Am I over feeding? Underfeeding?

[darkrabbit]

Hi all, just trying to get a general consensus. I know every tank is different.

Reefer 250, 55 gallon.

This is what I have in my tank:

Fish:

1 x Regal Tang
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Diamond Goby
2 x Clowns

Inverts:

1 x Turbo Snail
7-8 x Scarlett or Blue legged Hermit crabs
1 x Electric Orange Hermit Crab
1 x Blood Shrimp
1 x Cleaner Shrimp
1 x Strawberry Conch
4 x Nassarius Snails
1 x Emerald Crab

Corals:

3 x Goniporas
1 x Hammer
1 x Torch
1 x fairly large Palythoa colony
1 x small Palythoa colony
2 x small Zoanthid colonies
1 x Plate Monti
1 x Kenya Tree
1 x Xenia colony
1 x Acan colony (small, 4 heads)

I think that's it...

My feeding

- 1/2 cube mysis shrimp
- ~6 pellets of New Life Spectrum Algaemax (very small pinch)
- ~6 pellets of New Life Spectrum Marine Formula (very small pinch)
- ~ 1/4 tsp of Reef Roids

- Every 2 or 3 days a half sheet of nori. Only the Emerald and the Yellow Tang seem interested, but honestly the Tang devours mysis shrimp. Likes it WAY more.

Note:

-Dealing with a red slime algae issue right now. Not sure why. My nutrients are at 0 Nitrate and 0.01 phosphate. I actually think I need more nitrates.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[Mr Fishface]

How often are you feeding that to the tank? How fast do they eat all that food? Is it gone in under a minute or does it take a few? I have heard slime algae becomes a problem when phosphates rise above nitrates, not sure how true that is though. Can you run something like phosban or GFO? Even a little baggie in the sump is better than nothing.

 

[dansreef]

I look at my nutrient levels (Nitrates and Phosphates) and if they are within the ranges I am looking to maintain. If my nutrients are too high.... i lessen what I am feeding. If they are too low.... I will increase things a bit. Of course... this is a rough gauge... It will also depend on your nutrient export. For instance, I have a turf scrubber.... and I have a lot of wiggle room for nutrients.

Looking at your number, you look fine. I would do small incremental increases of food... and watch to make sure your nutrients dont rise...

 

[darkrabbit]

How often are you feeding that to the tank? How fast do they eat all that food? Is it gone in under a minute or does it take a few? I have heard slime algae becomes a problem when phosphates rise above nitrates, not sure how true that is though. Can you run something like phosban or GFO? Even a little baggie in the sump is better than nothing.

Once per day. it’s a frozen mini cube which melts over a few mins. There is little to none left in 5 mins when the pumps turn back on. Any that falls to the ground is quickly devoured by hermits or shrimp.

I run GFO in a bag from when I was dealing with GHA which is gone now. Not sure if it’s important but the red slime came right after once the GHA left. It hasn’t been around too long though

I look at my nutrient levels (Nitrates and Phosphates) and if they are within the ranges I am looking to maintain. If my nutrients are too high.... i lessen what I am feeding. If they are too low.... I will increase things a bit. Of course... this is a rough gauge... It will also depend on your nutrient export. For instance, I have a turf scrubber.... and I have a lot of wiggle room for nutrients.

Looking at your number, you look fine. I would do small incremental increases of food... and watch to make sure your nutrients dont rise...

I’d like to see a few more nutrients as I think the ultra low level I’m at is affecting my corals. Maybe 2ppm nitrates and .03 phosphates.

Im using chaeto in the refugium which I think is growing a bit, though more into a tightly packed ball.

 

[thewackyreefer]

Personally, I wouldn't let the cube melt in the tank. I'd melt it in some water, use a net to filter out the mysis, soak in vitamins then put in the tank.

 

[Mr Fishface]

Best thing for slime is to grab a turkey baster and suck it out. Since your running gfo it should go away once the phosphates go away. If you bring nitrates up a little you might be able to grow better in the fuge and compete for those nutrients. Its time consuming but each time you pull slime out you do pull some nutrients out too. I had some i was sucking out for a couple weeks before i used chemiclean or chemipure, something like that. Sometimes just sucking it out can be enough though.

 

[Mr Fishface]

Oh and it sounds like your feeding is good too by the way. You could cut back to feeding every other day, but your nutrients are so low i think its good to feed what you do each day as far as frozen. Maybe the reef roids are what is causing this slime, sounds like a lot to dose every day. I usually dose once a week. Do what luvmyacans said to filter the water food is thawed in, that can be a big phosphate importer.

 

[darkrabbit]

Personally, I wouldn't let the cube melt in the tank. I'd melt it in some water, use a net to filter out the mysis, soak in vitamins then put in the tank.

I should mention it’s my own cube. I melt the mysis, strain it several times with RODI water, then add it to an ice cube tray with the other food. Add RODI and freeze.

It’s because of the junk in frozen food cubes that I make my oen

Best thing for slime is to grab a turkey baster and suck it out. Since your running gfo it should go away once the phosphates go away. If you bring nitrates up a little you might be able to grow better in the fuge and compete for those nutrients. Its time consuming but each time you pull slime out you do pull some nutrients out too. I had some i was sucking out for a couple weeks before i used chemiclean or chemipure, something like that. Sometimes just sucking it out can be enough though.

Ok I’ll start doing that. Thanks!

Oh and it sounds like your feeding is good too by the way. You could cut back to feeding every other day, but your nutrients are so low i think its good to feed what you do each day as far as frozen. Maybe the reef roids are what is causing this slime, sounds like a lot to dose every day. I usually dose once a week. Do what luvmyacans said to filter the water food is thawed in, that can be a big phosphate importer.

ok next set of cubes I make maybe I’ll leave the roids out.