|
06/01/2016, 03:44 PM | #401 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Idaho, USA
Posts: 374
|
so what is everyone's feeling on socks? Would you not want them so food is constantly floating around in the tank for fish and corals? and given enough time the skimmer will eventually get it. You would need some flow in your sump though to keep it suspended.
Sunny X's tank from back in the day is what i think of when he had powerheads in his sump. No socks either..just a skimmer and heater.
__________________
Current Tank: DSA NEO 185, Bubble King SM 250, Red Dragon 3 80w, DIY/GEO 612 CaRx, Deltec km500, Gyre 150, (4) Tunze 6105's, (4) AI Hydra 52's 360 gallon Envision in the works |
06/01/2016, 03:51 PM | #402 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 60
|
I would not use socks. I do not even use a skimmer, just an algae scrubber, a sulphur denitrator and a chaeto refugium. I fix my coral 4 - 5 times a day, and just have the food circulate around in the tank.
Quote:
|
|
06/02/2016, 09:57 AM | #403 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,009
|
My experience is that the color has more to do with nutrients or the lack there of than it does Alk, For the record, I always kept my Alk about 8.0, but that was also using Seachem salt, which tests high because of the high boron, so i was likely closer to 7.5 in reality.
When I had 0 NO3 0 PO4, I had **** for colors. They were always pale. I have always had intense lights. At one point (and the tank looked the best btw), I had 2x400w XM20k and 2x 110w Vho over my 75g. Thats over 1000w of lights on a small tank like that. Prior to that I had 6x54w T5HO, and blamed that for the poor/pale colors. I tried nearly everything to get the colors that my buddy was getting on his tank (most of the corals came from his amazing tank). All anyone would tell me to do was add this or that additive, and unfortunately I spent hundreds of dollars chasing those colors and listening to poor advice. Finally I just listened to one guy saying to add more fish and feed 2x as much. It was like overnight that my tank looked AMAZING. Colors exploded....why? Because I had allowed my nutrients to edge up ever so slightly from 0,0 to just high enough for my test kits to register a reading. So IMHO, pale colors are often the result of under fed corals. They simply do not have enough constant food supply in most tanks, and without a bit of added No3, or some other nitrogen source, the colors fade. Here is an idea of what my tank looked like AFTER just allowing No3 to edge up slightly
__________________
-Horace Pinker Current Tank Info: New 180g Mixed SPS Build in progress |
06/02/2016, 10:06 AM | #404 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,009
|
Quote:
If you have no Po4 and No3, you MUST feed like crazy or have a ton of fish. So if you have filters capable of removing nutrients at a super high rate, then you had better be feeding a ton to make sure your corals do not starve. You have to find a balance, because our tanks dont have the steady stream of food like the ocean has, which is why IMHO having detectable Po4 and No3 is absolutely critical in a closed system reef tank, again unless you have a boatload of available food...which is pretty damn hard to accomplish without having some No3/Po4
__________________
-Horace Pinker Current Tank Info: New 180g Mixed SPS Build in progress Last edited by Horace; 06/02/2016 at 10:23 AM. |
|
06/02/2016, 02:38 PM | #405 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dewitt MI
Posts: 5,051
|
I think you are right, Horace. I cannot get my NO3 or PO4 to zero. I have about 16 fish and feed pretty heavy. It equates to about 4 cubes per day.
My last testing was PO4 .05 (started GFO for a couple days) and NO3 3. AND I dose vinegar/vodka, run an ATS and run GFO and I do have a skimmer. I do not have any GHA. Here are some pics (sorry for the heavy blue from a cell phone camera)
__________________
Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
06/02/2016, 02:43 PM | #406 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dewitt MI
Posts: 5,051
|
More PIcs
__________________
Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
08/22/2016, 07:46 PM | #407 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 364
|
Ok Im jumpin in here now because I've kind of reached a limit. I have an LPS/SPS/Leathers/Softies tank with currently no fish in it because of Ich issues. My parameters:
Ca: 500+ ppm Alk: 10 dkH Mg: 1350 ppm Nitrate: 0 ppm (nitrate pro test kit) Phosphate: 0 ppm (Hanna) I have absolute crap coloring. I've tried lowering my LED intensity, raising the LED intenisty, using NO3PO4X to obliterate the NO3/Phosphate (currently doing this now), bought the Korallen 4 color system and have been adding this as well. Nothing has an effect except I recently lost my encrusting montipora (it went white in spots and then the tissue just all died and was eaten by critters). Ive tried heavily feeding with reef labs and coral frenzy etc, up to twice weekly, only the smallest hint of color change. But then I couldnt get more with more feeding. So what should I try? More feeding? Lower the Alk? I know the calcium is too high, its slowly coming down, I think I over dosed or something, so far not dosing anymore until back to normal. |
08/22/2016, 08:00 PM | #408 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 364
|
All right, apparently Spectracide stump remover is the go to for adding back nitrate. Are people still using this or is some other source better to use. I guess it makes some sense for my tank since when I add amino acids (Korallen) my LPS tentacles extend for all of 5 minutes before barely coming out again.
