anthony1222
Community Member
Note: my phosphates are at .11 only because i’m constantly running GFO in a reactor. I much rather use carbon in there but that’s the only way i can control my phosphates.
considering removing refugium out of my red sea reefer 350 tank
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Note: my phosphates are at .11 only because i’m constantly running GFO in a reactor. I much rather use carbon in there but that’s the only way i can control my phosphates.
Hard to say without knowing the bioload of the tank but chaeto growing slow is possibly due to there being a trace element defficiency (or nitrates since it's unmentioned).
If your bioload is high then using both that and biopellets/manual carbon dosing would be more ideal or just carbon dosing (I run both on my systems).
Just make sure theres sufficient gas exchange (preferably display tank surface agitation) before doing any form of carbon dosing though
If your bioload is high then using both that and biopellets/manual carbon dosing would be more ideal or just carbon dosing (I run both on my systems).
Just make sure theres sufficient gas exchange (preferably display tank surface agitation) before doing any form of carbon dosing though
bkwonnn
Active Member
I’m surprised you struggle with phosphate with a reef mat and skimmer and fuge. You should be able to have very low nutrients with these 3 nutrient export tools.
What phosphate test do you use? And make sure your test kit items are not dirty with poluted water. Did you cross check with another test kit? What are your other parameters?
What phosphate test do you use? And make sure your test kit items are not dirty with poluted water. Did you cross check with another test kit? What are your other parameters?
If you have the space and a good light, its a good way to help balance the tank with carbon dosing.
Fwiw i dose 400ml of 5% vinegar daily on a 470 display and run a refugium to maintain a <20ppm nitrate extremely heavy bioload tank without having to deal with bacterial snot from going higher on carbon dosing (starts to gum up a lot of things at 600ml)
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anthony1222
Community Member
My tank has 1 blue tang, 1 kole tang, 1 copper band butterfly, 2 clownfish, and 1 one spot fox face. So relatively big fish for a 90 gallon. Id say I have high bioload. I don't test for trace elements but I do water changes with Red Sea blue bucket and dose all for reef.
I’m probably struggling with phosphates due to the rock i used. My rock was used in another aquarium and I had to bleach it before using it. Alkalinity is 8, Cal is 435, and mag is 1400. Nitrates are around 10-15. My skimmer is really poorly tuned and barley collects waste so in reality my only nutrient export methods is my roller mat and gfo
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anthony1222
Community Member
I would get a stronger light but I don't know if it's worth it considering how small the refugium space is. I'm worried I'll buy one just for the chaeto to barley export anything
The real question here is: ''Would a cryptic refugium (no light, no macro algae - lots of rock or whatever media you like) be more beneficial for your tank than a classic macro algae refugium'' Which is a question I'm trying to answer myself.
Articles like this one: DOC is the most important parameter in your reef tank
lead me to believe that it may be in my best interest to quit growing macro algae (which competes with corals for nutrients and trace elements) and use a cryptic sump.
One thing it does not cover, however, is the pH benefits of using a macro algae refugium on a reverse light cycle for pH control.... One thing I'm considering to combat this is to only run my skimmer during lights off to allow extra oxygenation to go along with my 24/7 kalkwasser dripping. I can do this with my system because I currently struggle to keep detectable nutrients in my 180 SPS dominant reef tank. You're in a different situation but a phosphate remover may be more efficient and beneficial than a cheato grow. and like @bkwonnn said 0.11 phosphate is not considered that high in the current nutrient control belief system.
Just some food for thought as I'm also considering removing my macro algae but wanted to highlight that each tank and situation may be different but the same course of action could have different benefits and achieve our ultimate goals.
Articles like this one: DOC is the most important parameter in your reef tank
lead me to believe that it may be in my best interest to quit growing macro algae (which competes with corals for nutrients and trace elements) and use a cryptic sump.
One thing it does not cover, however, is the pH benefits of using a macro algae refugium on a reverse light cycle for pH control.... One thing I'm considering to combat this is to only run my skimmer during lights off to allow extra oxygenation to go along with my 24/7 kalkwasser dripping. I can do this with my system because I currently struggle to keep detectable nutrients in my 180 SPS dominant reef tank. You're in a different situation but a phosphate remover may be more efficient and beneficial than a cheato grow. and like @bkwonnn said 0.11 phosphate is not considered that high in the current nutrient control belief system.
Just some food for thought as I'm also considering removing my macro algae but wanted to highlight that each tank and situation may be different but the same course of action could have different benefits and achieve our ultimate goals.
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