Refugium working too well?

[b2smoov]

Hey all,

My tank is still new only being set up in February. It is a 55 gallon with a 40 breeder sump. The refugium section is about 15 gallons. Current fish stock list is two clowns, bicolor blenny, and a Christmas wrasse. Inverts are 2 turbo snails, 4 astrea snails, 7 hermits, 2 nassarius snails, a conch and a cleaner shrimp. Corals include 1 birdsnest, 1 montipora digitata, 1 monti cap, 1 blasto, 1 war Coral, 2 gorgonian, 1 ricordea mushroom, 1 leptoseris, 1 hammer and 1 torch.

My nitrates and phosphates are undetectable using Hanna checkers. I have checked my tap water and gotten results so I believe they do work. I started chaeto on 3/20 and have since harvested twice. Both times filling up at least 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucket.

Should I be concerned? Everything seems fine. Or should I just let it ride. Clearly I have some nitrates and phosphates because the chaeto grows well.

For what it's worth I still haven't had an ugly phase yet (knock on wood)

Sorry so long winded.

Thanks.

 

[damsels are not mean]

It's probably fine. Keep it up. I had undetectable nitrates when I started for a long time so long that I stopped testing it because it seemed pointless. And I never saw dinos or anything. I think biological controls for nutrients work in a way that they can never really 0 out like with say GFO or lanthanum. It's probably safer to feed more or something to get the numbers up though. Just in case.

 

[b2smoov]

It's probably fine. Keep it up. I had undetectable nitrates when I started for a long time so long that I stopped testing it because it seemed pointless. And I never saw dinos or anything. I think biological controls for nutrients work in a way that they can never really 0 out like with say GFO or lanthanum. It's probably safer to feed more or something to get the numbers up though. Just in case.

Right now I feed pellets in the morning and 1/2 cube of frozen mysis in the evening. I recently started using reef roids. About 1/8 tsp twice a week.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Feeding more or lighting the refugium less would be a good plan.

 

[b2smoov]

Feeding more or lighting the refugium less would be a good plan.

I'll try cutting back on the lighting first. I'm only planning on a couple more fish and I feel I'm feeding plenty now. Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'll try cutting back on the lighting first. I'm only planning on a couple more fish and I feel I'm feeding plenty now. Thanks.

If that doesn’t work, you can feed more or dose N and P. Too low is a risk factor for dinos and starving corals.

Tge food dies not need to be eaten by fish to provide nutrients. Other things can eat it, including bacteria.