Successful Acro Keepers, Nutrients or None?

[CoryC]

Just wondering what some of you guys with nicely colored acro colonies keep your nutrient levels at? Right now mine are no3 undetectable and po4 undetectable. Does anyone have success with these levels or do you prefer some measurable nitrate and phosphate? I've gathered that many successful full blown SPS systems feed daily or even several times daily. I've been feeding everyday, but still no nutrients. i'll go three weeks without a water change and nothing is detectable. I've considered turning my skimmer down, or possibly removing some live rock(I found some nice branch pieces i want to add). I feel like these low nutrient levels have caused my acros to lighten their skin color, which means they have lost some zooxanthellae.

 

[StevenBell]

Low nutrient levels can lighter colors or bleaching.I prefer a detectable amount of phosphate just for that matter.

 

[CoryC]

how's the best way to get nutrients? i'm not having too much luck raising my levels, even with dosing AA's and feeding everyday sometimes twice.

 

[Chameleon]

fish and food

 

[K_red_raider]

I like to run between 5-7 NO3 and just a trace of PO4. right now im a little high with my NO3 at 10 but ive been feeding heavy and have started a new brand of bio-pellets after getting a new pellet reactor at MACNA so im working on getting it back down. I believe that you have to have something in the water collum for the coral to live on.

 

[Shauno]

fish and food

Agreed! Its a balancing act but attainable. Chameleon, do you have chams?

 

[Arkayology]

The trick is to keep a small, stable, amount of nutrients in the water column. Too much or too little and too much change too quickly is not good.