Maintaining nitrates and phosphates while keeping chaeto

[Dave Clark]

Are you spot feeding your corals? If you’re feeding the zoas and other corals, then that will elevate your nutrients. I grow chaeto to keep my PO4 in check as I feed reef roids twice a week. Even with chaeto running in my fuge with 14 hour light cycle, my PO4 stays around 0.1 and my NO3 around 12. I have a mixed reef with sps, LPS and zoas.

Yes, I've been using Reef Roids. At the amount suggested by the manufacturer (which I've read is considered to be too much by some people), I was getting no increase in NO3 or PO4.

 

[Ziggy17]

Yes, I've been using Reef Roids. At the amount suggested by the manufacturer (which I've read is considered to be too much by some people), I was getting no increase in NO3 or PO4.

Do you have a soft ball of chaeto or a volley ball?
If PH and Nutes are the goal, then maybe play with the chaeto size until you get a sweet spot, the benefit of PH but still having nutes in the tank for animals. Dialing up P and N dosing is kinda throwing away $ if you can manage them with chaeto size and fuge light cycles.

Also, how old is the tank? Maybe the dry rock (if used) is still absorbing a lot of nutrients if it’s a relatively new tank.

I’m just hoping to find you free solutions before having to spend more $. I know the hobby isn’t cheap, so anywhere i can save, I try to.

 

[Dave Clark]

Do you have a soft ball of chaeto or a volley ball?
If PH and Nutes are the goal, then maybe play with the chaeto size until you get a sweet spot, the benefit of PH but still having nutes in the tank for animals. Dialing up P and N dosing is kinda throwing away $ if you can manage them with chaeto size and fuge light cycles.

Also, how old is the tank? Maybe the dry rock (if used) is still absorbing a lot of nutrients if it’s a relatively new tank.

I’m just hoping to find you free solutions before having to spend more $. I know the hobby isn’t cheap, so anywhere i can save, I try to.

Chaeto is about softball sized. But this is only a 13.5 gal tank (Fluval Evo). Tank is 14 months old, with (I think) about 10 pounds of live rock.

I'll definitely experiment with chaeto amount versus dose amount, thanks.

 

[Ziggy17]

Chaeto is about softball sized. But this is only a 13.5 gal tank (Fluval Evo). Tank is 14 months old, with (I think) about 10 pounds of live rock.

I'll definitely experiment with chaeto amount versus dose amount, thanks.

I run a softball size for my 80g for comparison. Hopefully you get it dialed in without the added cost of dosing but dosing a nano isn’t the end of the world either.