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Evan's 120

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 20 2017 at 8:30pm
I don't have enough nutrients in my system that are allowing my SPS to grow and thrive. Without a steady and constant food source in the water column, the corals can't thrive for long solely relying on photosynthesis. My corals would slowly starve due to lack of nitrogen and phosphorus, which is abosuletly needed in the process of photosynthesis. All my coral are under very intense T5s and with ultra clean water the light would fry the zooxanthellae. So, with the addition of nitrogen the coral would have a steady food source which help with colors and allow a lot of the light to be diffused naturally in the water column. Even on top of feeding various coral foods and fish foods, my nutrients (NO3 and PO4) are very low. Instead of adding a supplement program like Zeovit, Aquaforest, etc to make up for those lacking nutrients or adding loads of fish (which I will be adding more slowly), it seemed like dosing nitrogen was the logical route to go with.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bryce Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 20 2017 at 10:24pm
In my opinion you need 3 times the rock you have in there, your chromis are going to slowly kill each other, your sps corals are not starving, where is Mark Peterson or Adam Blundel when you need them? Im with Tileman on this one.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 3:14pm
What would more rock do as far as nutrients are concerned, or are you suggesting I need more live rock for my chromis? Why would the chromis kill each other in my current aquascape? If my SPS aren't starving, why would they be paling?

Edited by evan127 - January 21 2017 at 3:20pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bryce Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 4:38pm
Hi Evan, I'm not on the forum much and I didnt mean to hijack your thread or speak in such absolutes or without any explanation. Each tank is different and can be successful run many different ways. Based on only looking on your pictures it looks like you have very little rock for 120 gal tank and no sand (I could be wrong and you may have sand) but if you don't that little amount of rock is going to struggle to keep your tanks cycle balanced (only my opinion). The Chromis in my experience just end up killing each other until their is 2 or 3 tops and it can take a year plus for it to happen. It looks like your tank is only a few months old and again in my opinion and experience (and yes its just that, nothing more) your going to struggle to keep sps colored up in a tank so young and in so little time. It looks like you put some larger frags /colonies in there which can easily lose color if not in a mature self balanced and stable tank and if they havent laid down a base. My tank is 5 years old and new frags of sps usually loose a lot of color until 4 to 8 months pass and they lay a base down and then finally start to regrow upward and new branches. To me assuming your corals are starving isnt correct. If you feed your fish and your fish poo and with all the other stuff u mentioned your dosing its more the fact that the sps are in a "lay down base" or new environment shock mode. Also IMO and experience if your truly ultra low nutrient your gonna want your alk a little lower at 6-8 dkh with 7 the sweat spot. Again these are all just my opinion and I wish you the best with your tank, it looks really nice.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote badfinger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 4:41pm
Your light may be too close. I had that problem with my ATI light (not sure if yours are dimmable). Mine is believe is 12-14" off the water Ling and I still have SPS growing on my sand bed and coloring
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LakeCityReefs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 5:34pm
How old is the tank Evan?
How many pounds of rock are you using?

I agree with your comments regarding the spectracide dosing and adding more fish to dirty up the water. Keep those nitrates between 5 & 10. You are also spot on with trying to adjust your photo period and intensity.

It's a balance of light, nutrients, and Alk (along with the other required stable water parameters),IMO your heading down the right path. I've been dosing Flourish for nitrates for about 6 months now and my colors have improved greatly. I have never added phosphates by dosing.

Keep us posted.
Here we go again
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 6:08pm
Originally posted by Bryce Bryce wrote:

Hi Evan, I'm not on the forum much and I didnt mean to hijack your thread or speak in such absolutes or without any explanation. Each tank is different and can be successful run many different ways. Based on only looking on your pictures it looks like you have very little rock for 120 gal tank and no sand (I could be wrong and you may have sand) but if you don't that little amount of rock is going to struggle to keep your tanks cycle balanced (only my opinion). The Chromis in my experience just end up killing each other until their is 2 or 3 tops and it can take a year plus for it to happen. It looks like your tank is only a few months old and again in my opinion and experience (and yes its just that, nothing more) your going to struggle to keep sps colored up in a tank so young and in so little time. It looks like you put some larger frags /colonies in there which can easily lose color if not in a mature self balanced and stable tank and if they havent laid down a base. My tank is 5 years old and new frags of sps usually loose a lot of color until 4 to 8 months pass and they lay a base down and then finally start to regrow upward and new branches. To me assuming your corals are starving isnt correct. If you feed your fish and your fish poo and with all the other stuff u mentioned your dosing its more the fact that the sps are in a "lay down base" or new environment shock mode. Also IMO and experience if your truly ultra low nutrient your gonna want your alk a little lower at 6-8 dkh with 7 the sweat spot. Again these are all just my opinion and I wish you the best with your tank, it looks really nice.


