Where do you keep your nutrients for high end SPS coloration?

[AngryMike2016]

I personally also had constant brown-outs and acro deaths when I was running super low no3/po4. I'm at ~10/~0.1 now and the acropora are staying alive and growing, with pretty decent color.

 

[AngryMike2016]

Apologies for the thread hi-jack, but I'd like to thank Chaswood and Bubba for often talking about the nutrients they run. After I read their information I personally started having much more success.

 

[X-37B]

I keep mine as close to NSW as possible. 1-3 ppb of phosphate on Hannah Ultra Low and "clear" on Hobby grade nitrate test kits which ends up being about .1 on IC/ICP.

I find this works the best for all types of acropora including deep waters and some of the trickier ones.

My 120 is 4 months old in a week so its new. Following what I did in my nano.
Po4 0-.03
No3 0-2
Alk 8.0
I have 30+ Corals and 11 fish
5 shrimp
I know I have n03 and p04 even when testing shows 0.
I get a green dusting on the glass and use my flipper every couple of days.
Color is good and everything is growing.
I dose ca alk and trace and test for all.
I feed 4 times a day
No fuge just a skimmer.
Started dosing no3 and po4 at 3ml each per day about a week ago. Color seems to be getting better but still 0 readings for no3 and po4 with hanna ppb and salifert.
Tanks still young and everthing is growing.
Mostly small frags an a few small colonies from my 2 year old frag tank.
Here are a couple of cell phone pics I just took. Not the best pics but its all I have

I keep mine as close to NSW as possible. 1-3 ppb of phosphate on Hannah Ultra Low and "clear" on Hobby grade nitrate test kits which ends up being about .1 on IC/ICP.

I find this works the best for all types of acropora including deep waters and some of the trickier ones.

 

[DoninHouston]

While I cant lie, the colors some of you LED+ elevated NO³ & PO⁴ SPS guys are pulling is really nice, and look pretty but the growth isnt anything compared to what I have seen with systems running halides, T5s and much lower nutrients, (not trying to start a lighting debate) Its a known fact that PO⁴ inhibits calcification, at what level? it seems to be genus specific at which levels calcification is inhibited according to the studies I have read.

Again, to each their own but, I know I wouldnt cool with my SPS tank at .15ppm PO⁴

Right on about lower NO3's. I've been maintaining low levels with NOPOx. PO4's around .04 and NO3's at 1-2. Ca at 430, KH at 8.4, and Mg at 1350. Sounds good, but now have outbreak of bryopsis. No happy about that. And coral color could be better. I'm using LED's: Two AI 52's and two AI 26's on a 240 gal setup, running mostly blues and white at 60% during daylight.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Well all I know is what is working for me and more importantly what did not work for me. These before and afters are all less than a year apart. Maybe this is considered slow growth to some but it’s definitely growth and way better than death.

All of these have been frag’d several times

Here’s a couple more

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Apologies for the thread hi-jack, but I'd like to thank Chaswood and Bubba for often talking about the nutrients they run. After I read their information I personally started having much more success.

Thanks for the shout out @AngryMike2016
It’s comforting to know all the time I spend trying to help has actually helped someone.

 

[Justin Aretz]

from my understanding of available articles, acros when exposed to >.1 po4 begins to get into an inhibited state of calcification, though I would have to go back and do some digging for my supporting docs. Still, I like to be in the .06-.08 range as I run my alk a bit higher. To the same point (calcification), I find that I successfully get better and stronger growth at lower temps (75-76). I attribute this to a more strontium based uptake, but again would need to do some more digging into supporting info

 

[RevMH]

I'm following, too. Interested to see what comes out.

 

[RevMH]

If you look closely there is a single accidental frag polyp at the top of my first pic. This is her now.

Looks good!

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

from my understanding of available articles, acros when exposed to >.1 po4 begins to get into an inhibited state of calcification, though I would have to go back and do some digging for my supporting docs. Still, I like to be in the .06-.08 range as I run my alk a bit higher. To the same point (calcification), I find that I successfully get better and stronger growth at lower temps (75-76). I attribute this to a more strontium based uptake, but again would need to do some more digging into supporting info

Is your profile pic from speedreefercorals?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Is your profile pic from speedreefercorals?

