Chaeto and BP

[xxvietxjustinxx]

I've been running BP for maybe five months now and thus far have had very little trouble keeping my phosphates and nitrates down. My SPS have had bland colors and was wondering if it could be attributed to having not enough nutrients?

I have a 75 gallong DT and a 40 gallon sump. My ball of chaeto is bigger than a basketball and would almost a full 5 gallon salt bucket. Do you think that this could be why my SPS are bland? My chaeto continues to grow and my phosphates are very low (.02 with ULR) and my nitrates are close to untraceable.

Note- I also don't run a GFO reactor.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Allmost]

if cheato is growing, then the pellets are not removing all nutrients.

 

[dowtish]

I have run pellets on my tank for almost 3 years, and also have a huge ball of chaeto. I didnt have a fuge when I first started the pellets, but once I added it, it grew like mad. Obviously there are nutrients in the tank, or it wouldnt grow. But I look at it this way, I feed really heavy and have great coloration, and I can do this because of the pellets and the chaeto doing their job.

my nitrates are always undetectable(salifert). obviously they are there, but we are using hobby grade test kits.
P04 is 0.03(hanna)

I would say 5 months isnt quite enough time to make any sudden decisions or changes. Except make sure you are feeding the tank.

 

[jda]

It is possible that it is low nutrients, but I would look at lighting and other tank parameters first.

Did you have nutrient issues before you added the bio pellets? Are you sure that you even need them?

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

It is possible that it is low nutrients, but I would look at lighting and other tank parameters first.

Did you have nutrient issues before you added the bio pellets? Are you sure that you even need them?

No, my nutrients weren't high but I was tired of using GFO because of the mess. Prior to that, my tank wasn't up for that long. My lighting is top shelf MH set up and my ca/alk are pretty stable with two part dosing.

 

[jda]

I would stop the GFO or BP unless/until you need them. I have had a high end SPS tank for nearly a decade and never had phosphate or nitrate issues with just good husbandry practices and replacing some of the sand every year, or so, and never used any GFO or carbon source.

 

[DopeCantWin]

I would stop the GFO or BP unless/until you need them. I have had a high end SPS tank for nearly a decade and never had phosphate or nitrate issues with just good husbandry practices and replacing some of the sand every year, or so, and never used any GFO or carbon source.

Have you been dosing Kalk?

 

[jda]

No. I have a calcium reactor.

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

I would stop the GFO or BP unless/until you need them. I have had a high end SPS tank for nearly a decade and never had phosphate or nitrate issues with just good husbandry practices and replacing some of the sand every year, or so, and never used any GFO or carbon source.

As stated above, I'm not running GFO, only BP. My phosphates begin to become an issue if I don't have one or the other.

 

[Touring]

dumb question but hows your flow? also can you post your water parameters.

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

dumb question but hows your flow? also can you post your water parameters.

2 tunze 6055 and a mag 12 return. About 3800 gph in a 75 gallon 36x24x20 tank

35 ppt
420 cal
8 dkh
1350 mag
79 fareneheit
0 nitrate
. 03 phos

 

[jda]

Do you have an aragonite based sandbed?

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

Do you have an aragonite based sandbed?

I do