|
08/26/2016, 07:36 PM | #409 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Florida, FWB
Posts: 3,389
|
Quote:
__________________
180 Mixed Reef SRO-5000 Skimmer Neptune APEX Gold Kessil AP700/ MP60+6105 Kalk+2 part/ Cheato Fuge Current Tank Info: 180 SPS Dominant |
|
08/26/2016, 09:10 PM | #410 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: East Bay, Northern California
Posts: 658
|
Quote:
Since inorganics are relatively low (Triton returned 0.015 for PO4), the possibilities I can come up with for additional nutrients are the products from the zooxanthellae/other contributing members of the coral holobiont, fish/invert waste (a few tiny gobies/anemone shrimp/crinoid squat lobster,small CUC), externally added organics (I feed lightly 2x/day), in-tank excess sponge cells and bacterial. Last edited by Nano sapiens; 08/26/2016 at 09:19 PM. |
|
08/27/2016, 07:44 AM | #411 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 11,033
|
Measured levels are not an indication of what the system is using. In fact, they're indications of overflow nutrients not being used for growth or coloration...
Let me give you an example... Let's say you have a very thirsty plant species that consumes a lot of water to grow and survive... And three farmers. One adds very little water, one provides a lot of water, and the third provides a constant flood way above the needs of the plant. For all three farmers, we look at the water level around the plant. The first farmer's plant turns yellow and sickly, but there's no water around it. Sick + no water. The second one is green, healthy and drinks up all the water around it. Very healthy + no water. The third one is sickly and moldy and sits in a puddle of water. Sick + plenty of excess water. Now if you just look at the results and try to connect the measured water to the health of the plant, you'll go nuts and have plenty of arguments about what's good for a plant... The second farmer got it right, even though he provided a lot of water but just enough for the plant to drink so there was no excess. The reality is that we do the same - we measure the excess unused nutrients and then try to relate that to coral health. Without understanding the consumption rate by the corals themselves, it's meaningless. The successful coral farmer provides a lot of nutrients but not much above the coral consumption. The result is healthy corals and low levels of measurable excess nutrients... All pics under metal halide only - no LEDs or other lights.
__________________
Failure isn't an option It's a requirement. 660g 380inwall+280smp/surge S/L/Soft/Maxima/RBTA/Clown/Chromis/Anthias/Tang/Mandarin/Jawfish/Goby/Wrasse/D'back. DIY 12' Skimmer ActuatedSurge ConcreteScape |
08/27/2016, 05:23 PM | #412 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 308
|
Great words Karim, I completely agree.
Moreover I would say that the key consists in providing plenty of organic nutrients meanwhile we avoid build up inorganic nutrients |
08/27/2016, 08:59 PM | #413 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 11,033
|
yes. because excess organics become inorganics... and then hair and bacteria mess.
__________________
Failure isn't an option It's a requirement. 660g 380inwall+280smp/surge S/L/Soft/Maxima/RBTA/Clown/Chromis/Anthias/Tang/Mandarin/Jawfish/Goby/Wrasse/D'back. DIY 12' Skimmer ActuatedSurge ConcreteScape |
08/28/2016, 04:22 AM | #414 |
Acropora Gardener
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 2,780
|
I like your analogy Karim.
