Filter sock

[JG1]

I've been suffering from very pale corals since setting up my tank last December. I run a filter sock 24/7. Is it possible the sock is stripping my water of much needed food for SPS?

I feed twice a day and turn the return off for 30 minutes each time. I replace the socks every couple days when they clog and start to overflow.

 

[dzhuo]

Is it possible the sock is stripping my water of much needed food for SPS?

I think it's possible although it's hard to understand to what extend the socks have affect on the SPS. For example, most socks are designed to catch larger particles which the SPS can't ingest directly. What micron socks do you run?

I replace the socks every couple days when they clog and start to overflow.

I run (mesh) socks only after water change for a few days and even if I intentionally stir up the sump / fuge with lots of particulates, the socks don't really get clog up for at least a week (judging by the 3 days of debris they collect). If yours clog and overflow in 2 days, you might have lots of particulate matters which could be an indication of nutrient issue. If I remember correctly, you were fighting N & P issues a while back? Has this been resolved?

 

[JG1]

I think it's possible although it's hard to understand to what extend the socks have affect on the SPS. For example, most socks are designed to catch larger particles which the SPS can't ingest directly. What micron socks do you run?



I run (mesh) socks only after water change for a few days and even if I intentionally stir up the sump / fuge with lots of particulates, the socks don't really get clog up for at least a week (judging by the 3 days of debris they collect). If yours clog and overflow in 2 days, you might have lots of particulate matters which could be an indication of nutrient issue. If I remember correctly, you were fighting N & P issues a while back? Has this been resolved?

I run 200 micron socks. I think as the socks start to catch particulate in the water column, the micron rating starts to drop. So it may start as a 200 micron sock but after a couple of days it may be down to say a 10 micron sock. I'd say these socks will start overflowing in 3-4 days.

I was fighting PO4 a while back. However, PO4 is 0.00 on the hanna now and NO3 is undetectable. I had added chaeto, lit 24/7, and that completely wiped out my PO4.

 

[dzhuo]

How are polyp extensions? Are the chaeto still growing quickly? Have you notice more coralline grow? Are you still carbon or Zeo dosing?

 

[JG1]

How are polyp extensions? Are the chaeto still growing quickly? Have you notice more coralline grow? Are you still carbon or Zeo dosing?

Polyp ext is a lot better then it used to be. The chaeto initially grew like a weed, but now I'm barely getting any growth from it. I'm still using HC GFO which I've been debating about pulling.

Coralline....a little purple on the vortechs. Not much though....although I think I have the red coralline growing on the rocks. When I use epoxy in the tank, about a week after I start noticing red spots on it. All my rock has noticeably "darkened" though in the last month or so...not algae, but just looks a lot more mature then it used too. I started with dry fiji rock and seeded with a detritivore kit. it certainly doesn't look like dry rock any longer...much darker and tube worms everywhere.

My tank has a VERY low Alk demand. I don't understand it as I have roughly 25 SPS frags, a couple small LPS and a couple ricordia.

No, I don't dose any form of carbon or Zeo. I do use Pohls extra special as it's supposed to darken pale corals in ULNS's, and I use coral vitalizer.

 

[mallorieGgator]

Do you dose iodine at all?

 

[dzhuo]

I'm still using HC GFO which I've been debating about pulling.

I would most certainly do that - pulling it out.

My tank has a VERY low Alk demand. I don't understand it as I have roughly 25 SPS frags, a couple small LPS and a couple ricordia.

If you don't have much grow, alk consumption is properly low. That's understandable.

I use coral vitalizer.

I would also stop that although I am little bias toward this sort of nutrient products.

Generally speaking, it seems like your tank is maturing nicely and if the SPS still shows good polyp extension, I think they should continue to turn around for the better. I would stop the GFO and the coral vitalizer and give the tank another couple of months to see if things improve. I think it's up to you to run the socks or not; it probably doesn't play a huge role one way or the other.

Any chance of a FTS?

 

[JG1]

Do you dose iodine at all?

Yes, I dose 4 drops a week of Kent Lugols.

 

[JG1]

I would most certainly do that - pulling it out.



If you don't have much grow, alk consumption is properly low. That's understandable.



I would also stop that although I am little bias toward this sort of nutrient products.

Generally speaking, it seems like your tank is maturing nicely and if the SPS still shows good polyp extension, I think they should continue to turn around for the better. I would stop the GFO and the coral vitalizer and give the tank another couple of months to see if things improve. I think it's up to you to run the socks or not; it probably doesn't play a huge role one way or the other.

Any chance of a FTS?

Yeah I will take some pics after I clean the tank. I haven't cleaned the glass in two weeks and I have a film all over.

