NPC newbies , questions on nutrients

[machodik]

Dear All,

I just accidentally got into NPC when I bought some corals from LFS without knowing those are NPC. Anyway it's is almost a month now that I put then on my QT, I only fed them once a day with frozen zooplankton , reef roids plus marine snow . So far they are seem ok (crossing my finger).

As I fed much frequent with my five weeks QT and the water parameter showing No3 and Po4 got around 0.25 ppm both . The rest are okay .

I am about to transfer them to my DT after the 4th week of Quarantine which is on this coming weekend.

My DT has a good water parameter as I got Biopellet reactor running and maintaining NO3 at 0.2 and Po4 at 0.01. I wonder if this kind of daily feeding will further increase my nutrient in my DT? How you guys able to maintained your nutrient at control level as you feeding them almost every hours of a day 24/7?

Will much appreciated with your kind comment and advises .

Herewith sharing you the recent photos of my said 2 NPC

Cheers,

 

[machodik]

Any comments?

 

[herring_fish]

There are several ways to TRY to control nutrient loads. Since there isn't just one way to do it, I would think that some people are reluctant to tell you what to do. From what I see, most people simply expand on what they are already doing because that is what they are comfortable with. Sometimes people add to what they are already doing by adding a different method as secondary reinforcement.

As you probably know, there is skimming, algal scrubbing, vodka and other carbon dosing, GFO absorption, lanthanum precipitation, water changing and many other methods. Most of these can complement and/or compete with each other.

You might want to search for and read up on threads of each type and see what you feel most comfortable with.

What are you doing already?

 

[machodik]

thanks for your response.

I have finally and successfully reduced my nutrients when I use the Biopellet reactor thru the help of my good friend. in the past, I have not been success with VODKA, DENNIS BALLS, SULFUR DENITRATOR, GFO etc....

I have asked this questions, as I think that when I will be feeding much more than what I am doing right now in my DT, I may again facing some increase in my nutirent level, so I wonder with all the good friends here feeding their NPC for almost every hours 24/7, there may be some technigue that I amy not aware than those mentioned as above.

anyway, I am confidence that my biopellet should be good enough and I will revert the outcome when I finally transfer my 2 corals to DT after almost 5 weeks of quarantine.

Just wish me luck.

cheers,

 

[noy]

Biopellets should be enough to control NO3/PO4 sounds like you have been running it without any problems already. I stopped with biopellets because of cyano issues.

The foods you add are quite high in PO4 - you may find even with biopellets your PO4 levels will still rise. In that case you may want to run a GFO reactor in addition.

Good flow will make sure the water column gets cycled through and a good skimmer will take out dissolved foods in the water column.

I also change my filter bags daily (yes - that is not a typo). You will find that the foods will get trapped in the filter bags (they get quite dirty).

With 1-2 NPS - you may just want to target feed several times a day - using a squirter.

The orange one actually looks like a Umbellulifera sp. They are one of the easier soft NPS (vs. dendronepthya/scleronephthya) and arguably has some photosynthetic properties. Your other one looks like a bubble coral with feeding tentacles out. If so - its not a NPS.

Hope it all works out for you!

 

[machodik]

Thanks Noy,

I have TLF reactor and Rowa Phos GFO media, so I can easily set up GFO whenever it is needed.

I hope you are right with your ID on those 2 corals as It will make me easier to take care of them specially when I am not at home and travelling.

Lastly, I wonder if any of the Tang will causing troubles with these corals when I transfer them to DT this weekend. I have PB TANG, PURPLE TANG , BLUE TANG, YELLOW TANG, NEMO , DAMSEL AND ANOTHER ONE that I dont know its name. anyway, hoping it will be okay.

cheers,

 

[calk me Q]

far from enough the only way to reduce nutrients is to change water everyday either mannually or by means of automatically. And seems like the coral u got is quite close to genus Den..which needs a great density of food to feed on otherwise may not get enough food until starve to death. The nutrients level to NPC is quite inessential as from what ive read they can tolerate as high as 12 ppm in NO3 and 1ppm in PO4

 

[machodik]

Thanks for further feedback.

For within almost 4 or 5 weeks of quarantine of these said 2 corals , I only feed about once a day, so far I can see they are having new stalk ( flower tree) coming out and they open quite well everyday except from some occasion that after feeding the orange one will be close or shrinks and the. Full blown again after a while.

I wonder if this feeding ones a day is acceptable to then ? If not? Then how long it will normally tooks or what sign they may shown to shows that they are starving then ?

Sorry , a newbies in this kind of corals so asking some newbies questions

Cheers ,

MD

 

[Art13]

That bubble coral you have there only needs to be fed 1-2 times a week

 

[machodik]

Dear All,

Try to update about my flower tree corals. After adding her to my DT, I still feed them ones a day and plan to reduced it to ones per 3 days . As of now she is growing quite fine. She only flip or shrink after feeding or when the lights got out at night but after a little while she came back stand tall as in the photo .