Need advice ......

[DE FISH]

Based on what?

It is not effective at removing po4 unless added way above the recommended levels However it removes some dissolved organic compounds, as do skimmers, which given time, would break down further into other elements, including phosphates. Some activated carbon can actualy reportedly leach phosphates into your water.

I highly doubt op has such a high level of carbon to result in a dramatic change of po4!

but what do I know I am not a Jedi

 

[czoolander]

The red flag is you are doing something that impacts your system and you do not know why you are doing it.

What exactly are you attempting to achieve here?

What toxins are you trying to remove?

Do you even know what carbon removes from a system?

The red flag is doing anything without knowing why.

I dont even think this justifies a response to be honest

You believe i dont know what the benifits to running carbon in the reef tank are ? or what it does?

DUDE ........... Did you see the pictures i posted ? My reef tank is quite healthy

I am trying to find out if my coral beauty is killing my sps or lps corals. Which im 98% sure it is because the new frags are looking good in the acclimation box 3 days later

So are we trying to be helpful? or trying to pick fights ?

Not sure what your goals are here ???

 

[Mogwai]

Nitrates are fine but 0 phosphate is bad.

IMO... we will always have Phosphates and Nitrates in our tanks. Just not enough to cause significant issues and or benefits. Our testing kits only read the obvious PPM.

 

[DE FISH]

IMO... we will always have Phosphates and Nitrates in our tanks. Just not enough to cause significant issues and or benefits. Our testing kits only read the obvious PPM.

Actually that is not true Hanna ulr reads in parts per billion, 0ppb is not a good reading it means the phosphate is pretty minuscule, in a closed system this is never a good thing unless your running zeovit or a similar ulns.

 

[Jedi1199]

It is not effective at removing PO4 per day But it removes some dissolved organic compounds, as do skimmers, which given time, would break down further into other elements, including phosphates. Some activated carbon can actualy reportedly leach phosphates into your water.

I highly doubt op has such a high level of carbon to result in a dramatic change of po4!

but what do I know I am not a Jedi

Carbon breaks down organics similar to what a skimmer does. It should not effect Po4 one way or the other.

I dont even think this justifies a response to be honest

You believe i dont know what the benifits to running carbon in the reef tank are ? or what it does?

DUDE ........... Did you see the pictures i posted ? My reef tank is quite healthy

I am trying to find out if my coral beauty is killing my sps or lps corals. Which im 98% sure it is because the new frags are looking good in the acclimation box 3 days later

So are we trying to be helpful? or trying to pick fights ?

Not sure what your goals are here ???

I am not trying to pick fights. I simply wish to eliminate false information. It is one thing to say, "I am doing this because of that". It is quite another to say I am doing this because I read I should. This type of misinformation needs to be removed from our hobby. I am not calling you out per sey. I simply wish to reach a level where what we state is the best level information we can provide.


I honestly do not know what your level of expertise is. I am basing my responses per your posts.

 

[Mogwai]

Actually that is not true Hanna ulr reads in parts per billion, 0ppb is not a good reading it means the phosphate is pretty minuscule, in a closed system this is never a good thing unless your running zeovit or a similar ulns.

Hanna is a good company indeed.

 

[DE FISH]

Carbon breaks down organics similar to what a skimmer does. It should not effect Po4 one way or the other.




I am not trying to pick fights. I simply wish to eliminate false information. It is one thing to say, "I am doing this because of that". It is quite another to say I am doing this because I read I should. This type of misinformation needs to be removed from our hobby. I am not calling you out per sey. I simply wish to reach a level where what we state is the best level information we can provide.


I honestly do not know what your level of expertise is. I am basing my responses per your posts.

So your saying activated carbon is the cause of a zero po4 reading for op ? Considering the carbon op is using is aimed more at freshwater use than marine, that would lead me to believe it has more chance of leaching phosphate than it does removing it ? I’m not here to argue we can all have differences of opinion.

