Tank to "clean" for softies

[Jmunk]

So I see a few posts here about not being able to keep some softies, while other coral like LPS and SPS doing great. The general consensus was that the water was too clean, and there weren't enough nutrients to go around.

I believe I have a similar problem, and was wondering what the actual solution to this "problem" is?

Other than feeding more, is there anything else you can do?

 

[fishchef]

About seven years ago I moved my small mixed reef into a larger system. In the 55 my NO3 was 25/50. The 125 mixed reef started out with mushrooms, leathers, LPS, and we added SPS. The general NO3 is 12.5 or lower. All the mushrooms are gone as is a finger leather. There's still some original Toadstools, but the Monti Cap and Frogspawn grew like crazy. Mixed is hard to do, a balancing act. I run some resins to keep the chemical warfare in check. Recently a large bubble in the system didn't look happy. My PO4 was up and my NO3 was 2 ppm. I had backed off on some feedings because my NO3 was 25 ppm. CA was a bit off, too. I corrected the phosphate issue and my LFS said I needed to get my NO3 up a little. Switched out a couple of T5's and changed GFO. Bubble looks much better. Too Clean is possible.

 

[3dees]

I have 13 fish in my 120 gal. softie/lps tank. only two will get over four inches. I feed once per day on the heavy side. I still can't get any nitrates. my leathers and lps are doing fine. my Kenya, clove polyps, and colt melted away. some zoa's seem fine but aren't spreading much.

 

[fishchef]

All my fish are quite large and I was feeding twice a day heavy. I like the lower nitrates, but it changed the whole thing.

 

[Jmunk]

I have 13 fish in my 120 gal. softie/lps tank. only two will get over four inches. I feed once per day on the heavy side. I still can't get any nitrates. my leathers and lps are doing fine. my Kenya, clove polyps, and colt melted away. some zoa's seem fine but aren't spreading much.

Hmm, see for me me leathers are just impossible.

I'm not sure if they're just naturally this finicky, but one week they're great, the next they're PE is non existent.

 

[Jmunk]

All my fish are quite large and I was feeding twice a day heavy. I like the lower nitrates, but it changed the whole thing.

Yep, I'm not sure how people are able to keep a mixed reef successfully.

I sometimes think a mixed reef can be harder to keep than an SPS dominant tank

 

[3dees]

zero nitrates is all I can come up with. it's the "easy" corals that I can't seem to keep. pictinia, hammer, and goniopora are all fine.

 

[fishchef]

Its like a garden. Some things work, some don't. We have Favia, Bubble, Hammer, Clams, Leathers, Open Brain, Frogspawn, and they are thriving. We did have a Monti Cap, but I let it get too big.

 

[Blntz]

I've always felt even in a softie tank Phosphate needs to be zero. I keep my Nitrates less than five. This seems to be a great mix. The lack of phosphate keeps the polyp extension amazing and my mushrooms look good too.

 

[Tzwizzle]

I'm in the camp that dirty water means high nutrients (not nitrates) which means feed more. Many people have success with softies without skimmers because the skimmers remove extra food which then turns into nitrates. Feed heavy but frequent water changes and you get the best of both worlds. I started my tank from dry rock and it's very sterile but I feed liberally and broadcast feed 2x a week. Nitrates are under 5 and my leathers, cespitularia, Duncan's, pipe organs are doing great.