Nutrient export for No3 and PO4 balance

[Dave & Monica]

Just curious how SPS dominated reefs deal with exports, choose all that apply and explain how you deal with reaching a nutrient balance reef:

(a) Dose Organic Carbon (If you use this, please let us know which you use such as Vodka, vinegar, biopellets, or other organic carbons)

(b) Denitrator (Coil or Sulfur) for No3

(c) Lanthanum chloride for Po4 (If you use this, please let us know which you use such as SeaKlear or other commercial PO4 reducer)

(d) Bacteria program (If you use this, please let us know which you use such as such as ZEOvit, Prodibio, etc)

(e) Deep Sand Bed

(f) More than 10% water change per month (Please let us know what percentage, in addition to # of gallons)

(g) Skimmer (Skim wet or dry? and what type of skimmer?)

(h) Algae Scrubber

(i) GFO (Please let us know what kind, Phosban, ROWAphos, BRS GFO, etc)

(j) Did I miss an option?

 

[NewbyReefer]

I have a AquaC Remora HOB skimmer, Phosphate and Carbon Reactor(Kent, Its BIG for a reactor, atleast 2.5 times the volume of a phosban), and I do 10% water changes once a week. I'll probably cut back on the water changes wonce I get my PO4 in check. Its still leaching from my rocks from when I first started with SW and used tapwater to mix salt.

 

[Tank Girl]

I do 10% water change once a week, trying to skim wet, sro 2000 skimmer. 1l of siporax in Tlf reactor. PO4 0.02, NO3 2.5

 

[sparky45]

I do 15% water changes, skim wet, and use a reactor with carbon and phosban.

 

[aleggett321]

150 gal DT. octopus diablo skimmer, vertex reactor with biophos 80 synthetic resin gfo. activated carbon in mesh bag in sump. 10% water change bi weekly

 

[ros_sco]

I use a skimmer, 10% water change (25 gallons for a 210 gallon tank) every 2 weeks and have a nice big chamber of chaeto in my sump. And lots of corals.

 

[chrisneill1987]

bio pellets in JNS reactor
zeo bac
aslo still have a small amount of GFO running but that is being reduced weekely
100L water change once a week on 450L tank
rlss r8-i skimmer skimming fairly wet gets about 2 L of skim a week
no cheto but have a criptic fuge for sponges to filter water and use excess bactiria that skimer dose not pull out

 

[Dave & Monica]

I realize I left micro algae off, I'm writing how how I deal with exports, and will post that tomorrow. thanks so far everyone for you input.

 

[swanny]

Red Sea No3 and Po4 reducer. Methanol and Acetic acid has worked wonders for my tank. I'm from Denver by the way D and M. This is what Aquatic Arts use at their store.

 

[1fishkeeper]

The classic wet skimming, fuge, and water changes seem to work for me.

 

[acesq]

I realize I left micro algae off, I'm writing how how I deal with exports, and will post that tomorrow. thanks so far everyone for you input.

You also left biopellets out. I suspect you will find that biopellets are used by many, me included.

 

[aleggett321]

i had a longstanding po4 issue and tried biopellets. while others rave about them, i had very little success. my nitrates have always been near zero and for the biopellet bacteria to thrive and function well in your system you need nitrates and phosphates present. i had only half of the equation.

 

[Dave & Monica]

For Po4, I use GFO, and drip "Seaklear" (Lanthanum Chloride) in a 5micron sock bi-weekly, but struggle to keep PO4 at .08, let alone below that. I have issues now with green hair algae in my sump, and persistent Cryo popping up in my display. I switched from regenerated GFO to new GFO to see if that is the culprit, I know good things happen slow so after a month, I am noticing a cleaner tank, but what a pain blowing off the rock work every other day.

Currently keep No3 at around 2ppm, using a sulfur reactor (Korallin C1502 calc reactor but just using it as a So4 reactor). I hate the sulfur smell when NO3 gets too low, solve by ramping up the flow until NO3 climbs back to 5-10ppm.

I want to dose carbon for No3, and Po4. Although I had a bad experience as I’ll explain below, the colors and polyp extension observered when dosing vodka and vinegar had never looked better. I just don’t know if it’s the best option.

Past carbon dosing: (1) bio-pellets, 3 yrs ago, which resulted in SPS die off. I kept reading how only the amount of carbon would be released based on need so I looked to solve why my SPS (starting at the base and working upward) were dying. Bottom line, once I took the pellet reactor off line, the receding stopped, and I was able to save some of the colonies. (2) Vodka and Vinegar, around a year and a half ago. At one point, my DIY So4 reactor kept leaking and I took the reactor off line, No3 climbed to around 20ppm. I tried at that time dosing vodka and vinegar using all the articles and never saw the reduction – but saw SPS base die off after I had been slowly ramping up for more than 2 months. I immediately reduced dosing in ½, and subsequently whined my tank off carbon. Not wanting to repeat what I saw with the biopellets. However what I liked about the V&V – was my tank as far as colors and polyp extension on LPS and SPS were incredibly vibrant.

 

[Dave & Monica]

Red Sea No3 and Po4 reducer. Methanol and Acetic acid has worked wonders for my tank. I'm from Denver by the way D and M. This is what Aquatic Arts use at their store.

I've been meaning to stop by and check out the store. I will within the next few weeks. The Red Sea sounds no different than V&V, so I may forgo the so4 reactor and give carbon dosing a try again.

 

[Dave & Monica]

You also left biopellets out. I suspect you will find that biopellets are used by many, me included.

Bio pellets are a form of carbon dosing from what I've read, not authoritative on that statement, just what I've read here

 

[reefkeeper2]

Skimmer + biopellets + algae turf scrubber = success for me

 

[jdhuyvetter]

I voted other because I use NO PO4 from Red Sea. I would consider this an alcohol based carbon dosing method. But, it definitely uses the skimmer for export.

I also dose Prodibio every two weeks (half dose) and a few drops of Microbelifts bacteria daily (again, about half the recommended dose)

 

[Dustin1300]

SRO 3000 on ~300 gallon system, 1 pound of GFO in GEO reactor, Lanthanum Chloride from time to time to keep phosphate in check, and DSB in cryptic zone of a 90 gallon refugium. Also do ~10% water changes weekly with continuous water changes from the LiterMeter III.

We'll see how this scales as I'm adding a 600 DT to the system soon

 

[Ralph ATL]

Dose Organic Carbon
vodka/vin 18ml per day in a 90 (add prob bio-gest monthly)

More than 10% water change per month (Please let us know what percentage, in addition to # of gallons)

40% weekly (Seachem Salinity)

Skimmer (Skim wet or dry? and what type of skimmer?)
wet
sicci pump

GFO (Please let us know what kind, Phosban, ROWAphos, BRS GFO, etc)
HC from BRS changed weekly to 10 days
ROX carbon changed at same time

Did I miss an option?
have 1.8l Seachem Matrix in a reactor


heavy fed tank
phates at <0.03
trates at <0.50