__________________
Featured Tank OCT 2016 | "Reef Hobbyist Magazine" TOTM OCT 2016 | "Ultimate Reef", UK FB | "/troutsReefTank/" 65G SPS Reef- ATI 8 X 39W PM; TM [Bacto-Balance A-; Reef Actif; Nitribiotic; Iodine] |
09/16/2016, 09:28 PM | #415 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 63
|
Such a good read(all 3 days of it)
So to paraphrase everything I just read, maximizing acropora Color/health/growth is about balancing your alkalinity, nutrients, and lighting. If you have alk that is too high for your lighting intensity and nutrient level you can have problems with your tips or faded colours. Too low alk for your lighting and nutrient level and you can have faded colours and/ or base problems. If your light levels are too high for your alk and nutrient levels you will have faded or pastel Color. Alternately if your light levels are too low for your alk and nutrient levels you will have brown corals. If your nutrient levels are too high for your alk and light levels you will have brown corals, and finally if your nutrient levels are too low for your light and alk numbers you will have faded or pastel colours. From what I read the "trick" is to maximize your "nutrient" (NO3/PO4) removal (carbon dosing, large skimmer, GFO, sump shopvac, and the trusty siphon), while "maximizing" your food input (within reason). While providing powerful lighting from a proven light source over a reasonable photoperiod while providing adequate PAR levels. So.... We should aim for "zero" NO4/PO3 think pastel zeovit tank, maximum nutrient export and starving corals, BUT...... Quadruple the food you provide. Take a pastel zeo tank (just an example, but any sterile super clean system) with very light colours, then up the feeding (really whatever it takes) to Color them up, then ad some more food while maintaining your high export practice. If you over shoot and end up with some brown then "balance" this out with a small bump or two of your photoperiod, some higher par bulbs or a bump in led output. I would think the last resort would be to reduce feeding. At this point with your food maximized, your nutrient export maximized, and your lighting really finishing off the fine tuning your acropora Color should be about as good as it gets. Too brown add some time to your photoperiod or back off the feeding. Too light/pastel colours then feed some more or back of off the photoperiod or par. I didn't really go into the alkalinity but if you are running a super clean "sterile" system you run NSW levels for alk 7ish. You probably can get away with the lowest par levels for a sps system, and as your nutrient levels rise (NO3/PO4) the higher you HAVE to run your alk, and the higher levels of par you can expose your acro to. Now to get the best Color you run a system super clean/sterile, with alk at NSW levels 7-8 and feed your tank hard, which allows you to really put down some really high par on your acros. Try to hold your "ulns" "zero" numbers while feeding Super heavy. This thread is so full of good stuff it should probably be a sticky Just sayin Last edited by GAM GAM; 09/16/2016 at 10:23 PM. Reason: Spelling errors/fine tuning |
09/23/2016, 01:08 PM | #416 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: San Clemente, CA
Posts: 911
|
Great info provided here. Following along.
I really like the farmer analogy, and it makes a ton of sense as to why there are so many different schools of thought regarding nutrients, lighting, parameters, etc. I agree this should be stickied...
__________________
John IM Nuvo 10g Mixed Reef Nano | Kessil A160we | Mp10QD | Osmolator Nano |
09/26/2016, 01:19 AM | #417 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Florida, FWB
Posts: 3,389
|
the secret to colorful,healthy corals....obvious to some,elusive to many
So much good stuff here wow.
My thoughts: 1, NSW may be "low" in nutrients when tested however no one has considered the fact that the volume of nutrients is far more than our little boxes. They have all they need in there. Also they have linked increased PO4 with lower bleaching rates. 2, The reefs receive a constant food supply and fresh clean water 24/7. Gam Gam you really are in to something! 3, Replicating this in our homes is key I think. I have terrible colors and growth in my new system. My filtration consists of: oversized skimmer (SRO-5000), NOPOX, GFO and ROX .8 carbon in reactor, MarinePure block, Cheato fuge, high quality Pulkani LR, filter socks and flow (60x's display). I have few fish and because my system is new some algae so the standard reaction is to reduce nutrients as much as possible and limit feeding. My Nitrates are zero 0.00ppm RSP kit/PO4 is 0.02ppm Hanna ULR. So my new approach: Add fish! Just added two tangs Feed! I now feed my fish all they want and then some! I mean it, a lot. Pellets, frozen, with Selcon, and Nori. I also feed my corals Reef Chili and coral frenzy alternating a couple times per week. I have already seen increased color and growth throughout but not any increase in algae. Why hasn't algae started taking over? Because my excess inorganic nutrients haven budged, still undetectable NO3 and less than .03 PO4. Still has been going on for the last 4-5 weeks. I closely watch for increased growth on glass. When I see more film algae on surfaces I either clean the skimmer, change GFO/carbon, up my NOPOX dose. Also now that I have added an auto neck cleaner my water is cleaner than ever. I run filter socks and would love to remove them but micro bubbles are a problem for me. The skimmer is the real work horse here. It's is well sized for my 180 display and 300gallons total system volume. In fact feeding more has caused it to operate