. Quite easy if making in bulk, and actually fairly inexpensive. I do feed a bit of sinking pellet or dulse, nori sheets to supplement as well....10 years plus with this method. Nitrates and phos remain low, but that also likely has to do with the fact I feed quite minimal and have an effective CUC. Also my skimmer runs minimal.... a few hours every other day. 90 gallon system .
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
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Most fish stores have one or the other in the freezer. I feed rods fish only, mysis shrimp, rods fish eggs and some frozen veggies cubes on rotation
 

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