I have given up raising nutrients

[b4tn]

My volume is 70 gallons with about 150 or so lbs of rock. Every day I feed 1/4 teaspoon of pellets, about a teaspoon of frozen Asian market blended mix with nori, and every four days I feed 1/4 teaspoon of reef frenzy mixed with the frozen mix during the day then at night a 1/4 teaspoon with filter sock removed and skimmer off for 8 hours. As is, a ton of leftover food is in the rocks but my two giant brittle stars and shrimp seems to clean it up. My fish are very fat so I know I am feeding more than enough yet N and P will not go over 1.5 and 0-.02. Several corals are fast growing with PE but seem faded and pale and when ever I try dosing N they get brown. I know that its my scrubber pulling nutrients from the system but without it my nitrates are through the roof and algae is rampant. I think I am going to start treating it like a ULN system. I currently run my ALK around 8.3-8.5 range. I am thinking to drop it to 7.7-7.9 and start adding amino acids once a week. I just ordered a bottle of acropower.... thoughts?

 

[amoore311]

Don't change two parameters at once. You'll never be able to figure out what change is causing the better results.

I'd start adding aminos as is. When I have problems with low nutrients I just increase broadcast feeding of corals and that usually does the trick. Instead of doing Reef Roids once a week, I'll do 2-3x a week for instance.

 

[jda]

You are not ULN. You need to be using organic carbon, GFO, Lan Chloride or the like to get to Ultra Low. You might just be low, which is good. NSW levels are .1n and .005p, which are more than enough. LNS is a LONG WAY from ULNS. I do not recommend ULNS unless you go full-scale into something like ZeoVit, or the like, and do not just do parts and pieces of it.

My general thoughts are that dosing nitrate is a bad idea because most coral would rather get nitrogen from ammonia/ammonium than from nitrate. They can get nitrogen from nitrate, but it is more expensive for them. Most of the time, dosing nitrate does not do much for corals, but it can do other things. If your nitrate is still low, then the bacteria population in the rock and sand have multipled to gobble up the nitrate that you were adding - this is exactly what their job is.

Dosing phosphate is mostly bound by the aragonite and will also not get consumed by the coral at all. One day, I fear that most people who dose P will regret it and have to spend a fortune on GFO to get the P out of their rocks and sand.

Aminos will feed single cell organisms, but also coral. You have to decide if you feel that the coral can outcompete the single cell stuff. Most people notice no difference when they stop Acropower. To each their own here, but don't expect much. Many people claim to see benefit when they start using a supplement, but do not notice when they stop - you almost need to stop and start again to make sure that what you are seeing is real.

Just feed your fish a reasonable amount, keep your ATS healthy and appropriately sized. I would run the skimmer 24/7. If you still have color issues, then look at your lighting or tank stability.

 

[ChrisQ0904]

You are not ULN. You need to be using organic carbon, GFO, Lan Chloride or the like to get to Ultra Low. You might just be low, which is good. NSW levels are .1n and .005p, which are more than enough. LNS is a LONG WAY from ULNS. I do not recommend ULNS unless you go full-scale into something like ZeoVit, or the like, and do not just do parts and pieces of it.

My general thoughts are that dosing nitrate is a bad idea because most coral would rather get nitrogen from ammonia/ammonium than from nitrate. They can get nitrogen from nitrate, but it is more expensive for them. Most of the time, dosing nitrate does not do much for corals, but it can do other things. If your nitrate is still low, then the bacteria population in the rock and sand have multipled to gobble up the nitrate that you were adding - this is exactly what their job is.

Dosing phosphate is mostly bound by the aragonite and will also not get consumed by the coral at all. One day, I fear that most people who dose P will regret it and have to spend a fortune on GFO to get the P out of their rocks and sand.

Aminos will feed single cell organisms, but also coral. You have to decide if you feel that the coral can outcompete the single cell stuff. Most people notice no difference when they stop Acropower. To each their own here, but don't expect much. Many people claim to see benefit when they start using a supplement, but do not notice when they stop - you almost need to stop and start again to make sure that what you are seeing is real.

Just feed your fish a reasonable amount, keep your ATS healthy and appropriately sized. I would run the skimmer 24/7. If you still have color issues, then look at your lighting or tank stability.

I am currently experiencing similar issues as the OP and your post really brought certain things into light for me. Thank you.

 

[b4tn]

I keep leaning towards lighting being an issue but feel like lighting should be fine. I have 2 OR T247 lights that are 20 white 90 blue. PAR is 150ish on the sand bed, 250's mid tank, and 400's water surface yet any acro I put high up starts bleaching instantly till I put it down lower. One of my favorite LPS corals, an Alien Maze Brain, has gotten fairly large but its ridges are pale brown on higher light sides and dark in low lit areas. Its on the sand bed getting around 100 par in its corner spot and has crazy 4" sweepers at night. I know that it prefers dirtier water which N and P is reading low... but then I have some blue shrooms that are growing fast in literal weeks time, and my Duncan is softball size and getting bigger so maybe they are taking u nutrients?. I have a green stag colony that is under my tank brace up high. The area that gets around 100 par is dark green but the branches that are reaching to the light away from the brace are bleached looking. It almost seems like I have to much light but that doesnt make sense with my pa numbers. I was thinking about getting a pair of 48" T5's both coral blue and see if that helps also.

 

[jda]

You have heard the old saying that "LED grows stuff just fine." While this is true, if you want more than "just fine," then I would supplement the ORs. I think that you would see a large difference with some T5s, especially with the acropora.