How many different methods of nutrient export are you doing?

[spspirate]

This is a question I ask my self before I set up a reef tank. How will I export nutrients and in what ways. Will I be skimming? Water changes? Extra rock in the sump/refugium? Denitrater? Maybe your dosing a carbon source? So what are you doing and how many ways are you doing it?

 

[glb]

I use 50lbs of rock in my 40g breeder (47g total water volume with the sump). About 40 in the display tank and another 10 in the sump. I have a skimmer and dose Nopox daily. The filter sock is cleaned every other day and the sump is vacuumed weekly. Also, I do a 5g water change biweekly. Nitrates stay between 5-7 and phosphates are 0-0.02. Hope that helps!

 

[teller]

I already like this thread!
Chaeto for nitrates, and activated carbon and GFO for phosphates and rest.
Before carbon dosing. Still evaluating.

 

[spspirate]

So many different ways to regulate nutrients. Very interesting to see what other people do to achieve this. I’m running a Deltec 1455, 2 Marinepure blocks and 5 mangroves which sit in about 3lbs of coral rubble. Water changes and activated carbon from time to time.

 

[jsker]

80lbs of live rock in display
skimmer
filter socks
GFO reactor
bio media in filter tray
water changes

 

[lauderdalestunner]

Floss, skimming and water changes about 15gal on a 90 every other week. And Gfo

 

[Vahanyos]

55 gallon with as much live rock as I can fit in my sump, skimmer, and water changes

been sitting at 0 nitrates for a few months now. having difficulty bringing it up actually.

I would say I have about 60 lbs of live rock and a 2 inch sand bed

 

[ChrisOFL]

90lbs of Haitian rock, 4" deep sand bed in display, small refugium section with DSB and chaeto, sulfur-doped aragonite brick, skimmer, NO filter socks/polyfiber except when I want to clear the water some. I have started dosing phytoplankton as a nutrient export and as an alternative to carbon dosing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I simultaneously used:

GFO
growing macroalgae
organic carbon dosing (vinegar)
1% daily water changes
GAC (RoX 0.8)
skimming
large rock-filled refugia

 

[Waters]

Weekly water changes, live rock, skimmer, GFO, and carbon.

 

[skiergd011013]

does activated carbon lower/remove phosphate? I have always known it removes contaminates and polishes the water, but this is the first ive heard it can remove phosphate.

 

[Fin]

On my new build, I am planning the following -

• Skimmer
• Turbo's Algae Turf Scrubber
• Occasional use of RoX 0.8 carbon
• Filter socks
• Rock in display
• Siporax (25mm size) in a large reactor
• Remote display refugium for additional rock & possibly some macro-algae
• Possibly Fauna Marin Bacto Reef Balls

 

[teller]

does activated carbon lower/remove phosphate? I have always known it removes contaminates and polishes the water, but this is the first ive heard it can remove phosphate.

It was my post. I put GFO and activated carbon in the same sentence.
GFO for phosphates and activated carbon for the "rest" you mentioned.
My bad.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

does activated carbon lower/remove phosphate? I have always known it removes contaminates and polishes the water, but this is the first ive heard it can remove phosphate.

GAC does not directly bind phosphate from seawater.

GAC does bind organics (including whole bacteria) that have phosphate as part of the structure, which can ultimately reduces levels of inorganic phosphate to some extent.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

60 cube with:
50 lbs of live rock in the display
Sump with:
Skimmer
1 marine pure plate
Small GFO reactor
Small Carbon reactor
10 lbs of live rock
Had refugium going but chaeto was dying off and releasing nitrates back into the display...

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

For me it's the following:

Chaeto
Frag Tank with Live Rock
Heavy Skimming

 

[Codym808]

For my tank I use:

-40lbs live rock
-filter sock
-marine pure
-skimmer
-carbon dosing (vinegar)
-mini carbon reactor (RoX 0.8)
-biweekly 15% waterchange

 

[AwildcatsZ]

30lbs of live rock in the display, 2" sand bed, Protein Skimmer, Refugium w/ chaeto only, and I run PhosGuard along with a weekly 5 gallon water change for my filter for my 29 gallon. I have also added siphoning a small section of sand bed before the water change. Seems to keep everything in check.

 

[stylaster]

On my 312g sps tank i use a skimmer, 40g refugium with macro algaes, carbon and phosphate remover. I also use a brightwell no3 brick to remove nitrates

 

[DangerDave]

Great question, I hope I can learn something new from it (won’t be that hard for me [emoji23]).

155g dt
45g sump

120lbs pukani rock
3 Filter socks
Skimmer
Algae reactor
Marine pure block (doubles as bubble trap)
Some rubble in return chamber, really meant for pods.
Daily auto water changes with DOS, about 2 1/2 gallons a day, 10% of water volume total weekly.

Dave