Need ideas for nutrient removal

[falconut]

When I test my PO4 and NO3 they both read 0. NO3 tested using Salifert kit and PO4 using Hanner PO4 Checker. My skimmer (ASM-G2) hasn't been pulling any thick dark sludge for years, just a greenish lighter colored stinky liquid. If I try to dry skim, I get almost nothing, but wet skimming does get as described. I've been running WM EcoBAK pellets and GFO, both in reactors. Plus I have Chaeto and Mangroves in my refuge.

Now, I usually take a water sample from the top few inches of the DT. As above, they both read 0. My Chaeto doesn't seam to be growing anymore. But I do have some minor algae on some of the rocks. So, there must be something in the tank.

I decided to reach down and take a sample right next to the rock in the lower area. I tested it for PO4 and it tested at 0.08, so there is definitely some present.

Based on this, it appears that maybe I'm just flowing the clean tank water through the sump and refuge, where my skimmer, GFO, pellets and chaeto are. I will occationally blow off the rocks and stir up the crud with a turkey baster. But this hasn't seem to help.

I recently added a Koralia Nano 425 to stir a small dead corner and I've got a Mag-Drive 18 as a closed loop. When I stir the debris, the flow clearly goes around the tank and appears to flow through every area and then goes into the overflow box.

Is it possible that my skimmer just isn't working good anymore and the organic waste is just building? I'm not sure if this is the case, I got a new pump 1 year ago and it's still producing a thick foam, it's just pretty much a white foam. So, it certainly seams that the water is clean. I even added a 100 micron filter sock, which I change weekly.

Any ideas on what else to try?

 

[Crush Coral]

I had been fighting algae and syno for years, then I read a suggestion to not feed flake food. All my other equipment and husbandry were propper and with the only change of not feeding flake the algae and syno have almost completly disappeared. Now I feed pellets and frozen. Might give it a try.

 

[carlosR]

If everything is healthy why worry about it?

 

[falconut]

I actually haven't been feeding much flake food for a while. I've even started skipping some days when I feed. I primarily feed frozen mysis and sometimes frozen bine, with only an occational flake food, pellet mixture.

The healthy thing is the reason I'm trying to figure how what is going on. Years ago I lost almost all my LPS and SPS. I got the PO4 down and tried added some back. I got a couple Hammers and Acan and they were doing great. So I added a Torch, a Frogspawn, a Candy Cane, Pocclapora and an Orange Cap. After about a week the tissue is receding up the skeleton of both the Candy Cane and the Frogspawn and the Polyps just aren't opening as big as before, plus the Pocclapora is losing polyps starting at the tips (turning white). This is what happened a couple years ago.

My tank used to be able to grow all corals and my skimmer was pulling thick nasty crud. Now I'm limited as to what I can keep and my skimmer doesn't pull anything resembling dark. Not sure if this is my issue or not. I spend $80 on a new pump last year and it didn't change anything, so I'd hate to buy a new skimmer just to find it doesn't help.

I'm stumped as to what else to try.

 

[Crush Coral]

I had the same problems with corals a year ago. That was when I removed my crushed coral from the substrate and put in a sand bed. Things impoved in a day. Look close for a place where detiris can be hiding. I also see this problem when my canister filter goes for a month w/o cleaning. If you have a sand be could it be loaded up? The two best things I have done for my tank is addin a pincushin urchin and a sand sifting starfish. They go wonders and I would bet the urchin will eat what algae you do have. Also the obvious - do 25% H2O changes every other week for a while and see what that does.

 

[falconut]

I have a 6 year old 1-2" thick coarse sand bed. It goes under the rocks, so gettign it all out will be impossible. I do siphon it out about once a month. My clean up crew is almost gone, so I'm definitely due for one.

 

[coralreefhq]

Usually a phosban reactor paired up with a nitrate reactor removes much of the excess nutrients carried in the tank.
The skimmer will victor the spoils and release pure saltwater, provided you have everything integrated correctly.