better. My ALK is high around 9.5 test almost daily. Maintained by Kalk. Lighting is also intense. Kessil AP700 (X2), 70% intensity for 7 hours. I don't dare take it over 70, each time I've tried my montis bleach in days. I have measured my PAR and just about every square inch gets ~200 PAR or more. The majority of my corals are easily in the 300+ range. Bottom line there is a direct link to coral growth and color with light intensity and feeding. Maybe the exact biological functions and chemistry of this link or other factors might be a mystery to us. There can be no doubt that more lighting needs more food, this creates suitable environment for increase growth that leads to a need for additional carbonate/bicarbonate. Also note that high pH increase available bicarbonate needed for calcification. So a stable increase of pH is warranted to an extent that more bicarbonate is available to corals. Here is some really good reading! http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002...stry#section-7 In conclusion I feel it is important to keep organics up for coral nutrition while keeping the broken down by inorganic products down (NO3, PO4). Aaron
__________________
180 Mixed Reef SRO-5000 Skimmer Neptune APEX Gold Kessil AP700/ MP60+6105 Kalk+2 part/ Cheato Fuge Current Tank Info: 180 SPS Dominant |
10/17/2016, 08:25 AM | #418 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 59
|
Hey guys,
All my fish are out of the tank at the moment getting treatment for ick, so the tank has been 3 months, ive did some checks tonight and 0 phosphate 0 nitrate. Last time i checked it was 3 months ago as i moved the fish, it was 0 phosphate and about 3-5 nitrate. So is frozen fish food + pellet dumping better (how long before it breaks to release nitrate) or some kind of nitrate powder? |
10/18/2016, 08:18 AM | #419 | |
They call me EC
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: central Florida
Posts: 6,208
|
Quote:
I'm personally not a big fan of adding inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus. I know it's becoming increasingly more popular, but I really don't get it. At least not where SPS corals are concerned. The organisms we keep that depend on these things are bacteria, algae, and zooxanthellae. Most of us don't want to grow more bacteria and algae, so the only benefit I can see is an increase in zooxanthellae. We can maintain a healthy population of zooxanthellae simply by insuring that their host is well nourished. This is precisely how it works in areas of the ocean where inorganic nutrients are very very low, and healthy growing coral reefs exist. The waste products of a well fed coral should provide plenty of fertilizers to support a healthy population of zooxanthellae without increasing inorganic nutrient levels in the open water of the system. JMHO Peace EC
__________________
"Most of the failures with marine aquaria are due to lack of knowledge of the biological processes that occur in the aquarium." Martin A. Moe, Jr. "A scientist seeks the truth, wherever that may lead. A believer already knows the truth, and cannot be swayed no matter how compelling the evidence." Current Tank Info: I'm trying to see how many tanks will fit in my house before the wife loses it. |
|
10/26/2016, 11:44 PM | #420 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pleasant Hill, CA
Posts: 181
|
Well there's definately a link between higher measureable nitrate and faster growth.
__________________
www.sustainablereefsolutions.com Current Tank Info: 200G (RS XXL 750) Mixed Reef, Kessil AP700 & A360WEx2, T5x4, Vortech MP40, Gyre XF250, Lifereef SVS2-24, Apex Jr, DOS |
10/27/2016, 10:44 PM | #421 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 59
|
I had 30 nitrate and water changed to bring it down to 5-10 but maybe I should ride out the higher nitrates and see what happens
|
10/28/2016, 12:56 AM | #422 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pleasant Hill, CA
Posts: 181
|
Quote:
__________________
www.sustainablereefsolutions.com Current Tank Info: 200G (RS XXL 750) Mixed Reef, Kessil AP700 & A360WEx2, T5x4, Vortech MP40, Gyre XF250, Lifereef SVS2-24, Apex Jr, DOS |
|
10/28/2016, 05:29 AM | #423 |
Acropora Gardener
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 2,780
|
My measurable nitrates are between 2.5-5 ppm (Salifert) and measurable phosphates are between 0.024-0.046 mg/L (but are typically 0.046 mg/L) (Elos High Sensitivity). My alkalinity is at NSW (6.45 dKH-7.45 dKH). My corals seem to be at their happiest when alkalinity is at NSW levels.
I dose a product that contains organic nitrogen, organic carbon, inorganic phosphates, inorganic nitrates and organic phosphates. You can see plenty more pictures if you follow the links in my signature.
__________________
Featured Tank OCT 2016 | "Reef Hobbyist Magazine" TOTM OCT 2016 | "Ultimate Reef", UK FB | "/troutsReefTank/" 65G SPS Reef- ATI 8 X 39W PM; TM [Bacto-Balance A-; Reef Actif; Nitribiotic; Iodine] |
10/28/2016, 08:20 AM | #424 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dewitt MI
Posts: 5,051
|
Quote:
I have front to back B+, P+, B+, Aquablue, Geisseman Tropic (6500k), Actinic, B+, B+ ALK 7.8 CA 450 Mag 1350 PO4 .04 NO3 5
__________________
Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
|
10/28/2016, 12:00 PM | #425 |
Acropora Gardener
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 2,780
|
I am using front blue+ coral+ actinic abs purple+ blue+ coral+ blue+ back
__________________
Featured Tank OCT 2016 | "Reef Hobbyist Magazine" TOTM OCT 2016 | "Ultimate Reef", UK FB | "/troutsReefTank/" 65G SPS Reef- ATI 8 X 39W PM; TM [Bacto-Balance A-; Reef Actif; Nitribiotic; Iodine] |
|
|