Stop the CV and GFO? Keep the feeding the same if I drop the GFO? I feed a mix of roggers, cyclopeeze, and gp's twice a day.

My bonsai has gotten a bit more purple this last month but everything in the tank can still improve.

 

[JG1]

I swear I can't take a good pic with this bulb combo. The rocks always come out looking red and the corals look more washed out then they are. I'm getting a 6500k daylight bulb to replace one of my fiji purples next week. That should help I think.

 

[dzhuo]

Stop the CV and GFO? Keep the feeding the same if I drop the GFO?

I would stop both CV and GFO and keep everything else the same.

everything in the tank can still improve.

Everyone's tank can be improved. The bonsai looks healthy to me.

Do you measure or know your iodine level?

 

[JG1]

No I don't. It's something I blindly dose....I guess because a few people swear by it, so I just add the minimum.

Think stop it?

 

[dzhuo]

I am not really sure why dosing iodine has become so popular; maybe because Zeo which seem to have hype up the dosing approach. If you run ozone, it's possible that iodine can be depleted faster than normal but when Dr. Ron Shimek done the research on It's (in) The Water, few had depleted iodine. NSW has very low iodine concentration and average roughly ~0.05ppm. High iodine level is also toxic. On top of that, most marin animals (I am not sure about corals tho) can obtain lots of trace elements including iodine, potassium, etc directly through food; not via the water column.

If you are not sure, I would just stop it. I like to keep things simple and that has always been my approach to reef keeping.

 

[sminker]

Polyp ext is a lot better then it used to be. The chaeto initially grew like a weed, but now I'm barely getting any growth from it. I'm still using HC GFO which I've been debating about pulling.

Coralline....a little purple on the vortechs. Not much though....although I think I have the red coralline growing on the rocks. When I use epoxy in the tank, about a week after I start noticing red spots on it. All my rock has noticeably "darkened" though in the last month or so...not algae, but just looks a lot more mature then it used too. I started with dry fiji rock and seeded with a detritivore kit. it certainly doesn't look like dry rock any longer...much darker and tube worms everywhere.

My tank has a VERY low Alk demand. I don't understand it as I have roughly 25 SPS frags, a couple small LPS and a couple ricordia.

No, I don't dose any form of carbon or Zeo. I do use Pohls extra special as it's supposed to darken pale corals in ULNS's, and I use coral vitalizer.

25 Frags wont consume much alk/cal for a while. You shouldnt need to dose anything during this period. Regular water changes with a salt like Reef Crystals will be fine. Once they start sprouting with multiple stalks then you will need to start testing to see if you need to dose. It will probably be a few months to almost a year before that point. You should also probably skip on the coral additives, IMO I think they are more of a marketing ploy to take more money out of us.

 

[joker295]

whats your parameters?

 

[JG1]

I am not really sure why dosing iodine has become so popular; maybe because Zeo which seem to have hype up the dosing approach. If you run ozone, it's possible that iodine can be depleted faster than normal but when Dr. Ron Shimek done the research on It's (in) The Water, few had depleted iodine. NSW has very low iodine concentration and average roughly ~0.05ppm. High iodine level is also toxic. On top of that, most marin animals (I am not sure about corals tho) can obtain lots of trace elements including iodine, potassium, etc directly through food; not via the water column.

If you are not sure, I would just stop it. I like to keep things simple and that has always been my approach to reef keeping.

You have a point. Will probably stop using it.

 

[JG1]

25 Frags wont consume much alk/cal for a while. You shouldnt need to dose anything during this period. Regular water changes with a salt like Reef Crystals will be fine. Once they start sprouting with multiple stalks then you will need to start testing to see if you need to dose. It will probably be a few months to almost a year before that point. You should also probably skip on the coral additives, IMO I think they are more of a marketing ploy to take more money out of us.

Thanks, that makes me feel better. I thought there was something wrong with my tank since it barely consumes any Alk.

 

[JG1]

whats your parameters?

T-78.0
SG- 1.025-1.026
Alk- 8.5dkh
Ca- 420ppm
Mg- 1400ppm
Ph- 7.9-8.1
PO4- 0.00
NO3- 0

 

[JG1]

Lighting in a 6 bulb PowerModule
Flow- two MP40's

 

[JG1]

I think the reason my sock gets clogged so quick is because I feed pretty heavy with Roggers reef food, cyclopeeze, and GP's....I make a mix of the three and feed twice a day with the return pump off for 20 minutes, just have the vortechs pulse it around. While all the big stuff is gone within minutes, there's a lot of very small particulate (what I would call the coral food) still circulating. When the return starts back up I think the vortechs push all the fine particulate into the overflow where they get caught by the sock.

That's why I was thinking maybe the sock is filtering too much out of the water column.