Dosing Phyto to Main tank

[Gold3nboi]

I have been culturing phyto for my copapods and now currently am thinking of dosing phyto to my DT to further increase my copapods population and maintain it for my mandrin. He has been with me for 2 years now and i just like to have a peace of mind that i am doing something for him even if theres enough pods. I would just like to know if its a good idea to start dosing phyto and if so how much? I have a 300 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump and about 175 lbs of live rock.

 

[hey_hey_heeyyyyyy!]

My only experience is with pods and phyto I purchased from Algeabarn for my 29g. I have been adding 5ML per day of phyto and my tank has been in great shape.

 

[Spare time]

Dosing phyto is great! It can feed zooplankton and a variety of corals. The zooplankton itself also becomes a coral food. How much is up to you

 

[Kryptonian]

Same, Algaebarn. I dose about 40ml OceanMagik everyday day for a 180. Dosing phyto can also be a great deterrent for nuisance algae.

 

[Gold3nboi]

So would about 80 ml be good for my 300 gallon tank, sorry guys i am bad at math.

 

[hey_hey_heeyyyyyy!]

So would about 80 ml be good for my 300 gallon tank, sorry guys i am bad at math.

In the below linked thread, one person started overdosing his tank and said it never looked better. I'm leaning that way myself. I've started dosing 10ML a few times a week recently as a test. So far so good.

Waterchanges might be a farce

So my background is reefing since 2005. I use to be this big believer in bimonthly waterchanges .... but now slowly AND firmly changing my mind. First off, I'm not a SPSer (acros and the like) ... thats a whooooole different ballgame. I'm a LPS'er, heavily involved in zoas/palys Okay...to...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Gold3nboi]

Awsome thanks for all the info cant wait to start this new dosing

 

[Eagle_Steve]

In the below linked thread, one person started overdosing his tank and said it never looked better. I'm leaning that way myself. I've started dosing 10ML a few times a week recently as a test. So far so good.

Waterchanges might be a farce

So my background is reefing since 2005. I use to be this big believer in bimonthly waterchanges .... but now slowly AND firmly changing my mind. First off, I'm not a SPSer (acros and the like) ... thats a whooooole different ballgame. I'm a LPS'er, heavily involved in zoas/palys Okay...to...

www.reef2reef.com

That overdoser was me lol. Well my wife to be exact.

I suggest starting slowly and working up the amount dosed. I also recommend culturing yourself if you can.

From what I have learned is to have a slight, like very slight, green tint to your water when you take a cup or so out do the tank and hold it to the light. This seems to be the sweet spot for my tanks. And no, the tank won’t look green when looking at it lol. At least all of mine do not.

You will also need to watch nitrates and phosphate while dosing. It can lead to a reduction in both. Nitrate more than phosphate from my experience.

Again, go slow. My tanks were lucky with my wife doing what she did. For a bit there, my tanks were phyto cultures and thankfully the massive culture did not crash lol.

 

[Gold3nboi]

Thank you and yes i will start out slow and watch my nitrates, also will an anlgae scrubber and skimmer effect the phyto?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Thank you and yes i will start out slow and watch my nitrates, also will an anlgae scrubber and skimmer effect the phyto?

Not sure on the scrubber. I run large fuges, like as much of my diy sumps as I can run. Basically the skimmer chamber and drains are one and there is just enough room for the drain pipes and the skimmer. The return chamber is built with just enough room to run my finger around the pump. As for my skimmers, a few run on a timer and only for a few hours a few days a week. One tank it runs all the time, as the bioload is massive from the tang gang and puffers. I have not noticed anymore or less skimmate from any skimmer running either. The color is a bit darker and the smell is actually not as bad, but that’s it.

Again, my experience, so just watch things as you go.

 

[Gold3nboi]

Not sure on the scrubber. I run large fuges, like as much of my diy sumps as I can run. Basically the skimmer chamber and drains are one and there is just enough room for the drain pipes and the skimmer. The return chamber is built with just enough room to run my finger around the pump. As for my skimmers, a few run on a timer and only for a few hours a few days a week. One tank it runs all the time, as the bioload is massive from the tang gang and puffers. I have not noticed anymore or less skimmate from any skimmer running either. The color is a bit darker and the smell is actually not as bad, but that’s it.

Again, my experience, so just watch things as you go.

Thank you for all the feed back i will take all this in and apply it thanks

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Also, it appears you are new here, so welcome to R2R. You should hop over to the meet and greet and introduce yourself.

Also, throw up a build thread. We love pics and it is also a great way to keep track of things you do to the tank. And we love pics. Wait, already said that lol. But we really do love pics lol.

 

[jeffchapok]

I started dosing 100 ml per day in my 150 about 4 weeks ago and it's never looked better. PO4 is .1 and NO3 is 25.