Lets Discuss the Nutrient Balance

[Mattl22]

I will take a picture tomorrow but my colors r ok at best only have few frags at the moment but anything not blue seems to turn mostly green !
I've hit wc hard with new filters run Gfo and carbon and still sps won't take off

 

[jackson6745]

I'm just trying to keep no3 at around .10 and po4 at .04 to .06. No3 is doing well it's just drops to low sometimes now .02 so I feed a bit more when it happens. Po4 is real hard since I only use half the recommended dose of rowa.

Duke you're throwing me off with the decimal. Do you mean 10ppm and 2ppm? .1ppm or .02ppm is extremely low. Not aware of test kits that read such trace amounts.

 

[duke62]

10ppm is what I'm shooting for right now I'm at 2ppm

 

[jackson6745]

@jackson-how often and why do you use the special blend?

Every 2 weeks I do the maintenance dose. Not really sure why I use it anymore

I began dosing to help rid my tank of its initial cyano outbreak, and continued the maintenance dose thereafter. Deep down I believe this product helps keep a good bacterial balance but i can't actually prove it. No matter how much I feed I never see cyano. Water also looks very clear for several days after dosing.

 

[duke62]

By the way sps look wonderful but chalices are not liking such a small number of no3

 

[kres1024]

Nitrate 50ppm po4 .05

 

[Dk638]

My po4 has been zero since I set up my tank, can't get it up. No3 is between 0-1. Corals are either dying or looking bad. Zero growth. Also have traces of brown algae which may be dinos, not sure. I'd love to bring up nutrients but when I up the feeding tank looks filthy and brown algae seems to cover the glass daily, like a dust mat. This tank is killing me! Lol. Advice appreciated. Maybe more fish? I have a pretty good stock in my 150 though. Hippo, yellow, scopas tangs, blue throat trigger, 2 clowns, 2 Bartlett, big orange sided wrasse, lamark angel, tailspot blenny. Pretty much all sps fade and get burnt tips. Birdsnests dont stand a chance. When the algae first appeared i attacked it with bacteria. I think that I have to much bacteria and stripped my water of nutrients.

 

[Mattl22]

Kres that's amazing thanks for posting that ur nitrates r that high makes me feel much better r u carbon dosing? Running Gfo?

 

[arthurk0722]

Great thread and tagging along.

I have a 75 gallon tank and feed once every 2 days using raw shrimp. I feed the tangs everyday with algae sheets. I would consider my nutrient balance to be fairly low as a result of my feeding. I have a purple pocolopora with great poly extension/growth and coloration. However other sps corals die on me. Any reason for that?
I checked my parameters today:
Mag was over 1500 (salifert)
Calcium: 470
Alk: 6.16 (hanna)
Nitrate:40ppm (API)
P04: 0 (Salifert)
What would you recommend me doing to increase my sps growth/ coloration? I understand my alk is a tad bit low but is there anything else i can do? Thanks

 

[duke62]

Well first your alk is way to low. How do you dose for mag,cal,alk? Stability is key. I would get your number up to at least 7.5 and make sure you can keep it there for at least a month without and spikes or drops. What kits are you using to check your parameters? You will want your mag at around 1300 your calcium around 420 and alk at 7.5. I keep mine at 8.5.

 

[arthurk0722]

Well first your alk is way to low. How do you dose for mag,cal,alk? Stability is key. I would get your number up to at least 7.5 and make sure you can keep it there for at least a month without and spikes or drops. What kits are you using to check your parameters? You will want your mag at around 1300 your calcium around 420 and alk at 7.5. I keep mine at 8.5.

When i dose, its only calcium and alkalinity by hand. I don't have a dosing pump. For Mag, calcium i use the salifert test kit and alk i have a hanna. Since my mag and calcium are a little too high, what would be a good way to drop them?

 

[SteveZ15]

Do You Think The Success Is From The Nutrient Balance Or Some Sort Of Bacteria Balance. At My JOb The Lab People Count Bacteria To Make Adjustments With The Solids To Keep A Range Of Bacteria In Certain Target Numbers To Get The Most Efficent WateR Treatment. Is The Strains Of Bacteria Identified So We Know What Is Needed And Which Bacteria Are BAd And Whats Needed.If We Have TOo Much Of One We Waste Sludge . Kinda Like Water Changes In Our Tanks Prob More Than Just Refreshing Teace ekements

 

[jackson6745]

Guys you're missing the point of this thread. We all have tank problems from time to time. SPS die and sometimes we don't understand. That's not what this thread is about. I suggest you start your own thread to address the problems that you're having. You'll get specific help this way, and I would be more than happy to post my thoughts. The nutrient balance at most extreme sides can kill corals, but if your parameters are in range and somewhat stable most likely there is a different cause.
Please post quality pics of your system, some general info, no3 + po4 test results, feeding etc. If more guys do this, I promise you there will be something to be learned here.

