Hey Matt,
So I tried the AquaForest NP/BioS for a while. Seems like with my Load and recommended dosing, it's not working that great. Maybe keeping my P lower then where it would go.
So I stopped Feeding Corals period for a couple of weeks (Still doing Light dose of Aminos). Better, but still not where I want my P to get to (around 0.1).
I then looked at my logs, and compared with Photo's at same time. When I was using PhosGuard and getting P to close to that 0.1 things were better. Much better, and then when P rose, things dwindled.
So I put back my Reactor with PhosGuard on low flow. Threw in GFO in a baggie in Sump in Low Flow Area.
Slowly P dropped from .39 to 0.35 to 0.25, and still dropping (slowly).
Things look better. A couple of damaged Frags that I felt I was going to loose are showing signs of recovery.
The Majority of Frags that were doing fine, are still doing fine.
The reason for this post is some Folks convinced me that P, even as high as 0.4 is fine, if stable. Corals will adapt.
I don't believe that anymore from Evidence. My observations are when P is high, coral grow is retarded. Even if you don't need speed-growth, good grow is needed for Encrustment of new Frags, and quick recovery on SPS if they experience a brief negative hit.
You posted above that your couldn't get P down, and like me started using GFO (reactor & baggies) to get it under control.
Would you agree that P at or just below 0.1 is critical for Coral Success.
Specifically in my Tank which is 100% SPS Frags.
Hey Wally, this is probably one of the most hotly debated subjects in modern reefkeeping!
My short answer is no, I do not feel that po4 at or just around .1 is CRITICAL for coral success..
is it a range where one's chances are improved for general success? I would say yes to this..
If you go back in this thread and look at just about any of the million photos, you will be looking at corals that were growing and looking pretty good (for the most part) in water with a po4 of between .1 and .25.
One can look around at so many stunning reef tanks these days and some will have higher nutrients (I'd say n above 10ppm and p above .1) and some will have lower nutrients and some will have ultra low..
so, I would agree that corals are highly adaptable and stability is probably more important than actual numbers (within a certain window of acceptable parameters, I suppose). Long term true 0 is obviously not good.. we see tons of tanks with pale, sickly and stunted corals in true 0 nutrients.. but once nutrients are detectable, and depending on trace element/vitamin/amino/food additions, corals can really thrive.
I certainly think that nutrients in and around the 4ppm n and .04 ppm po4 up to 10 or even a bit higher than 10ppm n and .1 ppm po4 is probably the sweet spot.
There is also much discussion about the sweetspot ratio of 100/1 ratio of n to p. I've never been able to keep this relationship long enough to really see if it is truly beneficial or not but I have read Big E talk about it a lot and even site stats on previous totms and having this ratio..
So, I think that in your case, if your system tends to naturally run high in nutrients, fighting, at all costs, to drop them will probably end in frustration. However, I really like your attitude of attempting to keep a lid on nutrients but not battle them down to nothing.
No matter what our intentions are for our tanks, Mother Nature often has other intentions and I've learned that Mother Nature usually gets her way.
Your measured approach will pay off I think.
I may consider trying phosguard in my system since it's less aggressive than gfo and easier to deal with... my only concern is how dusty it is and the potential for an accumulation of aluminum in the system from extensive use.
