SPS tank with no fish

[CyberGuy]

Does anyone have an SPS tank with no fish for at least 74 days due to needing the tank to to be fallow because of ich?

If so, what do you feed the SPS without fish poop? Is snail/hermit crab/shrimp poop good enough? Do you supplement with putting in some reef roids, easy SPS Evo, Acro Power, frozen food/pellets into the tank even without fish?

 

[hds4216]

I think you could easily just do exactly what you say - feed the tank a little bit.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Does anyone have an SPS tank with no fish for at least 74 days due to needing the tank to to be fallow because of ich?

If so, what do you feed the SPS without fish poop? Is snail/hermit crab/shrimp poop good enough? Do you supplement with putting in some reef roids, easy SPS Evo, Acro Power, frozen food/pellets into the tank even without fish?

I would keep your alk below 8 in case your nutrients drop too low

 

[Tamberav]

I did 45 days at 81.6 without problems. I fed Red Sea ab+

 

[Poochaku]

I did 45 days at 81.6 without problems. I fed Red Sea ab+

Is AB+ viable as the only food for a coral only tank? Struggling to keep nutrients up using only AB+

 

[Tamberav]

Is AB+ viable as the only food for a coral only tank? Struggling to keep nutrients up using only AB+

I had no issues, my tank is mature though.

 

[guylaga]

Like others said you would still need to feed the tank a little bit.

I would reduce the amount you skim, maybe only a few hours a day or turn it off completely. If you are running macro in a fuge probably would also reduce the photo period a bit.

 

[jda]

Look to add ammonium to the tank in addition to feeding the inverts. I have no idea how much and nobody can really know, but small amounts over the the course of a day is what you are after. If you keep a tight lid on your ATO, you can add it through that, otherwise it will gas off.

 

[blasterman]

I personally would not let nitrate fall to more than half its present value or there will be hell to pay with healthy corals. You then have those corals that will throw a fit when nitrate goes back up. Dinos, etc.

How fast nitrate will fall depends on each tank. How long it takes each bacteria bed to run out of nitrite, etc. I would not rely on food. Also keep an eye on phosphate.

If you have a lot of healthy coral I would keep a bag of sodium nitrate and bottle phosphate ready, or at least ready to order. Thats $20 total worth of insurance in case nutrients dive. Always worth having plan B ready.

 

[jerrod]

I did it before and would broadcast feed Reef Roids as well as AB. I also dosed phyto to increase pods hoping some of the corals would eat that as well. Only issue I had was turning of my protein skimmer as nutrients got low which dropped ph.