 

[kres1024]

Kres that's amazing thanks for posting that ur nitrates r that high makes me feel much better r u carbon dosing? Running Gfo?

I'm running gfo and carbon...also just started vinegar dosing again to bring nitrates down slowly and see how the sps will respond with a lower nitrate

 

[Dk638]

I think there is something to be learned from my post. Bacteria can be overdosed and care should be taken with it. I've seen plenty of posts with reefers with pale and dying corals who carbon dose or dose bacteria. It's a delicate balance to find I believe.

 

[SteveZ15]

All I WaS Asking If Bacteria Could Be A Reason For Color And Not Nutrients Like Commonly Thought. Ecause I Seen Colorfull Sps In Tanks With All Different Nutrient Levels.

 

[jackson6745]

All I WaS Asking If Bacteria Could Be A Reason For Color And Not Nutrients Like Commonly Thought. Ecause I Seen Colorfull Sps In Tanks With All Different Nutrient Levels.

I think bacteria populations can be the key to healthy, "established", stable reef tanks, but I agree that healthy corals can be kept at different nutrient levels.


I'm not singling anyone out in my previous reply. I just had a different hope for this thread. With enough pics and nutrient levels/feeding etc, we can see and learn?. make the connections ourself. It's better to learn this way IMO that listen to some schmuck behind a computer screen

 

[SteveZ15]

I'm not singling anyone out in my previous reply. I just had a different hope for this thread. With enough pics and nutrient levels/feeding etc, we can see and learn?. make the connections ourself. It's better to learn this way IMO that listen to some schmuck behind a computer screen [/QUOTE]



It wasn't taken that way.. I know what you mean with the levels/pics. Its hard to get my point across through typing. I never seen enough of a steady thing like one tank has great color/high nutrients/generous feeding. IT seems like no tanks had enough variables the same with the same results. So it was like nutrients/feeding wasn't the major impact on the corals. I am confused because I see good and bad results on both ends of this. The only thing that sticks out that almost all ultra low nutrient tanks are pale colors, sts In my opinion are more seen in ultra low. Strong light and supplements keep the coral alive enough to gain mass fast. The next thing would be high nutrients leads to algae.No nutrients no algae. This is almost 95% true. I don't get why there is not more of a steady result in the nutrient aspect of it. That's the reason I asked about bacteria. After a few conversations with some people, They said it was easier to control the bacteria because the nutrients are constantly changing. It made me think because of the mixed results I see in tanks with all different levels of nutrient/feeding. But in the process they use.. controlling bacteria allowed them to set target paramaters of what they wanted, they steadily achieve thes targets with minimal fluctuation and get the same result,with a nutrient level that is constantly changing. Fast growing colorful corals is out target. everybody has different light, nutrient levels,feeding amounts and times. It might be a thought that bacteria control might be the one common control factor, because nutrient vs feeding gives different results on both sides of the scale. I chime in on your threads because some of them help me some confuse me .But you seem to make the most sense when it comes to do this that's the result. I assumed by seeing your tank that you have a handle on how to keep good colors and healthy fish and system. After I did a re work on my tank,the only thing that gave me a strait answer was phos remover. My nutrients as far as nitrate is lower now my main params never changed. Every day my tank is looking better and I am stumped as to why. The only thing I see is the water is out of ultra low mode with 0 phos. I have had the tank in every nutrient /food/alk/light situation possible. That's what made me really think it was bacteria that was the main factor in color vs nutrients and health.When the bacteria sups were mentioned and asked about, it again made me think, because on a majority of tanks that I see and read about that added bac sups ,all had different nutrient/feeding but nice colors.

 

[vio]

That is my 6 month old tank, from 150 Gal. to 220 Ga., my problem is, when I go in Vacation , last time I put my sister in charge, she use a entire bottle of Oyster Feast, my tank was full of HA, I still have some.
What I try now, is :
High water Flow
Less sand
Dif. Aqua scope, water move every were.
Good Protein Skimmer ATB 10.5
Berlin Filter Socks
Lots of Macro Algae + Live Rocks on my sump (only)
Run BioPellets
Run 0.8 Active Carbon.
Feed 25 fish 1 a day .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ion2l3_bwVE

 

[SteveZ15]

Wow I Definately Need A Bigger Tank