Keeping SPS is soooo hard and expensive! Thinking about quitting after 2 years.

i find the tested values of NSW levels something to shoot for.

0.005ppm is what i would shoot for when keeping SPS.

0.03ppm is where i would want to keep a system for softies and LPS.

one can also use various organisms as indicators of nutrient levels. the more coralline the lower the available inorganic levels, the more algae, even in live sumps is a good indicator that inorganic nutrient levels are increasing.

G~
What's up with phosphate? by Richard Ross | MACNA"¦: http://youtu.be/ZRIKW-9d2xI

http://youtu.be/ZRIKW-9d2xI
I think everyone how is giving this kind of advice should listen to this video and understand not all of what you hear and read is necessarily true. Also everyone's tank is different.
 
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I have read most of this form and have a few questions, have you looked at the small things like swing in pH from night to day (could be caused by and oxygen to carbondioxide in balance problem in your tank or in your house in general) and other thing lime stray voltage in the tank? Things like this if severe enough could cause delicate corals to die quickly.
 
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I'm late to the discussion, but has there been any discussion on problematic chemicals being introduced through the water supply (e.g. Chlorine / chloramine)?
 

yep, good article. i like this part at the beginning.

"Bare Bottom is mostly about water chemistry. Think of it like this - fish, despite everything you know, everything you've been told, are really just water. They look like they're a solid. You've eaten them as if they where a solid, but no. It was a lie, they're just water. Therefore, a bare bottom or Berlin type system, allowing for superb water quality, makes for extremely healthy fish and corals. The downside is that it only allows for a limited biologic filter to develop in the set-up."

which boils down to. if you do not want to keep poo as a pet, than you can skip the entire article. :D

G~
 
Nutrients need to be removed from the system in some manner. You can have technological aids help you with this or you can take a more manual, hands-on approach which doesn't cost 'thousands of dollars'.

The methodology used is up to the reef keeper, but to proclaim that 'vacuuming the sandbed is unnecessary and if you do something is wrong with your system' is a patently false statment since it doesn't apply to all reef keeping methodologies.

I completely agree with what you are saying there; however if you want to keep the most delicate species of coral then it's kind of a fact of the hobby that you will need to spend money on the appropriate equipment. I've never seen a really impressive sps tank that didn't have the equipment to support it. The OP already has expensive lighting and powerheads in the tank, it just may need to be added to.
On a side note, I haven't seen anything mentioned about a clean up crew, perhaps adding to this will aid any detritus problem that is present.
 
What's up with phosphate? by Richard Ross | MACNA"¦: http://youtu.be/ZRIKW-9d2xI

http://youtu.be/ZRIKW-9d2xI
I think everyone how is giving this kind of advice should listen to this video and understand not all of what you hear and read is necessarily true. Also everyone's tank is different.

OMG, he is so close, but just did not put two and two together. :(

i knew the video was in trouble when he said we can not test for organic phosphates, so we can forget about that. i was really hoping he would bring that back up at the end and piece it together, but no. :(

question: all of the great TOTM that you see. what is the common thing that they all say they do that everyone is amazed when they hear it?

hint: it is all about the organic phosphates.

please, if anybody hasn't already done this. do a search on RC on all posts by Bomber. i think a lot more of this will make sense if you do.

kurfer- are you still with us? i think it is about to really get interesting. :D

G~
 
OMG, he is so close, but just did not put two and two together. :(

i knew the video was in trouble when he said we can not test for organic phosphates, so we can forget about that. i was really hoping he would bring that back up at the end and piece it together, but no. :(

question: all of the great TOTM that you see. what is the common thing that they all say they do that everyone is amazed when they hear it?

hint: it is all about the organic phosphates.

please, if anybody hasn't already done this. do a search on RC on all posts by Bomber. i think a lot more of this will make sense if you do.

kurfer- are you still with us? i think it is about to really get interesting. :D

G~
Can you expand on this a little bit I'm interested to hear what you're talking about
 
yep, good article. i like this part at the beginning.

"Bare Bottom is mostly about water chemistry. Think of it like this - fish, despite everything you know, everything you've been told, are really just water. They look like they're a solid. You've eaten them as if they where a solid, but no. It was a lie, they're just water. Therefore, a bare bottom or Berlin type system, allowing for superb water quality, makes for extremely healthy fish and corals. The downside is that it only allows for a limited biologic filter to develop in the set-up."

which boils down to. if you do not want to keep poo as a pet, than you can skip the entire article. :D

G~

We get it!!!! And it has become tiresome reading your posts about sand beds. However, most want a sand bed for aesthetic purposes, among other beneficial reasons. You analogy about flushing the toilet to get rid of the poop can be elaborated on to include the septic tank. We don't drain it daily, but maybe every 10 years. Same with your sand bed, if it is maintained it's part of the working system. You wouldn't what your toilet to just empty in your back yard would you?
 
We get it!!!! And it has become tiresome reading your posts about sand beds. However, most want a sand bed for aesthetic purposes, among other beneficial reasons. You analogy about flushing the toilet to get rid of the poop can be elaborated on to include the septic tank. We don't drain it daily, but maybe every 10 years. Same with your sand bed, if it is maintained it's part of the working system. You wouldn't what your toilet to just empty in your back yard would you?

I will have to disagree with you here. You get it. But others obviously need some more explaining or in the first half of this thread I wouldn't have been told the opposite.
 
OMG, he is so close, but just did not put two and two together. :(

i knew the video was in trouble when he said we can not test for organic phosphates, so we can forget about that. i was really hoping he would bring that back up at the end and piece it together, but no. :(

question: all of the great TOTM that you see. what is the common thing that they all say they do that everyone is amazed when they hear it?

hint: it is all about the organic phosphates.

please, if anybody hasn't already done this. do a search on RC on all posts by Bomber. i think a lot more of this will make sense if you do.

kurfer- are you still with us? i think it is about to really get interesting. :D

G~


I have been thru about 6 of the TOTM and im noticing a few things actually.

ALOT of feeding (I think this is what your after)
75% have some form of biopellets or similar
everything looks rather clean. from the sandbed in the DT to the sump. or in other words, detritus removal
 
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