Dosing Schedule

[miggs76]

More of a dry skim. I do think the water is nutrient poor, but I was under the impression we wanted that? I figured all the bottles compensate for that?

 

[Perry]

Yes and No, if you have a well established tank, with lots of life, like pods, dusters, sponges, tunicates, micro-inverts, etc, this constitutes a mature, balanced tank, it can run totally ULNS. But a tank with not so much life, new rocks(not live), makes for a sterile tank and this balance takes time, add into that a highly efficient nutrient processing skimmer, also Probiotics, this will drop nutrients too low, corals simply starved. I think you will benefit from more fish feedings, and lowering the amount of Pro Bio S and NP Pro to one drop daily. Stay the course with the supps Cheers

 

[Gary Wilkinson]

@miggs76 any reds on the ICP test

 

[miggs76]

ICP??

 

[miggs76]

The only red on the triton was silica but triton said that is from ceramic media. I was also low on iodine. Everything else was all greens.

 

[miggs76]

Ok I think I see the problem. My nitrates were down to 0 the other day. I know AF says .1 to .5 but I'm guessing at least .5 is best. Should I be compensating for such low levels by bumping up any of the AF additives? I'm backing off on the np pro and pro bio S to get the nitrates a bit higher.

 

[Perry]

Yes, or feed more to your fish Cheers!

 

[miggs76]

Yes, or feed more to your fish Cheers!

All of the additives?

 

[Perry]

Just go normal dose, and up the fish feedings, or add AF Powerfood as well. Low nutrients are ok, so long as the corals and the tank inhabitants are not being starved to achieve low nutrients, then we run into a problem. Cheers!

 

[Jimmy01]

So it means we shouldn't dose BEVA beyond the recommended dosing amount according to our tank size just to compensate right?

 

[Perry]

Not necessarily, depending on how your tank processes nutrients, you may be fine doing full dose strength daily, it really depends on the individuals tank. That is why it is recommended dosing, not exact for everyone, our tanks all work different. Observance is the key, let the tank and corals response be your indicator

 

[miggs76]

Ok--a question here. Some of my corals are starting to look pretty good and growing well. A few still have that tan brown (starving look) tint. I am feeding heavy.......frozen food daily and reef roids/golden pearls at night. This tells me I need to make a change. I've cut back on the Pro Bio S and NP pro to 1 drop each every night. My nitrates are down to less than .5. Should I stop the Pro Bio S and NP Pro altogether or would it be a better idea to cut back on the AF Energy.

 

[jsker]

Ok--a question here. Some of my corals are starting to look pretty good and growing well. A few still have that tan brown (starving look) tint. I am feeding heavy.......frozen food daily and reef roids/golden pearls at night. This tells me I need to make a change. I've cut back on the Pro Bio S and NP pro to 1 drop each every night. My nitrates are down to less than .5. Should I stop the Pro Bio S and NP Pro altogether or would it be a better idea to cut back on the AF Energy.

.5 or 5 ppm? What are you Phosphates at?

 

[miggs76]

Less than .5 nitrates and less than .03 phosphates

 

[jsker]

Less than .5 nitrates and less than .03 phosphates

Looks like you nitrates are very low then. I run mine between 3 to 5 ppm and

 

[miggs76]

But AF says less than .5 for all SPS

 

[Perry]

If you run them at .5 they will maybe pastel a bit more, like the look of zeo tanks, if you allow for a bit more nitrate, they will saturate a bit more, all in the eye of the beholder. I personally run 1-2.5 ppm and 0.00 on PO4. No, do not stop dosing, maybe lessen the dose, but the bacteria plays a role in the tank, so does the carbon source. Feed more and continue you dosing

 

[miggs76]

Unfortunately I can't possibly feed any more than I do.....twice a day frozen food and reef roids each night. What about pro bio S and NP pro every other night?