 

[Jedi1199]

So your saying activated carbon is the cause of a zero po4 reading for op ? Considering the carbon op is using is aimed more at freshwater use than marine, that would lead me to believe it has more chance of leaching phosphate than it does removing it ? I’m not here to argue we can all have differences of opinion.

Not at all... Carbon in a reef tank removes dissolved organics. similar to what a skimmer does. It should not effect Po4 either way. The only way it "should" cause an effect is if left unattended for an extended period of time. It MAY at that point begin to leech Po4 back to the system.

 

[DE FISH]

Not at all... Carbon in a reef tank removes dissolved organics. similar to what a skimmer does. It should not effect Po4 either way. The only way it "should" cause an effect is if left unattended for an extended period of time. It MAY at that point begin to leech Po4 back to the system.

Now your confusing me, could you please clarify what you think is causing ops issues ?

 

[Mogwai]

Actually that is not true Hanna ulr reads in parts per billion, 0ppb is not a good reading it means the phosphate is pretty minuscule, in a closed system this is never a good thing unless your running zeovit or a similar ulns.

Carbon breaks down organics similar to what a skimmer does. It should not effect Po4 one way or the other.




I am not trying to pick fights. I simply wish to eliminate false information. It is one thing to say, "I am doing this because of that". It is quite another to say I am doing this because I read I should. This type of misinformation needs to be removed from our hobby. I am not calling you out per sey. I simply wish to reach a level where what we state is the best level information we can provide.


I honestly do not know what your level of expertise is. I am basing my responses per your posts.

Going based on my test kits (Red Sea, API, Solifert)
Dkh: 8
PH: 8.4
Calcium: 480
Magnesium: 1410
Nitrate: 10PPM
Phosphate: 0
With these numbers I've got great results and no issues. These numbers may not work for everyone but for me they do.

 

[DE FISH]

Going based on my test kits (Red Sea, API, Solifert)
Dkh: 8
PH: 8.4
Calcium: 480
Magnesium: 1410
Nitrate: 10PPM
Phosphate: 0
With these numbers I've got great results and no issues. These numbers may not work for everyone but for me they do.

Congratulations on your success however I would not regard any of the tests stated good at reading po4, unless you have a very good eye at seeing the slightest tint of blue, I expect your po4 to be above zero.

 

[Jedi1199]

Now your confusing me, could you please clarify what you think is causing ops issues ?

I said from the start I believe his issue is lighting.

My issue with the carbon thing was the implication that he was adding carbon without knowing why.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My latest peramiters were pretty spot on to where i have been keeping them and i am finally acheiving what i think can be called stability ?

Just did a 30 gallon water change last night

Alkalinity for the last few weeks 7.3-7.6 trying for 7.5 and last night tested at 7.5
Calcium 420
Magnesium 1380
NItrates 18.6 which seems high? even after a 30 gallon water change but i have been feeding frozen cubes twice a day for my new anthias fish . I might cut back on that in the next month or so if nitrates stay elevated
phosphates 0.00 Should i turn off my phosban reactor ???
salinity 1.026 verified by refractometer at home and at my lfs on their refractometor at the shop a day prior
tempature 78.0

I recently added 3 new sps frags and a acan coral . I have them inside an acclimation box to see if it is my tank peramiters or my fish ( coral beauty ) that is killing my corals. because everytime i try sps or acan corals they die in 5-10 days. I recently had a digi fire and teal birdsnest that both died last month

Most of my peramiters seem ok and all my other corals are thriving and growing. The new frags look happy too but too early to tell

I guess my concern is the nitrates of 18.6 after a water change and phosphate at 0.00

Any suggestions on this would be most appreciated ! thanks

Phos zero'd out- turn off reactor as it can be an invitation for Dinoflagellates. Contiued feeding will raise phos up but you want to be in range of .04 - .06
Bring alk up with sodium bicarbonate slowly as alk will impact calcium in which your CA number is spot on. Salinity will also impact alk. Assure thats not elevated

 

[DE FISH]

I said from the start I believe his issue is lighting.

My issue with the carbon thing was the implication that he was adding carbon without knowing why.

