Skimmer schedule and feeding corals

[OrthoVet05]

Hey guys, I am in the process of dialing/fine tuning some things in my tank. I have a few newbie questions and i know everyone has 100s of opinions and tons of years of experience. I have had my tank set up for about 5 months after a move from TN to MI. Tank is maturing and set up a year ago.

There are pods and sponges all over the place and water parameters are perfect.

I got a few beginner sps about a month ago, bird of paradise, green slimer and a torch digi... the polyps have all been out for the slimer and bird but the torch has been struggling with opening. They have also all been struggling with color.

Overall, there is almost complete loss of color which I also know which can be related to lighting/acclimation to a new tank.

I am running a black box over my tank with about 50% blues and 20% on white.

I had recently put all three frags at the sand bed and moved them up gradually after one week. I have other lps in the tank easy stuff chalice, GSP, and Kenya tree.


Main questions:

should i be focusing on nutrients which I am not providing any specific reef food?

Do you all keep your skimmer going 24/7 or is it on a schedule to allow some nutrient build up in the tank for Corals?

Any input is great.

Sal is 1.025
Nitrates 0
Ph 8.3
Dkh 9
Cal 400
Temp 82 F
Running RO/DI water

Randy’s two part also for alk/cal/mg

 

[Flippers4pups]

Hey guys, I am in the process of dialing/fine tuning some things in my tank. I have a few newbie questions and i know everyone has 100s of opinions and tons of years of experience. I have had my tank set up for about 5 months after a move from TN to MI. Tank is maturing and set up a year ago.

There are pods and sponges all over the place and water parameters are perfect.

I got a few beginner sps about a month ago, bird of paradise, green slimer and a torch digi... the polyps have all been out for the slimer and bird but the torch has been struggling with opening. They have also all been struggling with color.

Overall, there is almost complete loss of color which I also know which can be related to lighting/acclimation to a new tank.

I am running a black box over my tank with about 50% blues and 20% on white.

I had recently put all three frags at the sand bed and moved them up gradually after one week. I have other lps in the tank easy stuff chalice, GSP, and Kenya tree.


Main questions:

should i be focusing on nutrients which I am not providing any specific reef food?

Do you all keep your skimmer going 24/7 or is it on a schedule to allow some nutrient build up in the tank for Corals?

Any input is great.

Sal is 1.025
Nitrates 0
Ph 8.3
Dkh 9
Cal 400
Temp 82 F
Running RO/DI water

Randy’s two part also for alk/cal/mg

It could very well be lack of nutrients. What’s your P04 at?

 

[OrthoVet05]

It could very well be lack of nutrients. What’s your P04 at?

Phosphates are 0 according to Api test kit.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Going the natural path to raise nutrients may take sometime. Sounds like that may not work for you right now.

You may consider dosing N03 and P04.

 

[OrthoVet05]

Going the natural path to raise nutrients may take sometime. Sounds like that may not work for you right now.

You may consider dosing N03 and P04.

I could look into it. What are your thoughts on altering skimming? Or do you just run 24/7?

 

[Flippers4pups]

I could look into it. What are your thoughts on altering skimming? Or do you just run 24/7?

I run 24/7, but I run between 20-30 ppm N03 and 0.02-0.10 P04.

 

[OrthoVet05]

I run 24/7, but I run between 20-30 ppm N03 and 0.02-0.10 P04.

Awesome. Thanks for the advice!

 

[OrthoVet05]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice!

Also.. stellar tank!!! What do you use for supplementing PO4 and NO3?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Also.. stellar tank!!! What do you use for supplementing PO4 and NO3?

I don’t dose anything any more. On my current system, I was once N03 and P04 Deficient. Corals paled pretty bad. I dosed KN03 from stump remover and P04 from seachem’s flourish Phosphorus. I would look into sodium nitrate, lab quality though to be safe.

Once up, I started biweekly water changes and started a refugium with chaeto. Been able to maintain N03 and P04 since.

 

[happysalt]

Where would you recommend keeping nitrates and phosphates in a mixed reef tank with mushrooms, spas, LPs with a few montis?

 

[happysalt]

Where would you recommend keeping nitrates and phosphates in a tank with spas, mushrooms, LPs, and a few easy to keep sps?