How are sps colors with po4 readings .15 to .30?

[DogueDeBordeaux]

My po4 readins are .15 right now. I had a po4 reading of .30, so I started running rowaphos. 8 days later some of the frags started losing tissue around the base.
Is there really that big of difference with colors on po4 readings in the .01 to .06 compared to .15?
I will wait a few days before I start the rowaphos reactor back up.

 

[rogergolf66]

Well I have never had readings that high but I can say I have noticed slower growth and browning with readings of 1.0

That being said u may be lowing it to fast. Maybe use less media in the reactor and lower it slower.

Also what test kit u using?

 

[DogueDeBordeaux]

Hanna HI736 low range checker.

 

[karsseboom]

Well I have never had readings that high but I can say I have noticed slower growth and browning with readings of 1.0

That being said u may be lowing it to fast. Maybe use less media in the reactor and lower it slower.

Also what test kit u using?

1.0 is higher then 0.15 are you sure you don't mean 0.01?

 

[Kellyrt]

1.0 is higher then 0.15 are you sure you don't mean 0.01?

It is a well known fact that sps brown out and will not grow with p04 at 1.0 ppm or higher. Sps grow best at under .1ppm or under.:headwallblue:

 

[rogergolf66]

1.0 is higher then 0.15 are you sure you don't mean 0.01?

Yes I meant .1 thanks for catching that. Was a late night last night and was up early

My corals seem to like .03 best

 

[westreef]

I was out of the country for 2.5 weeks in October. Came back and found Nitrate was at 10 and Phosphate at 0.2. Many corals were not happy and many had STN. Changed out GFO and GAC. Today Nitrate is at 5 and Phosphate is at 0.03. Just hope things are getting back to normal. :debi:

 

[xenon]

It's important to ask what hanna meter is being used to test PO4 because I get 0.00 on the HI 713 model and 12ppb (0.036) on the HI 736 model.

What formula are you using to convert the ppb phosphorus to ppm phosphate?

I use (reading) X 3.044 / 1000.

 

[chercm]

i thought the formula is reading x3.066/1000 ?

 

[hanas]

Yes, I also think it is x3.066/1000

 

[toothman]

The acros get used to the phosphate at .3 and may live but do very poorly, brown out.

Acros also hate a quick drop in phosphate and will often stn at the base from a drop. You have to be more diligent in the future. you have to get the phos down below .04 and maintain that level.

I would recommend using about a half cup in the reactor and every 2 days add another half. This will lower the phosphate slowly.

Where is all the phos. coming from, possibly your tank is just too dirty and needs to be broken down, that is easier if it is really dirty.

 

[karsseboom]

It is a well known fact that sps brown out and will not grow with p04 at 1.0 ppm or higher. Sps grow best at under .1ppm or under.:headwallblue:

Can you read what I wrote? I have been keeping Sps foam while now, I'm well informed about po4 and how it relates to color....:headwally:

 

[xenon]

i thought the formula is reading x3.066/1000 ?

Yes it is. I was going by memory. My bad. :spin2:

 

[DogueDeBordeaux]

**Maybe I should have said: What is the highest level reading of PO4, and still have great colors?
I check po4 with the Hanna HI736 low range.

 

[xenon]

**Maybe I should have said: What is the highest level reading of PO4, and still have great colors?
I check po4 with the Hanna HI736 low range.

For me it really depends on the species of SPS because some maintain their colors better than others.

I get amazing brown-apora coloration above 0.08 ppm. :lolspin:

 

[rogergolf66]

I would say highest and keep great color is .05 no hight is safe for great color

 

[sirreal63]

There are no absolutes in this hobby, here is a tank that has awesome sps coloration with po4 at .34 to .37, people sometimes put too much emphasis on a number.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2197142

I believe people are trying too hard to have low numbers and starving corals. we have much better testing abilities now than we did 10 years ago but it seems there are fewer tanks with incredible colors now.

 

[SPotter]

I believe people are trying too hard to have low numbers and starving corals. we have much better testing abilities now than we did 10 years ago but it seems there are fewer tanks with incredible colors now.

Jack makes an excellent point here. I set my upgrade tank up almost a year ago and while I had great success keeping sps in my 40g I have had nothing but struggles over the last 10 months in keeping them in the new tank. I have gone thru 2 sps crashes in my tank and I now believe it was because I starved them by shooting for low nutrient levels and too much light. We are always trying to tweak the tanks and get a little more in color and growth. I have stopped trying to get low po4 numbers and have let my levels rise to around .06. A lot of the sps that I thought I had lost with the crash I left in the tank and most are starting to show signs of tissue regeneration and the ones that did survive have amazing color and pe.

There are a few very succesful threads on here where the members havent tested for po4 in a few years and let their eyes do the testing and this is what all of my rambling is about. If the tank looks good, the corals look healthy, there's no nussance algae growing then let it be. I am not saying to ignore testing as you should still conduct regular testing but dont try to over tinker with the tank. One thing I have learned in this hobby is....it doesnt take much effort to make a tank take a turn for the worse but it takes a lot of effort to get it back. Just my .02

 

[Allmost]

0.1 over calcification stops ....

 

[Alex T.]

Jack makes an excellent point here. I set my upgrade tank up almost a year ago and while I had great success keeping sps in my 40g I have had nothing but struggles over the last 10 months in keeping them in the new tank. I have gone thru 2 sps crashes in my tank and I now believe it was because I starved them by shooting for low nutrient levels and too much light. We are always trying to tweak the tanks and get a little more in color and growth. I have stopped trying to get low po4 numbers and have let my levels rise to around .06. A lot of the sps that I thought I had lost with the crash I left in the tank and most are starting to show signs of tissue regeneration and the ones that did survive have amazing color and pe.

There are a few very succesful threads on here where the members havent tested for po4 in a few years and let their eyes do the testing and this is what all of my rambling is about. If the tank looks good, the corals look healthy, there's no nussance algae growing then let it be. I am not saying to ignore testing as you should still conduct regular testing but dont try to over tinker with the tank. One thing I have learned in this hobby is....it doesnt take much effort to make a tank take a turn for the worse but it takes a lot of effort to get it back. Just my .02

How true, how true. ULNS only seems to work when you spend the money on supplements to put all the stuff back that you're stripping. It's an endless loop. It seems that if one link in the chain of running a ULNS is weak, the entire system can suffer to the point of a crash. It's so much easier to let things develop (and react to them slowly) while leaving some nutrients in the water for ALL corals; not just softees and LPS.

Speaking from some experience, it's so much more telling to just look at your tank and see what it needs, rather than chasing trends. Most of the best SPS keepers know what's wrong before they even test. Developing that eye or even taking pictures to compare will tell you much more about your individual system than chasing "perfect parameters". Every time you think you have it nailed, someone shows pictures of their drop dead gorgeous tank that makes you say "hmmm" when they tell you what they're doing. SPS tanks can be run in a number of successful ways. Knowing your system's sweet spot is so much more important than shooting for something that could harm your tank like Steve said.