I think it is!!!!!

 

[SeaDweller]

Nutrients matter. I personally would never want to be 0 or .01 on phosphate and 0 on nitrate. Doing so is just playing a dangerous game where things can go wrong fast.

This first pic my tank would always be close to 0 for phosphate. I decided to raise my phosphate up some to .05 and within a week or two my polyp extension got much better and growth took off.

Four months difference in pics with higher phosphate.

Also take advice from people who can show you their successes.

Bubba, no fair! You’re on a whole different level! What I appreciate about your thread and posts is that you show success and progress, I don’t think I’ve come across a failure yet in your thread. Also, you acknowledge what works for others as well. Anyway I think I speak for many when I tell you most of us are jelly of your systems!

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Phosphate Ramblings

Below is a short write up that I have sent to countless friends and customers of mine who are experiencing some kind of issue and feel that it’s related in some way to phosphate levels. I have decided not to have my faithful grammar pro “fix” it, as it's more of a raw outpouring than any sort...

battlecorals.com

 

[Cheche]

I had a ulns 0 nitrate and my alk was 11.4 to 12dkh one day I decided to add some nitrate to my tank and lower the alk bcuz all my coral started to bleach and acros had burnt tips . Well I end up overdosing my tank to over 100 ppm of nitrate. So what can we do to take nitrate out ? Water change. I did 10g every 5 hours for 2 days and I noticed all my coral getting color and open up a lot more acros now are better and no corals has bleached out ever since I add the nitrate.. I was able to get my nitrate to 10 ppm and the alk to 8dkh . Now I feed my fish heavy and I still dosing nitrate.. tbh nitrate was the key to my tank now is a pleasure to come home and look at my tank . I hope this help

 

[bubbaque]

from my understanding of available articles, acros when exposed to >.1 po4 begins to get into an inhibited state of calcification, though I would have to go back and do some digging for my supporting docs. Still, I like to be in the .06-.08 range as I run my alk a bit higher. To the same point (calcification), I find that I successfully get better and stronger growth at lower temps (75-76). I attribute this to a more strontium based uptake, but again would need to do some more digging into supporting info

Depends on what article you read. A study done in 2014 showed higher phosphate increased growth while nitrate slowed it slightly. It showed it matters where your source of nutrients comes from.

 

[Justin Aretz]

Is your profile pic from speedreefercorals?

I believe so!

 

[Justin Aretz]

Depends on what article you read. A study done in 2014 showed higher phosphate increased growth while nitrate slowed it slightly. It showed it matters where your source of nutrients comes from.

Interesting. Makes sense. I don’t however have any issue with my rate of calcification. Coloration observation is the primary objective of this “experiment”

 

[PlasmaBoy]

I wonder if is also dependent on coral type. I have some corals with off the charts colour at near 0 but others are pale, soon as I raise nitrate the pale ones colour up but the others lose some of their colour.

 

[Justin Aretz]

I wonder if is also dependent on coral type. I have some corals with off the charts colour at near 0 but others are pale, soon as I raise nitrate the pale ones colour up but the others lose some of their colour.

I am sure, to an extent, it is definitely genus/species dependent.

 

[DirtMcGurt]

I almost started a thread to see what people keep their nutrient levels at until I saw this one. If I had known sooner that too low nutrients could cause so many problems then it would have saved a lot of time and money. It seems some people can pull off a tank with near zero N03 and P04. I can not. Idk what dictates the level/balance of N03 and P04 in a particular tank, for success, but everyone has a different demand for it. The worst advice I ever got, from many many sources, was to keep N03 and P04 as low as possible to keep algae down. Dumping phosphates and nitrates into my tank is what finally gave me success and kept me from leaving this hobby. I don't have any "high end" sps but with N03 at 8ppm and P04 at 0.06 - 0.08 everything grows and colors look better then ever.