Cheato Working to Well?

chomoney · Mar 23, 2018

So, I have been having trouble maintaining nutrients for quite some time. After having no luck with simply feeding heavier, etc. I have started dosing nitrate and phosphate, in the forms of sodium nitrate and potassium phosphate.

While raising nitrate has been successful, I am up to .15ppm of phosphate dosing a day, and still reading 0 after 24 hours.

Now, I also have a 40b AND about a 20 gallon section of the sump with cheato. Given this volume of cheato, do you folks think I’m “shooting my self in the foot” persay?

As a point of reference, my total water volume is about 160 gallons. It’s also worse noting that the problems with my corals are usually pale colors and no PE. In terms of PE, new corals do great with PE for about 2 weeks then recede to none at all. Although I seem to have hedged off pieces simply dying after awhile, they still aren’t looking their best.

Syntax1235 · Mar 23, 2018

Could you provide us with more information? Livestock, lighting, filtration (besides chaeto) and parameters would be helpful.

However, without knowing the other information I would keep the chaeto going and maybe run your skimmer for less time. Feed much more if you have a light bio load. I'm not sure you should need to dose P04, I honestly have never heard of that before. Food introduces P04 to the system and the fish will turn the eaten food into Nitrates.

Looking forward to hearing more about your system.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 23, 2018

Maybe cut the chaeto ball back by 50% or 75%, that should help.

chomoney · Mar 23, 2018

Syntax1235 said:
Could you provide us with more information? Livestock, lighting, filtration (besides chaeto) and parameters would be helpful.

However, without knowing the other information I would keep the chaeto going and maybe run your skimmer for less time. Feed much more if you have a light bio load. I'm not sure you should need to dose P04, I honestly have never heard of that before. Food introduces P04 to the system and the fish will turn the eaten food into Nitrates.

Looking forward to hearing more about your system.

Thanks for the help!

Systems specs:

120g display w/plumbed in 40B and sump
160 gal total water volume (accounting for liverock, etc.

Lighting is 2 XR30s running SPS AB+
Supplemented with 4 39w T5s. Additionally, Chinese LED on the fuge, old 6 bulb T5 fixture on the 40B

Flow is 3 WAVs in display, Vectra L1 return

Alk: 8.5
Calcium: 410
Mag: 1550 was my last test with Red Sea, but I believe this to be erroneously high... can explain more if needed
No3: .25, dosing 4ppm per day
Po4: 0.00, always. Dosing up to .2ppm per day

Fish stocking:
Magnificent foxface (4”)
Hippo tang (3”)
Yellow tang (3”)
Regal angel (3”)
2 flame wrasses
flasher wrasse
fairy wrasse
Lawnmower blend
2 percula clowns
Melanesia wrasse (3”)
Bartlett’s Anthias

(I recognize adding more fish could increase nutrient levels, but also want to keep in mind that many of mine have a lot of growing to do)

Coral stocking:
Mostly acros and montis
Some zoas and chalices

Other:
About 8 trochus snails, 4 hermits, and a cleaner shrimp

Plot twist: corals have not been looking good this week, and I noticed 2 of my 3 WAVs are not running. Ticket into Neptune support [emoji17]