Nutrient level in SPS tank
- Thread starter dzhuo
- Start date
BuckeyeTodd
New member
you are going to get a wide range of opinions(from not at all to daily), but before I started feeding so heavy I did once a week at night when they'd have the most polyp extension. I would recommend once or twice a week for you
iriejp1
New member
Quite the opposite for me. I just started adding these based on the experience of a local wonder tank and my colors have never looked better actually.
And I went YEARS with the attitude that I didnt need all that stuff. Not saying you need everything...but some things do help.
collie man
Stoney Reefer
Very interesting. I am trying to get my params stabalized(mag,cal, alk) they are fluctuating just a bit.
On a side note...has anyone had experience with rod's food original putting phosphates into the water column.
collie man
Stoney Reefer
Don't quote me but I believe its ammino's
collie man
Stoney Reefer
I think you are correct. The flesh gets its color from ammonia as well as stontium and pottasium. The corals grow from balanced cal alk and mag. Thats the short version as I know it.
collie man
Stoney Reefer
What does roti do then?Just very expensive ammonia?
I cannot speak from experience but im skeptical of any food in a bottle:fun2:
LifeAquatic
New member
..
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Rotifers are a type of zooplakton. SPS are considered predators in the wild and eat Zooplankton and some forms of DOC. Fish poo is DOC.
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Rotifers are a type of zooplakton. SPS are considered predators in the wild and eat Zooplankton and some forms of DOC. Fish poo is DOC.
BuckeyeTodd
New member
Likely from fish poo, doc, and the food you feed your fish. Rod's has oyester eggs and other things designed for corals. I imagine that corals aren't that picky though, anything small enough to eat gets ate. Its just a matter of what the nutritional value of that food is
dzhuo
Active member
I have been feeding roti feast (just a little bit every night) for a few days now and I want to throw out a few more questions for the more experienced SPS reefers:
1. Is Roti Feast suppose to be gel-like? It seems to form like a soft gel and doesn't disperse as easily even in high flow area.
2. My tank is virtually free of algae (except the calcareous neomeris annulata) but I notice the front glass forms a very thin green powder like algae every 2 to 3 days. Is this an indication of excess nutrient?
3. My ATB 840 skimmer has not been functioning for 5+ months now. Detail of my story is here (I have lots of pictures and videos at the end of the last few pages). Most people come to the conclusion that this is caused by my tank being too clean. I have seen added 6 mini acro colonies and feed Roti Feast and see no performance improvement in my skimmer. Can my water be really that clean and yet the glass micro algae grows within 2 to 3 days?
1. Is Roti Feast suppose to be gel-like? It seems to form like a soft gel and doesn't disperse as easily even in high flow area.
2. My tank is virtually free of algae (except the calcareous neomeris annulata) but I notice the front glass forms a very thin green powder like algae every 2 to 3 days. Is this an indication of excess nutrient?
3. My ATB 840 skimmer has not been functioning for 5+ months now. Detail of my story is here (I have lots of pictures and videos at the end of the last few pages). Most people come to the conclusion that this is caused by my tank being too clean. I have seen added 6 mini acro colonies and feed Roti Feast and see no performance improvement in my skimmer. Can my water be really that clean and yet the glass micro algae grows within 2 to 3 days?
fishieness
New member
A lot of the reef nutrition foods are "gel-like" just because they are a different consistency than the water so it may take a few seconds to break up.
Algae growing on the glass is due to excess nutrients. However, that doesn't mean you have too much nutrients. If it's bad enough where you have to scrape it off ever 2-3 days your tank is definitely not nutrient starved. That also isn't to say it's nutrient rich.
Corals do not often "eat" poop, though the nutrients (poop) get absorbed into the flesh easily. This is where the ions, ammino acids, nitrate, and phosphates are able to be incorporated into the coral's growth and life processes.
dzhuo
Active member
So what's the difference between "excess nutrient" and "too much nutrient"? In one hand, you said this is due to excess nutrient but on the other, you said it doesn't mean "you have too much nutrient".
I guess I am little confuse. It also doesn't help that my ATB skimmer has not produce a single drop of skimmate in 3 days now so I am trying to understand how everything connect.
cutegecko3
Member
No. The only thing that feeds on nutrients is algae. SPS corals feed on zooplankton..
Enjoy.
dzhuo
Active member
A little update. I have been feeding Roti-Feast for few weeks now and here are my observations so far:
1. Phosphate is now at 0.02 (0.00) according to Hana Checker.
2. I have not notice any difference in term of algae grow.
3. I have not notice any difference in skimmer performance.
4. I have not notice any difference in grow.
5. I have not notice any difference in polyp extension.
6. I have not notice any difference in coloration.
7. I have not notice any significant difference in overall apparence of my tank.
However, I have notice one of my blue milli frag seems to be doing worse. It shows absolutely no polyp extension during the day or lights out. Part of what used to be brown is now turning pale blue (which I think is a bad sign). Grow is pretty non-existence. The general observation I have so far is the frags shows good polyp extension, color and grow for a couple of weeks initially introduced to the tank and then slowly everything stop. Params as of last night:
pH: 8.16
Alk: 7.4
Cal: 420
Mag: 1350
Phosphate: 0.02
Salinity: 1.025
Temperatur: 80F
Here is recent FTS:
And here is a picture of the blue milli I think is in bad shape. The red oval is where it used to be brown but continue to turn pale blue:
Do you guys think my tank is still too nutrient poor? I am sort of concern about the lack of grow.
Also forget to mention: I have been running ROX .8 carbon and GFO through out the whole time fairly aggressively (like change every 2 weeks per water change). Could this be the problem?
1. Phosphate is now at 0.02 (0.00) according to Hana Checker.
2. I have not notice any difference in term of algae grow.
3. I have not notice any difference in skimmer performance.
4. I have not notice any difference in grow.
5. I have not notice any difference in polyp extension.
6. I have not notice any difference in coloration.
7. I have not notice any significant difference in overall apparence of my tank.
However, I have notice one of my blue milli frag seems to be doing worse. It shows absolutely no polyp extension during the day or lights out. Part of what used to be brown is now turning pale blue (which I think is a bad sign). Grow is pretty non-existence. The general observation I have so far is the frags shows good polyp extension, color and grow for a couple of weeks initially introduced to the tank and then slowly everything stop. Params as of last night:
pH: 8.16
Alk: 7.4
Cal: 420
Mag: 1350
Phosphate: 0.02
Salinity: 1.025
Temperatur: 80F
Here is recent FTS:
And here is a picture of the blue milli I think is in bad shape. The red oval is where it used to be brown but continue to turn pale blue:
Do you guys think my tank is still too nutrient poor? I am sort of concern about the lack of grow.
Also forget to mention: I have been running ROX .8 carbon and GFO through out the whole time fairly aggressively (like change every 2 weeks per water change). Could this be the problem?
Last edited:
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