Where My Chalice Experts At!

[PocketGoose]

Hey y’all,

Long story short - I’ve been struggling with maintaining readable PO4 levels for pretty much the entirety of my current tank.

I feed 3x a day with a mix of LRS, PE Mysis, and rods.

corals get feed at least once weekly with reef roids and oyster feast.

my chalices are placed low and I really do not suspect overlighting them is a problem.

I also supplement PO4 deficiency with NeoPhos daily.

went away for a few days and PO4 bottomed out, tested out at 0 yesterday with nitrates @ 5.

Chalices were both retracted and tight to their skeletons.

I just want to know how important nutrient levels are to maintain the health of a chalice. I also want to try and confirm my hunch that the nutrients are the problem.

params:
alk: 8.2
Ca: 469
Mg: 1380
Temp: 77.5 -78. 2
SG: 1.025

thanks in advance!

 

[Bhuddafunk]

I keep a few chalices in my frag tank and I generally maintain between 5-15 on nitrates and .05-.1 on the phosphates and mine a pretty happy overall. Hope this helps.

 

[Thor2j]

Hey y’all,

Long story short - I’ve been struggling with maintaining readable PO4 levels for pretty much the entirety of my current tank.

I feed 3x a day with a mix of LRS, PE Mysis, and rods.

corals get feed at least once weekly with reef roids and oyster feast.

my chalices are placed low and I really do not suspect overlighting them is a problem.

I also supplement PO4 deficiency with NeoPhos daily.

went away for a few days and PO4 bottomed out, tested out at 0 yesterday with nitrates @ 5.

Chalices were both retracted and tight to their skeletons.

I just want to know how important nutrient levels are to maintain the health of a chalice. I also want to try and confirm my hunch that the nutrients are the problem.

params:
alk: 8.2
Ca: 469
Mg: 1380
Temp: 77.5 -78. 2
SG: 1.025

thanks in advance!

Need a lot more info. How old is tank? Do you have algae? What test kit are you using especially for phosphates??? I would bet a lot your ohophates aren't really zero with that feeding and dosing.

 

[PocketGoose]

Need a lot more info. How old is tank? Do you have algae? What test kit are you using especially for phosphates??? I would bet a lot your ohophates aren't really zero with that feeding and dosing.

6mos old,

hanna phosphorus ULR. I mean I’ve heard young tanks started with dry rock can sequester tons of PO4. Small patches of hair algae on the back wall and that’s about it.

I’ll get readings a few hours after I dose or feed but by the evening it’s at 0. The fact I don’t have tons of algae growth makes me think other organisms/rock are sucking up most of it. I’ve just heard frequently that chalice like dirtier water.

on day three since returning home from a work trip and I’m still seeing tissues retracted

 

[Thor2j]

If you have algae you have phosphates. In that new of a tank it's being absord out of the water column.

 

[PocketGoose]

If you have algae you have phosphates. In that new of a tank it's being absord out of the water column.

that’s a good point, but here’s the thing. There has been a significant reduction in hair algae growth - weeks ago the back wall would be covered within a few days and now the patch that remains hasn’t grown at all. I understand that there are probably some form of phosphates in the water - but i guess the point is there isn’t enough. Just tested the PO4 after adding 3mL and feeding this AM and it read zero, double checked and had the same result.

 

[Poseidon03]

I have the exact same problem with nitrates. I dose 2.5ppm nitrate per day. Without chaeto, my nitrates drop from 14.5ppm to 1.5ppm in a week. You will just have to up your dosage of phosphates slowly until you see it start to rise. With the nitrates, I'd dose more ml per day and test every other day until I got a reading. I'd then dose that amount and test weekly.

How much are you supplementing for the phosphates (how much per day)? Even if you dose .02ppm per day, at 0ppm uptake per day, it would take 5 days to get to a level that some people don't want.

 

[PocketGoose]

I have the exact same problem with nitrates. I dose 2.5ppm nitrate per day. Without chaeto, my nitrates drop from 14.5ppm to 1.5ppm in a week. You will just have to up your dosage of phosphates slowly until you see it start to rise. With the nitrates, I'd dose more ml per day and test every other day until I got a reading. I'd then dose that amount and test weekly.

How much are you supplementing for the phosphates (how much per day)? Even if you dose .02ppm per day, at 0ppm uptake per day, it would take 5 days to get to a level that some people don't want.

Thanks for the reply, I’d have to do the math but my tank will eat a capful in a day. I think the target for my tank was 3.375ml to reach the desired number (.04 if I’m remembering correctly) which is a little over half a cap. I end up dosing half in the morning and half in the evening to maintain a consistent reading.

I’m also starting to think my issue was more so caused by an alkalinity miscalculation. The chalices have now recovered and look good but I’m seeing issues with the few SPS I have which makes me think they are having a delayed reaction to the initial alkalinity ordeal.

still have a good pulse on nutrients and I defiantly think that has aided the recovery process.

I don’t know that I’ll dry start a tank again haha, I think I want some seasoned rocks at this point lol. The nutrient uptake in a 14 gallon tank this go around is absurd. Never seen anything like it.

 

[Poseidon03]

My rock was in brute trash cans for about a year before I set mine up. I didn't even change the water in them. I didn't have many problems with the nutrients. I also didn't put fish in for the first 3 months and also moved the tank.