ok guys, people with high trates keeping sps succesfully? im a skeptic myself...

[Pallobi]

this is great info steve... what makes me curious about it is, are the areas that were tested that measure high... are they coral reefs areas, and are they found at deeper depths where there is less flow, or are they found in the shallow regions with or without corals?

i didnt read the article you speak of, but i am guessing that the lower depths have less flow, and perhaps would have the higher trates'??

also i would like to add that corals in the wild do not produce the colors they do at times, as in some systems but not all, in our captive enviroments imo...

however 30 ppm in the wild are a far cry from the 80 to 180 ppm numbers some have thrown at me in our captive systems and insisting they get great growth and colors (not here on RC jus to note)... truth be told, the open ocean is a far different ecosystem than the ones we keep in our homes even if they have some of the same elements...

jus some variables to throw in the mix...

 

[LifeAquatic]

..

..

NO3 in natural seawater ranges from .6 ppm to 30 ppm depending on location and depths.
source: reefkeeping magazine

who are we to argue with mother nature.

Ive always wondered what the average nitrate was on a coral reef. Thought I read somewhere that it was close to 0. Im going to do more reading on this. Now Im really curious.

 

[reefsurfing]

The thing we need to keep in mind is that we all have different water sources and the trace elements might be making all the difference for these folks. My sticks all go brown and STN if my nitrates go over 10. There seems to be a few with something different in the water b/c I have seen tanks that flourish with garbage parameters. Thats just my rookie observation!

 

[schmnr]

wow i guess if its not broke dont fix it.

 

[TreyK]

Hmm well I took a look at that thread, read all three pages and it sounds like most of the people who posted on there dont know what they are talking about and dont even keep SPS.

I dont think they are saying it is impossible to have a ULNS, I saw that there were one or two people who said they have a hard time keeping their trates below 20ppm.

I think the few people who said they know people with thriving sps reefs in the 80+ range are nuts, or again they just don't know what they are talking about. I would love to see pics and proof myself.

 

[Pallobi]

The thing we need to keep in mind is that we all have different water sources and the trace elements might be making all the difference for these folks. My sticks all go brown and STN if my nitrates go over 10. There seems to be a few with something different in the water b/c I have seen tanks that flourish with garbage parameters. Thats just my rookie observation!

rookie or not my friend, that is a solid and legit observation...

 

[TreyK]

By the way Im no photo expert by any means, but those pics up there look pretty saturated to me.

 

[djkms]

You could just dump some KNO3 into your system and raise your trates to around 80ppm and see what happens in a weeks time:lmao:

 

[Pallobi]

Hmm well I took a look at that thread, read all three pages and it sounds like most of the people who posted on there dont know what they are talking about and dont even keep SPS.

I think the few people who said they know people with thriving sps reefs in the 80+ range are nuts, or again they just don't know what they are talking about. I would love to see pics and proof myself.

agreed 110%...

and pics and proof is all i have been asking them for... but i get nothin lol... all well... i leave them be and wont respond again there unless i see some noteworthy posts... as far as the discussion here on RC, i have learned a little more about the hobby today, and that, regardless if i agree or disagree with certain husbandry or methods, is a good thing

 

[Piper27]

I moved two tanks into a 210 last month and the nitrates went up to 20 and are now at 15 after one week. The coral looks better than ever. I was trying to find info on nitrates in sps systems but having a hard time. On the new tank I don't have a deep sand bed which is something I think helped the other two tanks keep nitrates closer to 0. I am starting to wonder if I really have to worry about bringing them down much at all. I have been running rawaphos on the new tank since one of the old tanks had some po4 in it. So phosphates are under .03. I can post some pics but I don't think it would do much justice for everyone since the tank has been up for a short amount of time and the coral is not used to being in the higher levels. I would love to see some pics of established tanks that have been running with 10 to 20 nitrates.

 

[Pallobi]

By the way Im no photo expert by any means, but those pics up there look pretty saturated to me.

i am a bit more experienced than some with phototgraphy, regardless if i take pics of my own system with my phone or not, and i have to agree with this... but they do still look pretty decent considering...

 

[stevedola]

that would be a question to ask randy homles farley. I have no information beyond what I have taken from RK.

I think people get PO4 and No3 mixed up sometimes...Phosphates in sea water are less than 1 ppm on average.

 

[Pallobi]

he would definitely be a great person to ask good call... perhaps he can chime in should we be so lucky...

 

[LifeAquatic]

..

..

i am a bit more experienced than some with phototgraphy, regardless if i take pics of my own system with my phone or not, and i have to agree with this... but they do still look pretty decent considering...

The pics I posted from my buddies tank are from using an Iphone Camera. I assure you the corals look even better in person.

 

[Pallobi]

The pics I posted from my buddies tank are from using an Iphone Camera. I assure you the corals look even better in person.

fair enough my apoligies

 

[reefinder]

to tell you the truth i don't even test for nitrates, I did for a few years when i began this hobby but in the last four years i have not and have great colors on my sps, I believe if you know how to run a reef in your home you do not need to test for nitrate all the time. Now i do test alk, cal and mag constantly even with my dosing pumps, but my clams and corals will usually let me know when one of those levels are off. the proof is in the pudding and if you need pics to prove it I can back that up also.

 

[Im a SPS polyp]

i find that up to 20 ppm nitrate isnt really harmful with my sps

 

[Pallobi]

i find that up to 20 ppm nitrate isnt really harmful with my sps

this seems to be the top off for nitrates we are finding in this thread so far... thanks for your offering of your own experience

 

[LifeAquatic]

..

..

fair enough my apoligies

Lol! Youre a cool dude Pallobi. I hope others here can share their experiences with a high nitrate tanks. Pics... we love pics!

 

[berniegermie]

I always thought stability in a tank is the most important for a successful reef tank. So even if your nitrates are over 20, as long as it's been that way for awhile and is stable maybe the corals adjust and learn to thrive in that environment? I think major swings in water parameters are what really cause problems for corals as it gives them less time to adjust.