Clean Tank vs Slightly Dirty

[Hentz]

So I've got my first SPS reef tank going, all doing well.

Though I've been dosing ZEOvit Xtra, calcium, Mag, essential, and coral Accel.
Also running a sock and fuge with a ReefOctopus 110..

My corals had nice PE, but lacked in color. SO on purpose, I stopped dosing Xtra and am letting my sock run dirty a few days extra, and already notice a nice color in my SPS corals!

Is this normal?

 

[ChrisKirkland]

Yes It is. My SPS were turning pale in my Fallow tank so I started feeding the coral and dosing amino acids (acro power) and they are doing very well now.

 

[Guygettnby]

I have noticed better color in my SPS when i feed my tank more often and reduce the amount of carbon i use. the only thing i am still having some issues with is good PE.

 

[Hentz]

I get great PE on some, others aren't just too happy lol.

I'm actually running my tank a little too clean, didn't even realize it. Tank still looks beautiful though my colors are kind of lacking.. Time to let the sock run a few extra days

 

[theaquareef]

Wait I'm confused, wouldn't a dirty sock cause even smaller particles to get stuck? Also wouldn't the complete reduction of dosing xtra cause the water to be "cleaner"? I'm lost haha

 

[epicurus84]

dirty sock = higher nitrates.

when you have great PE you could proberbly also have low nutrients or high particals in the tank ( or both ).

With a skimmer and carbon dosing (biopellets) and phophate reactor. Yes you can easy get a too clean tank.

I've even lost a few corals because of this. However i have the feeling coral sea corals are better suited for these corals. I have two, they should be more sensitive, however all stupid mistakes i made these corals stood by me, kept growing and survived.

 

[theaquareef]

dirty sock = higher nitrates.

when you have great PE you could proberbly also have low nutrients or high particals in the tank ( or both ).

With a skimmer and carbon dosing (biopellets) and phophate reactor. Yes you can easy get a too clean tank.

I've even lost a few corals because of this. However i have the feeling coral sea corals are better suited for these corals. I have two, they should be more sensitive, however all stupid mistakes i made these corals stood by me, kept growing and survived.

So you are saying if you run sock less you will have less nitrates?

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Clean tank all day. I feed zooplankton and my SPS love it...it enhances growth and coloration. 100%.

 

[Drae]

dirty sock = higher nitrates.

I've put this theory to the test and I honestly think it's one of those hobby myths. I purposely let a sock stay in the sump until it was so clogged it was overflowing and then I placed the dirty sock in a bucket of water from a water change for a couple days with a power head and tested the water and it was still undetectable nitrates.

 

[powder_blue]

I've put this theory to the test and I honestly think it's one of those hobby myths. I purposely let a sock stay in the sump until it was so clogged it was overflowing and then I placed the dirty sock in a bucket of water from a water change for a couple days with a power head and tested the water and it was still undetectable nitrates.

Couldn't agree more with you Drae +1

 

[TheKman]

The only time I'm running a filter sock is after a water change when all the gunk is kicked up and into my overflow which helps me get some of the bigger particles. The next day after my water change i'll take the sock back off and business as usual. Now I USED to run the Biopellets, GFO, and Skimmer and a friend of mine had to do an emergency move and brought over his mother colony of Oregon Tort and it bleached fast... Once I removed the biopellets and started to run my GFO at night time and my Tort went from white ( I thought it was dead we even acclimated and such) to Purple (took about 3-4 months) and it's ever so slowly starting to get darker. I also noticed when running my tank slightly dirty my corals grow and show more colors.