liquid nutrients...

[wvanderborg]

What kind of liquid nutrients are necessary for a healthy reef tank? I use all kent products from my salt to my liquids. Right now I'm using microvert coral vite and calcium. I was also using purple tech but I don't like how it clouds the water and increases ph so I stopped using that one. Is there anything else I should use or cut out of what I'm already using? I try to keep my calcium at about 500 ppm.

 

[Fishguy2727]

You should only add what is needed based on the chemistry of the tank and its inhabitants. If you have a coral that needs a certain food of some kind then feed it. Every tank is different and there are no products that are needed in every tank. Only supplement as proven necessary by test kits. By this I mean don't blindly add stuff like calcium, alk, iodine, etc. unless you have tested for it and verified it is needed in the tank, and test it thereafter to ensure you are not overdosing.

 

[wvanderborg]

Alright. Well based on that I have 5 nems and a small zooanthid colony. I feed the nems brine mysis and krill. But what would u reccomend if anything for zooanthids or polyps? My tanks kinda shot now and I'm not expectin to save the nems but wen I get it back where I want it I'm just gonna do polyps and zooanthids.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Nothing for zoanthids, polyps, mushrooms etc.

Are you feeding the anemones directly or broadcast feeding?

What is wrong with the tank?
What is the water change schedule?

 

[wvanderborg]

I feed them both directly and broadcast. And the problems red slime algae. It sprung up all of a sudden and its killing everything. I posted a pic of it on my album nano reef. If the zoos and polyps don't need any nutrients added then what type of light is best to help the zooanthius algae in them photosynthesize?

 

[wvanderborg]

And I used to do water changes once a month but since this has popped up I'm plannin on doin it once a week till its gone. But it grows back within 2 days. Its awful

 

[Fishguy2727]

It should be once a week all the time, daily if you are having problems.

Have you tested nitrate and phosphate? It sounds like you are overfeeding and doing far from enough water changes, too many nutrients in AND not enough out, way out of balance. This is exactly what causes algae problems.

I wouldn't broadcast feed. What kind of anemones? I would feed something large and meaty so they eat it whole with no waste, like silversides or big chunks of shrimp, scalllops, etc.

You don't need to worry about zoanthids or polyps. The best light for growth (zooxanthellae) is redder than you want to use, same as plants at around 6500K. They will be brown and ugly though. Most people use white light that is 10,000-14,000K and actinics. The actinics 'tan' corals, except than instead of tanning brown like humans they tan fluorescent colors. So without the actinics providing the UV to make them color up, they will be an ugly brown.

 

[wvanderborg]

I syringe feed them brine and mysis and I. Use some tongs to feed them chunks of krill. And here I thought if I did another water change today that'd be bad. Well u live and u learn right? Lol. I'm planning on ordering a 4 bulbT5HO hood. Would it be better to do 2 10000ks and 2 actinics or how would u divide that up? And I'm going to start doind daily water changes now. Thanks for all ur help already man. U have offered me peace of mind when I needed it most.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Two 10,000K and two actinics would be perfect.

 

[wvanderborg]

And that's what ill get. So wen I do these daily water changes should I gravel vac too or just change the water out?

 

[Fishguy2727]

You have gravel in a saltwater tank?

 

[wvanderborg]

No I used crushed coral. Gravel vac is just a term I'm used to using workin in a fish store.

 

[Fishguy2727]

That may be another issue. All the debris that gets trapped in there eventually rots away and produces nitrate and phosphate. This is a huge reason why most people use sand.

 

[wvanderborg]

Its kind of too late to change that now tho. I didn't wanna use sand. And I run chemipure eliete so my nitrates and phosphates aren't an issue. That stuffs like a miracle product.

 

[melosu58]

To be honest it is never too late to change up. All you would have to do is siphon up a 1/4 area of the substrate. Then get a piece of PVC and slide the rinsed sand to that area. The next week do another 1/4 area and do the same thing until the whole tank is done. It`s worked for many a person.

 

[Fishguy2727]

I agree, it is never too late to make major improvements to the system.

Do you still test your nitrate and phosphate? Even if the numbers come up 0 there is no way Chemi Pure is doing everything you need it to if you are having algae problems.

 

[wvanderborg]

My algae prob was due to me overdosing nutrients. What I get for listenin to ppl at this store that I know better than to listen to. Had me dosing it three times a week wen I should be doin it twice a month. I just did a water change. And my levels are.... salinity 1.024 amonia 0 nitrate 10ppm nitrite 0ppm kh300 ph 8.4 calcium 520ppm unfortunately I do not have a phosphate test kit. But I know the chemipure eliminates phosphates and silicates so I'm sure its low if even present. I run 3 biowheel filters. Not a fan of canisters. But I was considering adding like a 5gal wet/dry sump down the line.

 

[Fishguy2727]

That is a lot of nitrate for a reef tank. The chemipure may remove some, but if it is not used efficiently in the filter or simply gets used up before it is replaced it is like it is not even there.

HOBs in a reef need to be cleaned VERY well. How often are you cleaning them?

What exactly were you dosing?

 

[wvanderborg]

I clean the filters out completely once a week usually when I do my coral vac and water change but I rinse the pads off like every other day. And this guy told me I needed to add microvert liquid calcium coral vite and purple tech. Now I have comepletely stopped dosing at all. Ill use the liquid calcium and coral vite maybe in the future but the microvert and purple tech I think I'm gonna stop using all together. My calcium sits at about 520 naturally and drops to about 490 before I do my water change but I use kent salt mix which has a lot of calcium in it.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Coral Vite claims it doesn't contain nitrate or phosphate ( I hope it doesn't have anything that breaks down into them either) so that shouldn't be an issue. The microvert is a food and probably very easy to overdose.

There has to be something driving up your nitrate (and most likely phosphate too). Do you use only RO/DI water for making water and topping off?