Too much oversight in mixed reefs? Discuss.

[Mark_C]

So. After keeping successful mixed reefs for years, things have taken a bit of a swing for the odd.
I had a 90g and a 120g filled with SPS, LPS, and softies, all growing like weeds.
Now...

Tank one:
Size: 30g
Ca: 470
Alk: 7.8
FIlter: Mechanical fiber floss, 20lb+ live rock, Marinepure
Water change: 2-3g per week, Red Sea Pro salt
Feed: 4mm Red Sea Coral AB, and 1 cube Reef Nutrition mixed per day

I can not, for the life of me, grow softies/zoas in this tank. In a recent purchase of 10+ zoa frags, the loss was tremendous, and I shifted the frags to a secondary tank.
In previous tanks, where I was less knowledgable and worried about levels, my mixed reef thrived.
Now that I'm monitoring levels (to an extent) and trying to keep them under a modicum of control, the SPS is groovie and the softies are gone.

I never tested nitrates, but am thinking that, as my husbandry increases, I'm inadvertently killing the tank with vigilence (which is odd for me to say).


Tank two:
Size: 30g
Ca: never checked
Alk: never checked
FIlter: Mechanical fiber floss, 40lb+ live rock, Marinepure
Water change: never (2+ years), no dosing either
Feed: 4mm Red Sea Coral AB, and 1 cube Reef Nutrition mixed per day

This tank is insane. SPS will last about 2 minutes, but Xenia, yellow polyps, rainbow anems (how?), zoas, and palys thrive.
Literally left this tank for weeks with nothing outside an ATO and IT STILL GROWS.


Anyone have any info, thoughts, opinions, experience?
Is there an ideal level of nitrate that a tank can flourish in?
Thought it might be an interesting discussion to kick off.

 

[myrjon]

instead of weekly water change let it go for 1 week then 2 then 3 then 4 weeks . Xenia, yellow polyps, , zoas, and palys thrive . in dirtier water.

 

[MadReefer]

I agree with Chris. Sounds like your water is to clean.

 

[Mark_C]

Not what I'm asking.
Note I mentioned the tank in question has had no water change in 2 years and the Xenia, polyps, and zoas are doing great but can not grow SPS.
My other tank, well tended, grows SPS and LPS fine, but can not grow softies.
Where is the line for a mixed reef with both SPS and softies.
Was hoping to start a discussion regarding husbandry and influencing factors, thinking the key might be nitrates.

 

[MadReefer]

Red Sea claims for mixed reef Nitrate 1 to 2, Phosphate .08 to .012.
After that it varies per reef site and peoples opinion.
Some have it a bit higher on Phos 0.25. Nitrate same.

 

[Sponge]

Great question. By far. A true mixed reef is the hardest tank to maintain. Simply because (and obviously I’m preaching to the quire) the three basic types of animals have three very different requirements. I can’t tell you exactly what numbers work. But I am certain. Time is key. For me. Early on I did ok with LPS. After about four month. I started having success with soft, pallys and zoas. And at about the 10 month mark I started having success with SPS. For the most part very little has changed. (But I will admit the tank is more stable now.) But lots has changed. Tank does not grow algae. I don’t have to clean glass anymore. Tank overtime gets more bacteria’s. And things happen that to be honest. I’m not sure what it is. But if a monti get damaged by an anemone. In the past the monti dies. And nothing I did would save it But now. It can be 80 percent browned out and if I move it. Give it some flow. It bounces back. It’s amazing. And other things do as well So what I personally think is that it is not a specific magic number. Proof is everybody runs there tank at different parameters. But tanks just do better as they mature. And a mixed reef tends to mean that one of the three types will survive depending on your setup. And the other two will struggle. It’s why you are having your situation while someone else because of there parameters will perhaps do better with things that won’t grow in your tank. Sure you can tweak the numbers and try to make everything survive. But a young tank can’t make all things happy. But a mature tank can let you get away with not perfect numbers. Bla bla bla. I’m sure you understand my point. To make three things that have different requirements. HAPPY. Is next to impossible. Only when there is enough stuff in the tank that helps them deal with the adverse or at at least not ideal conditions. And that takes time.

 

[Haus]

Mark, how much flow is in each tank?

 

[deepblue68]

Good topic for next virtual meeting. Iam trying to find this happy medium myself.

 

[amado]

In a mixed reef you have to have different sections. I divided my tank into 3 24 x24 sections. (6ft) I have the 1st cube with high flow. I run my gyre at 100% I also have a wav in the back wall 100% I have my 360x and AP700 on 100%. This is my sps section.
With low light corals in the bottom.

the middle is AP700 lower flow pulse wav in the back wall. LPS are happy here.

the 3rd is the soft coral/ lps low flow gyre at 50% lights 360x at 50-75%

you don’t need to run your lights or pumps all the same. You can make changes and configure them to work for your needs.

With zoas you have to becareful what fish you keep. My Pacific blue (dory) eats zoas.
But what can I do? I can’t get rid of dory my kids will kill me.

 

[MadReefer]

I was going to say never could keep zoas because of fish choices.

 

[DEL]

heres was my 50g mixed reef. all i did was a gallon a day auto water change with the DOS. using reef crystals. I grew sps, lps, zoos, scolies, meat corals. also, over the years meeting with other reefers, I've seen dirty tanks with super plump acans and palys. I think if you want to grow zoos and softies, less is more. for mostly sps, more is better. make sense ?

p.s.
there are photos of simple "jar reefs" that grow zoos w almost nothing but a clip on light.