Bonsai Reef

[Deleted member 27248]

Dosed NeoPhos to 0.03ppm and nitrate. In 24 hours it's undetectable again. Visibly more diatoms. I have never dosed phosphate before. And it should not be done on a regular basis in such amount. But the corals will die if I don't do it. Let's see how it goes.

Anyone has experience with this?

I daily dose phosphate to keep levels.

 

[horseplay]

Tank is consuming basically everything I put in it. Around 0.03ppm/day. Could it be the new rock absorbing it? I doubt.

 

[Deleted member 27248]

Tank is consuming basically everything I put in it. Around 0.03ppm/day. Could it be the new rock absorbing it? I doubt.

I can only speak anecdotally refering to my reef. I dose .1 phosphate daily, my coraline grows like crazy. My corals are growing snd swollen up, and my dragons breath and chaeto are overflowing. With out fixing my tank looks like crap, and I have lost corals from bottoming out.

 

[horseplay]

I can only speak anecdotally refering to my reef. I dose .1 phosphate daily, my coraline grows like crazy. My corals are growing snd swollen up, and my dragons breath and chaeto are overflowing. With out fixing my tank looks like crap, and I have lost corals from bottoming out.

You do have a big tank I think but wow whatever it takes. At this rate I might have to buy NeoPhos in bulk We will see what happens having diatom on the glass is not a bad thing I guess. I have been wondering whether the clam consumes diatom when I clean it off the glass.

 

[horseplay]

I have dug a little deeper into this topic and it is a scientific fact that rocks and sand do absorb phosphate, until the level reaches equilibrium. What my tank experiencing here is this effect I think until one day the rocks and sand no longer absorbing. 70% of the rocks are new Marco rocks which are ladden with phosphate.

I have setup dosing pump to dose about 0.03 ppm two times a day and will be measuring frequently.

 

[horseplay]

PO4 now measures 0.08 since the last time it was measured 2 days ago. I dose 0.08/day so looks like the tank is consuming but no longer at the rate it was before. Turned this off for now and we will continue to monitor.

Nothing is dying. Corals especially SPS have seen improvement, but nowhere near the polyp extension they're supposed to have.

Any tips on keeping maxima clam? I got this 2-incher from clam mania and have no idea what to do with it. Does feeding phyto work?

 

[ericrodriguez]

I have dug a little deeper into this topic and it is a scientific fact that rocks and sand do absorb phosphate, until the level reaches equilibrium. What my tank experiencing here is this effect I think until one day the rocks and sand no longer absorbing. 70% of the rocks are new Marco rocks which are ladden with phosphate.

I have setup dosing pump to dose about 0.03 ppm two times a day and will be measuring frequently.

Probably this is the reason why My phosphate drop one day and go back up next few days even feeding little…

 

[ericrodriguez]

Thanks for the input (horseplay)

 

[horseplay]

The LPS side of the tank. The bubble coral is enormous.

 

[horseplay]

This is about a month and half. So far, no drama. Keep a close eye on the phosphate level really seem to keeping it out of trouble. Spots of coralline algae are starting to appear.

SPS don't have the PE they're supposed to have. Not sure what else to do other than water changes.

 

[mnat]

Pygmy angels might be nipping the polyps

 

[horseplay]

The three Pygmy angels have been rehomed to ACC. They’re in the tank right at the entrance. So nice to be able to see them every time shopping there.

the tank is doing great. However the sand bed looks like crap. I have never been able to keep a nice sand bed. The rocks are good with the right amount of algae and growth on them. I always end up removing the sand. Any tips? I really want to keep a sand bed for a more natural look.

also the bubble coral has become huge. I moved it to the back with less flow it’s happy.

 

[ericrodriguez]

Looking good! It’s hard to keep the sand clean. I have the same situation where I get all this stuff everywhere. So I used a turkey buster to blow the rocks and a little stick to stir up the sand. Then water change…
I didn’t stir the sand for a while and it didn’t look clean until I got there and did it.
I get a little brown algae a few days after I stir it though, I assume it’s a little circle by moving the sand around.
So you probably will have the same little circle as well. (if you stir it) because our systems are around the same age.
Good luck buddy hope this help

 

[horseplay]

I stirred the sand by hand a few days and it was crusted. In my last tank I had a patch of sand it was left along eventually it got better but definitely not as nice as I have seem in other people's tanks. Stirring is probably not a long term solution and I try to keep my hands out of the tank

I need a fish sift sand but does not broadcast it everywhere.

 

[amado]

Sand shifting goby they spend all day cleaning the sand.
You can also pick up some snails.

 

[ericrodriguez]

Sand shifting goby they spend all day cleaning the sand.
You can also pick up some snails.

Does this fish survive long term?

 

[ericrodriguez]

Amado do you have one? How it’s doing with you?

 

[Jamie S]

I added a diamond watchman goby to my biocube and the sand has never looked cleaner. He does move sand around a lot but it’s ok because it’s an anemone tank and the nems stay towards the top so I don’t have to worry about him burying coral

 

[amado]

Amado do you have one? How it’s doing with you?

Yes I have a Diamond goby. It spend all day cleaning the sand bed. I have some snails that shift the sand.I also
Have a sea cucumber that also helps clean the sand bed.

 

[horseplay]

Want to get a diamond goby but worried about sand storms. I have the large grain sand but still. No coral on the sand bed excepted the bubble coral.