Appropriate NO3 and PO4 without Algae outbreak

[mpderksen]

Been at this for 10+ years, but continue to struggle with a basic concept: my 150 has nitrate and phosphate below ICP detection limits. I have a 'fuge that grows Cheato by the bucket and I have no algae in the DT. However, I also have pale, and slow growing coral.
November, and purely through some poor choices (new bulbs, changing my LED spectrum and over harvesting my 'fuge) I got a mix of GHA and others growing in the display. But now I realize I simply don't understand how people can have ANY NO3 or PO4 (which is pretty much plant fertilizer) and NOT have algae. Or, more to the point, how to get appropriate levels for great coral color and growth with out a GHA outbreak.
I only feed about a cube/day, and maybe some pellets a few times each week. My fish are all fat (even my PBT who is the pig of an eater). I'm not feeding my corals, specifically. I'm not running my GFO/Carbon reactor at all, but could.
I'm looking for general understanding here.

Michael

 

[Ron Reefman]

Good question Michael. I've been in the hobby for 20 years and have very similar issues, misunderstanding, confusion.

 

[ss30]

Most people run their tank with fish/inverts that take car of the algae, I got rid of all of my hair/turf algae with a mix of snails now I'm just left with some bubble algae which I try and remove. I am now thinking about getting a foxface just to get rid of the bubble algae also the foxface will destroy hair alge. So if you run the tank with No3 and Po4 the algae will be eaten before it becomes a problem.

Well that's my theory.

 

[Reefo25]

I'm not at expert by any means, but I have heard reducing the time your light is on in the fuge helps. and maybe harvesting small amounts of chato more often instead of large amounts spaced out more kinda like with water changes.

 

[Reef AquaCult]

You need to to decrease the amount of algae in fuge, decrease photoperiod, put skimmer on a timer or turn it off, decrease mechanical filtration. Feed a little more. Do a combination of these things. You might not even need a filter because your live rock and bacteria can handle the bio load. Easy problem to fix.

 

[Marc2952]

Im currently going through a dino battle after 1 month and been dosing dr tims waste away and refresh aswell as vibrant, dinos are almost gone but now started losing all my corals and turns to find out my phosphates hit qn absurd 2.87!! Even at that level my zoas are doing fine except anything else. Crazy thing is that ive been going fallow for a month so my guess is the vibrant is killing the algae off and releasing all that phosphate back into the water.