Where should my nutrients be?

[jasonrusso]

I undersrand that. Im not saying phosgaurd is the problem or isnt helping. Im saying sometimes when things seem like they are not going well the best thing to do is eliminate any variables. The vast majority of reef tanks will run perfectly fine on just water changes and some method of alk and cal dosing whether thats with kalk, 2part or reactor.

I do have a doser for 2 part so that isn't an issue.

 

[Hans-Werner]

In my experience cyanos are more related to phosphate concentration, not to nitrate. I agree, stop chasing numbers. Just look at your corals and if you are doing testing just use it for your information. Then see at which concentrations the corals are doing well.

 

[Rich Klein]

If the "stringy cyano" seems be much less when the lights come on and then increases during the day, then its dino and not cyano IME.

 

[jasonrusso]

If the "stringy cyano" seems be much less when the lights come on and then increases during the day, then its dino and not cyano IME.

It's red, I thought that was cyano

 

[jasonrusso]

If the "stringy cyano" seems be much less when the lights come on and then increases during the day, then its dino and not cyano IME.

It is stringy if you look at the picture in my original post

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

The bottom line is that there is no perfect nutrient level for ‘corals’.

Think of them like plants...countless different kinds that have countless different requirements for survival. Within those requirements are ranges. The greatest success is when you can find those things that all touch somewhere within their respective ranges...imagine a Venn diagram.

Each of those ranges has an upper and a lower threshold, with ‘optimal’ being somewhere in the middle. OK, so from an NO3/PO4 perspective, maybe optimal for a number of SPS is below the lower threshold of Euphyllia sp. corals.

Does that mean we can’t keep them together? Of course not. But for both to thrive, we have to find that sweet spot. Somewhere in all those ranges, there is a spot that will let most corals survive and do well. Finding it is the trick to reef keeping. But finding it involves looking at your coral and how it is responding to the environment far more than it does hitting a target number.

Now, in regards to the above as it pertains to nutrients, I’ll say this much: I would rather be too high than too low. Too low causes more problems, IMO.

 

[jasonrusso]

The bottom line is that there is no perfect nutrient level for ‘corals’.

Think of them like plants...countless different kinds that have countless different requirements for survival. Within those requirements are ranges. The greatest success is when you can find those things that all touch somewhere within their respective ranges...imagine a Venn diagram.

Each of those ranges has an upper and a lower threshold, with ‘optimal’ being somewhere in the middle. OK, so from an NO3/PO4 perspective, maybe optimal for a number of SPS is below the lower threshold of Euphyllia sp. corals.

Does that mean we can’t keep them together? Of course not. But for both to thrive, we have to find that sweet spot. Somewhere in all those ranges, there is a spot that will let most corals survive and do well. Finding it is the trick to reef keeping. But finding it involves looking at your coral and how it is responding to the environment far more than it does hitting a target number.

Now, in regards to the above as it pertains to nutrients, I’ll say this much: I would rather be too high than too low. Too low causes more problems, IMO.

Other than Algae, can nutrients be harmful to coral? Is there a point when they will stunt growth or kill them?

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Other than Algae, can nutrients be harmful to coral? Is there a point when they will stunt growth or kill them?

For sure.

Where that point is can be a mystery. There’s a lot of research showing deleterious effects on local coral populations from rapid increases in PO4 and/or NO3. I can’t remember what those levels were, but I recall thinking they were concentrations commonly found in reef aquariums.

So, it could just be the relatively rapid increase that stressed them more than the actual impact of the compound on the coral. I think we’ve all seen new corals going into healthy vibrant reef tanks only to almost instantly bleach. Could it be be the lighting differences? The nutrient differences? Both?

Hard to say. But the take-away from those experiences is that corals do not like it when conditions bounce around. Stability is always the key, and chasing numbers is a good way to put our corals on a roller coaster that they don’t want to be on.

 

[Rich Klein]

It is stringy if you look at the picture in my original post

Dino is stringy - the individual Dinos attach to each other and form strings that can even look like webbing when the lights come on and get worse as the day goes on. And Dino can have a red'ish color, but color is subjective depending on the light mix.

 

[jasonrusso]

What do you guys think about reef energy? I used to feed the corals reef chilli every other day, then I started using reef energy which was supposed to replace feedings.

I still feed reef chilli or reef roids occasionally, but should I go back to the every other feedings? Discontinue reef energy?