Newbie In Need Of Some Advice

[Pico_Libre]

So let me start off with saying my tank isn't doing bad by any means, it's just not as happy as it was. It was a coralline machine, I was seeing growth almost daily. Same with my macro algae but lately it just hasn't looked quite the same.

I must also preface that I have only been doing the for 8 months so still very new and this may very well be part of the lifecycle of the tank. I'm not sure what to do right now. I take pretty good care of my tank I don't think husbandry is an issue.

I've struggled with phosphate as in I can't get them up. I'm thinking this may be a related issue I have tried feeding my corals and I feed my fish a lot they still don't budge.

I have made 3 largeish changes and they are as follows; added rollermat, switched to All-For-Reef, and switched to TM Pro-Reef salt.

My current parameters are: Thank is a 15gal IM and has been running for 8 months

Salinity: 1.025
Phos: 0.00
Alk: 8.1
Cal: 449
Mag: 1535
I do weekly water changes around 20%


Any recommendations would help. Should I start dosing Phos and see what that does? Should I try feeding my corals a little heavier?

 

[Pico_Libre]

 

[ED3]

What do you have for live stock in the tank and what are you feeding them

 

[Pico_Libre]

What do you have for live stock in the tank and what are you feeding them

For livestock I have:
2 Clowns
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Conch
Probably 10 snails
Some Micro Brittle Starfish

Food:
I feed dry food its just generic Sera Granules and I feed rods frozen. I've been feeding a lot lately probably 4 times a day. I feed the corals weekly as well with Reefroids.

 

[Dburr1014]

For livestock I have:
2 Clowns
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Conch
Probably 10 snails
Some Micro Brittle Starfish

Food:
I feed dry food its just generic Sera Granules and I feed rods frozen. I've been feeding a lot lately probably 4 times a day. I feed the corals weekly as well with Reefroids.

Maybe bump the reef roids up to every other day until you can get a reading. Replace it with the other food.
Po4 is binding to the rock and sand. Once it saturated reading and then you can back off on the reef roids.

 

[Pico_Libre]

Maybe bump the reef roids up to every other day until you can get a reading. Replace it with the other food.
Po4 is binding to the rock and sand. Once it saturated reading and then you can back off on the reef roids.

What do you mean "replace it with the other food"?

 

[Dburr1014]

What do you mean "replace it with the other food"?

Food:
I feed dry food its just generic Sera Granules and I feed rods frozen. I've been feeding a lot lately probably 4 times a day. I feed the corals weekly as well with Reefroids.

Replace a sera granules or rods frozen for the roids.
If 4 times a day you feed and only once a week reef roids...
Replace 1 of the 4 times a day with reef roids and do that every other day.

 

[Oldreefer44]

Before doing anything I would verify your parameters. Zero PO4 is not likely. Use another test kit, take to an LFS or get an ICP test. Trying to treat something that isn't really wrong can lead to even more issues.

 

[Dburr1014]

Before doing anything I would verify your parameters. Zero PO4 is not likely. Use another test kit, take to an LFS or get an ICP test. Trying to treat something that isn't really wrong can lead to even more issues.

I agree to retest but po4 could absolutely happen if it was a dry rock start.

 

[Tamberav]

Why the rollermat if nutrients are ulra low range?

Do you know your Nitrates?

You said you were feeing more... but... the roller mat will remove any particles that go over the overflow...

I am not sure about these little ones but rollermats can be super good at what they do, a lot better than floss.

 

[ED3]

Before doing anything I would verify your parameters. Zero PO4 is not likely. Use another test kit, take to an LFS or get an ICP test. Trying to treat something that isn't really wrong can lead to even more issues.

From my experience I would do this and completely agree with the idea. If nothing is wrong and the tank is new then be patient. In some of my smaller reef tanks I’ve dosed phosphate when I know the bioload will be small for the duration of the aquarium’s life.

If you do this just be sure to monitor your phosphate as your uptake changes when the tank continually matures.

I’ve always tried to treat parameter issues in ways that are sustainable long term and can easily be adjusted as the corals grow.

 

[Pico_Libre]

Before doing anything I would verify your parameters. Zero PO4 is not likely. Use another test kit, take to an LFS or get an ICP test. Trying to treat something that isn't really wrong can lead to even more issues.

I've already verified calibration with my checker via the Hanna calibration kit. It's not always 0 let's just say its almost always below .03

 

[Pico_Libre]

Why the rollermat if nutrients are ulra low range?

Do you know your Nitrates?

You said you were feeing more... but... the roller mat will remove any particles that go over the overflow...

I am not sure about these little ones but rollermats can be super good at what they do, a lot better than floss.

Yeah I made the switch to this primarily due to maintenance. I travel a bit for work so its just way easier for me as sometimes I may be gone a week at a time. Also yes this little guy puts in some work. I could probably raise the sensor a little to delay it.

 

[Pico_Libre]

From my experience I would do this and completely agree with the idea. If nothing is wrong and the tank is new then be patient. In some of my smaller reef tanks I’ve dosed phosphate when I know the bioload will be small for the duration of the aquarium’s life.

If you do this just be sure to monitor your phosphate as your uptake changes when the tank continually matures.

I’ve always tried to treat parameter issues in ways that are sustainable long term and can easily be adjusted as the corals grow.

Yeah I'm fairly new to all of this but I can without doubt tell a difference in the way things are growing. Which may just be and ebb and flow kind of thing. I'm certainly not going to do some knee jerk reaction. I'm just trying to think through this and see what folks with more experience say.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What to do depends on nitrate, IMO, but dosing phosphate or feeding more are both suitable options.

 

[Oldreefer44]

I've already verified calibration with my checker via the Hanna calibration kit. It's not always 0 let's just say its almost always below .03

Which is fine. No need to try to change it.