Soft coral or LPS feed on Nitrate?!

[machodik]

Dear All,

As I am preparing to buy some soft corals , but my tanks has No3 at 2.5ppm and Po4 at 0.12 ppm. Can the soft corals survive in this tank ?

Basically, I use sulfur denitrator to lower my No3 from previously 10 to 20 ppm No3. As my tank has only fish . But as my motive is to go to SPS in the future so trying to lower my No3 and Po4 parameter but thru the advise of my friend I need to start with the soft corals or LPS to get more experience I agree with him on this but I am worry if I did not stop my sulfur denitrator then No3 stay low that soft corals or LPS feed on them but if I stop my sulfur denitrator then I will be difficult to raise some SPS then due to No3 high. I really wonder how people are able to raise both soft corals and SPS on the same tank ?

Please help enlightened me if there is any substitute for No3 to feed soft corals without me giving up my sulfur denitrator .

Cheers,

[MARINECRITTERS]

Only one way to tell, some soft corals like leathers will do fine in nutrient poor environments, while others like mushrooms seem to do better in dirtier water. Every tank is different you will just have to test it out.

[shifty51008]

My last tank which was mainly softies grew very fast when my nitrates were around 20 to 30 but my phosphates were only .03 now my tank has less than 5ppm nitates and softies grow slow.

[machodik]

Thanks for your advises!

I am so headache how to choose softies that can grow at low No3 environment as I really want to maintain low nitrate to grow SPS as well. I am so amaze with people that can grow both softies and SPS at the same time. Is there really any feeding supplement to act as food to replace no3?

[machodik]

Any further comments and advises?

[Michigan Mike]

Feed alot & have a great nutrient export method in place.

[NeilFox]

Alot of fish is good also...

[Reef Frog]

Yes, you do see some tanks with softies, LPS & SPS all together, but that's a very challenging balancing act for many reasons: differing light requirements, chemical warfare, different flow requirements, different needs & tolerances of PO4 & NO3, etc.

If you're having success with a few LPS corals & you are confident you have control over your water parameters, I think it's reasonable to try out an easy SPS specimen. Don't do softies unless you want & like them. It's not like its a requirement to get to the SPS level. But you do need to shave down your numbers a little bit for many SPS. Your water probably close to ideal for softies. But I don't keep softies so maybe someone who keeps all three varieties will chime in.

[machodik]

Hi All and Most specially Reef Frog,

Thanks for all of your valued suggestions and comments, actually, I am hesistating to turn down my Sulfur Denitrator as I have been fighthing so long period and using so many different ways to lowered down my No3 from 20 ppm to 2.5 ppm.

Yes, My ultimate goal is to go for SPS but I have less experiences or should I say "nursery" level as compare to most of you outhere.

I have make mistakes by putting more fish in the past that have overstocked my limited water volume of which it has causing my nutirents to be too high but now, I am not importing any more fish as to reduced further livestocks in my tanks.

My ultimate goal is to have an SPS tank with few softies or LPS plus whatever remaining fish be in my tank.

I know this is very challenging and perhaps you may say, it is an impossible dream. that is why, as Reef Frog mentioned, do not put more softies unless you like them and it is not the prerequesite to SPS but I have heard with a lot of friends and even sometime lfs, that they said better to start with soft corals before you try SPS.

Right now, I am confidense that I can pull down my Po4 to around 0.05 or less , I am success in pulling down my No3 to 2.5 ppm, I learned the ways to balance my Alk / ca , I can stabilize my Mg.....but I am confuse what should I do next!

Cheers,