No worries. Thanks for clarifying, I appreciate it. I have a MarinePure block and two other large chuncks of live rock in my sump. I'm not worried about bacteria populations with that MarinePure block. My reef is young, thus why I am feeding a lot (nitrogen, coral food, fish food), keeping the water clear and doing regular water changes. So far so good :)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 6:13pm
Originally posted by LakeCityReefs LakeCityReefs wrote:

How old is the tank Evan?
How many pounds of rock are you using?

I agree with your comments regarding the spectracide dosing and adding more fish to dirty up the water. Keep those nitrates between 5 & 10. You are also spot on with trying to adjust your photo period and intensity.

It's a balance of light, nutrients, and Alk (along with the other required stable water parameters),IMO your heading down the right path. I've been dosing Flourish for nitrates for about 6 months now and my colors have improved greatly. I have never added phosphates by dosing.

Keep us posted.


I have no idea about the amount of rock per pound. I just put in what I had from my old 48 reef and new rock from BRS. With the MarinePure block I shouldn't have to worry too much about surface area.

High nitrogen levels seems to be working great. I altered the order my bulbs are in and that seems to have helped the bleaching a little bit.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 6:14pm
Originally posted by badfinger badfinger wrote:

Your light may be too close. I had that problem with my ATI light (not sure if yours are dimmable). Mine is believe is 12-14" off the water Ling and I still have SPS growing on my sand bed and coloring


Not dimmable. My SPS is about 24" under the light
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote phys Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 11:14pm
Careful with those phosphates... anything above 1, I start seeing my acros suffer. When they're above 2, I usually start seeing fish get sick. Have you tried things like seachem fuel or brightwell supplements instead of throwing in the n03 stuffs? Be sure you're not accumulating too much detritus around in the sump, if you do, you may eventually start seeing negatives like your phosphate and nitrates go tooooo high.

You're light is probably fine but what bulbs are you running in it?

Tileman, don't change a thing!!!!!! lol
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bur01014 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 11:23pm
Sanjay Joshi just revealed he runs a phosphate level of .4 and nitrate of 50ppm+....some of the best colored sps I've ever seen.

He mentions it here - its a decent watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHffyLs0cFo

Many of the "leading" reefers are choosing to no longer chase low nutrients, or even test for that matter.  I am testing this approach out, cautiously.  


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 22 2017 at 10:05am
Originally posted by phys phys wrote:


Careful with those phosphates... anything above 1, I start seeing my acros suffer. When they're above 2, I usually start seeing fish get sick. Have you tried things like seachem fuel or brightwell supplements instead of throwing in the n03 stuffs? Be sure you're not accumulating too much detritus around in the sump, if you do, you may eventually start seeing negatives like your phosphate and nitrates go tooooo high.

You're light is probably fine but what bulbs are you running in it?

Tileman, don't change a thing!!!!!! lol


Anything about 0.10ppm or 0.01ppm? I have used Seachem Fuel before. I am adding amino acids and trace elements in other ways. What is too high, regarding nitrates and phosphates in your opinion?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 22 2017 at 10:05am
Originally posted by bur01014 bur01014 wrote:

Sanjay Joshi just revealed he runs a phosphate level of .4 and nitrate of 50ppm+....some of the best colored sps I've ever seen.

He mentions it here - its a decent watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHffyLs0cFo

Many of the "leading" reefers are choosing to no longer chase low nutrients, or even test for that matter.  I am testing this approach out, cautiously.  




I watched that video like 5 times haha
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 25 2017 at 7:19pm
New baby :)

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shaggydoo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2017 at 11:19am
Cute new guy. How is he doing?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2017 at 12:13pm
Doing well! Already eating everything I'm putting in the tank. Except free floating nori for whatever reason. Already grazing though. She's so small and the flow in my tank wears her out so she has to take swimming breaks every so often.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote theresawhite Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2017 at 12:57pm
How cute!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hogie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2017 at 12:59pm
Sweet! Keep in mind, when they're that small, they need to be fed several times a day.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2017 at 1:00pm
Originally posted by theresawhite theresawhite wrote:

How cute!


Right?? Super cute!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2017 at 1:01pm
Originally posted by Hogie Hogie wrote:

Sweet! Keep in mind, when they're that small, they need to be fed several times a day.


Between the algae from my skimmer overflow and the 4 to 5 feedings per day she should be full grown by the end of the month ;)
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