sahin
Ultimate Reefer
So, yesterday I tested po4 for the first time in a month (haven't been run gfo in 6 weeks) . You see, I have an experienced SPS keep yeah that can see phosphate levels, or so I thoughtThe tank showed no sign of po4 except for slower SPS growth. The test result on the Hanna low-range meter showed .21
I though it was an error so I cleaned the vials thoroughly and tested again. Result was .24 on the second test!!! I even tested with a Red Sea po4 kit and that read .18 So much for the trained eye.
I did a 20% water change yesterday and put a fresh cup of ROWA in the reactor. PO4 reading this morning was .1 Having po4 this high along with my 25ppm nitrates reminds me of thread that Thales stared about his tank and high po4.
Thanks for the info Rich. I look forward to the results of my tank after the Radium goes up. Your tank looks awesome. I hope I can get similar results. I've followed your tanks for years and have aspired to achieving similar success. :thumbsup: Plus I love your cube tanks and the scapes.
There's definitely a balance I think, which is why my tank isn't covered with cyano at the moment, but there's something to be said for high PAR evenly spread lighting. If I had a shallow frag tank with a 400w radium giving everything 500 par I would be inclined to keep these water parameters to keep deep colors and still have good growth. I would also be able to experiment with photo period and maybe even different, higher par bulbs. Just like in the old days, we were able to photo-saturate the coral will strong MH lighting despite high nutrients.
Unfortunately this is a 26" high tank with SPS from top to bottom Top of the tank gets 500-700 par, and bottom gets 200-300, middle obviously in a middle range.
With nutrient this high I have seen growth slow down considerably on corals getting less par. I lost white growth tips on a bunch of pieces and have seen an overabundance of brown shaggy polyps. I also notice that my night time PE is not what it was. An old TOTM article from Jamie Cross mentioned night time PE as a heath indicator. There wasn't scientific proof but this always stuck in my head over the head, and I do observe the correlation.
My target water parameter is 10ppm No3 along with .03 po4. I know a lot of guys say "don't chase number" but numbers are a good guideline for us to follow, if you're using quality kits or meters. I say if you don't chase numbers, you're chasing your tail
Rich, I've seen high PO4 numbers and crazy nice acro colours in my buddys tank. The colours were deep/rich. I dont chase PO4 anymore unless it goes out of control. I prefer under 0.08ppm. Sure, dont chase, but limits must be there.
Strong lighting is important when running high PO4. I'm sure I read somewhere that the PAR levels in your tank runs around 250 on the bottom.