Op stated three reef led 90’s which can pack quite a punch I think the lighting is adequate. Are you saying the lighting is to low or to intense ?

 

[Mogwai]

Carbon breaks down organics similar to what a skimmer does. It should not effect Po4 one way or the other.




I am not trying to pick fights. I simply wish to eliminate false information. It is one thing to say, "I am doing this because of that". It is quite another to say I am doing this because I read I should. This type of misinformation needs to be removed from our hobby. I am not calling you out per sey. I simply wish to reach a level where what we state is the best level information we can provide.


I honestly do not know what your level of expertise is. I am basing my responses per your posts.

Since we're on the carbon thing. I may refrain from using Chemipure Blue for a little and use ROX .8 carbon only for a bit to see what happens.

 

[czoolander]

Carbon breaks down organics similar to what a skimmer does. It should not effect Po4 one way or the other.




I am not trying to pick fights. I simply wish to eliminate false information. It is one thing to say, "I am doing this because of that". It is quite another to say I am doing this because I read I should. This type of misinformation needs to be removed from our hobby. I am not calling you out per sey. I simply wish to reach a level where what we state is the best level information we can provide.


I honestly do not know what your level of expertise is. I am basing my responses per your posts.

My post about carbon was saying I might switch brands or delivery methods.

I don’t think I posted that I didn’t know what activated carbon does or why it’s in my tank if I did I’m sorry for misleading you

I do not put anything in my tank without prior research

my expertise is 3 years reefing so noobie to mid level I guess . My time in reefing is brief however I do spend a lot of time discussing and researching reefing so yes I know what a bag of carbon does in a reef tank

i don’t think it’s fair to say it’s a red flag even if I did add a bag of carbon with no idea what it does . Carbon is in no way hazardous or detrimental to a reef tank

 

[czoolander]

Phos zero'd out- turn off reactor as it can be an invitation for Dinoflagellates. Contiued feeding will raise phos up but you want to be in range of .04 - .06
Bring alk up with sodium bicarbonate slowly as alk will impact calcium in which your CA number is spot on. Salinity will also impact alk. Assure thats not elevated

Any particular reason I should bring up alk ? I read people have success at all levels

also read many people running 7.5 alk which is exactly what my brightwell salt mixes at ?

im having success lately with maintaining 7.3-7.6 so what are the benifts to running higher alk ? Increased coral growth ?

appreciate the advice but I think I’m going to stay at 7.5 until I see something that warrants a change

 

[Mogwai]

Any particular reason I should bring up alk ? I read people have success at all levels

also read many people running 7.5 alk which is exactly what my brightwell salt mixes at ?

im having success lately with maintaining 7.3-7.6 so what are the benifts to running higher alk ? Increased coral growth ?

appreciate the advice but I think I’m going to stay at 7.5 until I see something that warrants a change

Alk between 8-10 DKH with a PH @ around 8.2-8.4 show really good growth in corals especially with LPS/SPS IMO. I tend to run calcium and magnesium higher than the 400-450 and 1250-1350 mark because of that. Plus the higher calcium and magnesium keeps my corals bright in color along with the other trace elements. I do try not to exceed 500 in Calcium and 1500 in magnesium. PH and alk will fluctuate out of whack if Cal and Mag are too high IMO.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any particular reason I should bring up alk ? I read people have success at all levels

also read many people running 7.5 alk which is exactly what my brightwell salt mixes at ?

im having success lately with maintaining 7.3-7.6 so what are the benifts to running higher alk ? Increased coral growth ?

appreciate the advice but I think I’m going to stay at 7.5 until I see something that warrants a change

While many do run 7.5 alk, you want to furnish needs of your coral and not based on what others are doing. I was under impression you wanted to raise alk but see in post #1 you want to acheive 7.5

 

[Lavey29]

IMO... we will always have Phosphates and Nitrates in our tanks. Just not enough to cause significant issues and or benefits. Our testing kits only read the obvious PPM.

If it says 0 the dinos will tell you that you are wrong