How can I keep my nutrients down?

[toi_ss]

Im setting up a 180x80x37 (140 gallon) tank with a 50 gallon sump but im planning to keep an axil wrasse which need to be fed tonnes of times per day (9+), my current plan is a filter roller, bubble magus curve 7 and a 30 gallon refugium as well as some carbon. I don't think this will be enough to keep nutrients down though, Any suggestions?

 

[ryanjohn1]

With what you are planning I don’t believe you’re gonna have problems. I feed 3 times a day and struggle to keep nitrate above 10 and phos above.1.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Super small portions, weekly large water changes, add some reactors with phosphate/nitrate lowering media, and you could dose NOPOX if needed. But I would figure out if it’s an issue first. But honestly it’s a fish I would avoid entirely due to feeding and difficulty in captivity although I believe you already know this.

 

[Spare time]

That should be fine. I agree with the above the carbon dosing could be adding if it turns out that is not enough. Having lots of corals will help.

 

[toi_ss]

Super small portions, weekly large water changes, add some reactors with phosphate/nitrate lowering media, and you could dose NOPOX if needed. But I would figure out if it’s an issue first. But honestly it’s a fish I would avoid entirely due to feeding and difficulty in captivity although I believe you already know this.

Yeah, I'm going to be feeding a mix of foods (mysis, mussels, clams, cyclops, artemia and some phyto for copepods) in portions that the fish can eat in like 10-15 seconds. In my opinion fish>corals and so im spending lots of money and time into keeping harder to keep fish (regal angels, tamarin wrasse, leopard wrasse and of course the axil wrasse). I'm trying to buy captive bred where I can but the tank will be mainly designed for fish and not corals with lots of swim room as well as hiding spots.

 

[toi_ss]

That should be fine. I agree with the above the carbon dosing could be adding if it turns out that is not enough. Having lots of corals will help.

Yeah, I'm also going to dose carbon for water clarity and to keep leather corals/other noxious corals. Might set up a ghetto reactor

 

[Spare time]

Yeah, I'm also going to dose carbon for water clarity and to keep leather corals/other noxious corals. Might set up a ghetto reactor

Carbon dosing is not the same as activated carbon. I think you confused the two?

 

[toi_ss]

Carbon dosing is not the same as activated carbon. I think you confused the two?

Oh oops, sorry I didn't read your original comment correctly, im definitely going to use activated carbon. Also possibly carbon dosing. Im considering a sulfur denitrator but I don't want a super high tech setup.

 

[Spare time]

Oh oops, sorry I didn't read your original comment correctly, im definitely going to use activated carbon. Also possibly carbon dosing. Im considering a sulfur denitrator but I don't want a super high tech setup.

I wouldn't bother with a sulfer denitrator. I think your current setup will be fine, but carbon dosing or a biopellet reactor would be the next thing to add.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Water changes is definitely the way I keep my levels down

 

[dank.reefer]

I think if you focus on using clean food sources (IE more frozen or freeze dried) you should be ok. Also the use of a filter roller may be advantageuos in this situation as it would help to keep the mechanical filtration fresh as more sources of nuteients are added.

I would also try and get that fish to eat freeze dried from the plank auto feeder to reduce some of the chore of feeding him. I myself try and shy away from fish that are hard to keep. The corals are enough of a challenge.

Hopefully the fish police don't get on me too hard but I have found that most fish feeding requirements are over stated. I personally keep wrasses, tangs, and angels that are all supposed to be fed 3-5 times daily. I feed them 2 times a day once from the auto feeder and then some frozen when I get home from work kind of like roll call. Every other day or so I will give an extra feeding of nori or hikari pellets soaked in selcon as a supplement. All of my fish are fat happy and healthy and by the standards provided by the industry "underfed". I like to try and get fish that are part of the clean up crew that serve more of a pourpose than just asthetics. Gobies and wrasses to stir the sand, tangs, angels, and blennies for algea control, wrasses, and butterflies for pest control.

If keeping challenging fish is your thing I would do whatever I could to alleviate the chores of keeping them. Also waiting until your tank is more estanlished can help as there would likely be more natural options around the tank for the fish to eat rather than actually feeding 9 times a day. Just my 2 cents. I hope you get the fish you want and that he is fat and happy. After all there is almost always some illustrious must have for all of us, that is why we are all here.

 

[toi_ss]

I would also try and get that fish to eat freeze dried from the plank auto feeder to reduce some of the chore of feeding him. I myself try and shy away from fish that are hard to keep. The corals are enough of a challenge.

For this, I will be using dbr reefs automatic feeder design, basically a manifold off the return line that flushes itself out with the flow of the return pump so no reverse doser is needed.

Also the use of a filter roller may be advantageuos in this situation as it would help to keep the mechanical filtration fresh as more sources of nuteients are added.

Also will be using another one of dbr reefs designs - the diy filter roller. I might buy a clarisea if I can find one second hand, which in new zealand is unlikely but ill ask around. I think reefmat is a bit more then i'm willing to spend.

I like to try and get fish that are part of the clean up crew that serve more of a pourpose than just asthetics. Gobies and wrasses to stir the sand, tangs, angels, and blennies for algea control, wrasses, and butterflies for pest control.

Unfortunately the only cuc allowed here in nz are diadema urchins which I will probably get, astrea tecta, tiger cowry snail, cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp and brittle stars which will probably just become wrasse food. There are some other inverts allowed but they are pretty useless in terms of cuc https://aquariumworld.nz/databases/18-Tropical FWFishallowedinNZdatabase/
Will be having a blue tang. Don't want a zebrasoma because the only one found in the area which im basing the tank off (Raja Ampat) is a scopas tang and they are kinda ugly. Also I don't want a sand sifting goby (Valenciennae) because they eat copepods and I don't want to diminish the population. I think smaller gobies (watchman and shrimp gobys) just will be lost in the 200 gallon.

Also waiting until your tank is more estanlished can help as there would likely be more natural options around the tank for the fish to eat rather than actually feeding 9 times a day. Just my 2 cents.

I agree but these stethojulis wrasses just eat so much. I will be feeding it hourly as well as having a 50 gallon refugium and dosing phytoplankton. It will be one of the last fish in my system so the tank has a bit of time to mature and for copepod and microfauna populations to grow.

Cheers for the reply, have a good one