Advice on nutrient reduction other than weekly water changes

blasto_master · 12/06/2009, 05:24 PM

I am looking for a way to keep my nutrients down to as low as possible. I do weekly water changes up to 15% of my 75 reef tank. Looking for improvement,insight,and advice other than water changes and reduced feeding. My fish exclusively eat mysis and brine shrimp. I tried other foods, but they are just too finicky.

luther1200 · 12/06/2009, 05:37 PM

Have you looked into vodka or othe organic carbon dosing? When done correctly it works great.

blasto_master · 12/06/2009, 05:48 PM

I do that already but in doing so, the organic carbon brings out the brown algae on the sand more than ever.

tkeracer619 · 12/06/2009, 05:52 PM

If you are already dosing vodka the only other way to reduce nutrients further is to feed less and get a bigger skimmer.

Hookup · 12/06/2009, 05:54 PM

First off, try minimizing your input of nutrients.
Feeding slowly so less gets missed
RO/DI water instead of tap water

Secondly, increase your nutrient export.
-Protein skimmer, higher quality the better
-Fuge
-RDSB
-Phosphate Removers

Those would be the more simple/common methods.

blasto_master · 12/06/2009, 06:02 PM

I have the kent ro di maxima and vodka dose but the skimmer could be the problem. It is a remora skimmer up to 75 gallons nothing more and my tank is a 75 gallon. Any advice in a good skimmer for a reef tank of my proportions????

nikon187 · 12/06/2009, 06:30 PM

How big of a space do you have in your sump Or are you running it hang on? What kind of fish do you keep and how much are you feeding at this time?

Jared J · 12/06/2009, 06:36 PM

Has anyone tried the Brightwell Aquatics BioFuel? It's supposed to replace the vodka for the organic carbon. Dosage uses the same method though.

blasto_master · 12/06/2009, 06:53 PM

Ok my fish are the following: one medium powder brown tang, one small hippo tang, one yellow head jawfish, one small cleaner wrasse, and one large maroon clownfish. I usually feed two cubes per day. Yes, my skimmer is a hang on the back remora. I have a 20 gallon sump/refugium with about 15inches of clearance below the drawers and behind the drawers about 21 inches.

gwenvet · 12/06/2009, 07:28 PM

It could be that you are feeding too much. I have a pretty similar bioload (med/lg blue tang, a lg clown, a lg chromis and a sm flame angel) and I only feed 1 cube on Mon WEd and Fri, plus a 2x2" piece of seaweed 5d/wk. No one is skinny and everybody is growing. Also, after thawing, rinse the food in water to get rid of any nutrients in the water it is frozen in.

insane · 12/06/2009, 07:39 PM

You can also use an ATS. Algae Turf Scrubber. The most efficient types alternate the water flow on and off to expose the algae to the air. Just like waves hitting algae covered rocks on a shoreline. Air, water, air, water.

Randy Holmes-Farley · 12/07/2009, 07:08 AM

I am looking for a way to keep my nutrients down to as low as possible.

I detail many methods of nutrient reduction in these articles:

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners,
Part 4: What Chemicals May Detrimentally Accumulate
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/rhf/index.php

Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2003/chem.htm

elegance coral · 12/07/2009, 08:09 AM

Cleanliness. One of the most common causes of nutrient buildup is the buildup of organic matter. Keep the system clean by removing as much organic matter/detritus as possible and it becomes much easier to maintain low nutrient levels. In other words, don't allow detritus to sit in the tank and rot.

triton3d · 12/07/2009, 08:53 AM

DIY Sulfur denitrator! went from 35ppm to 5ppm (Redsea Test Kit) or 25ppm to 0ppm (API test Kit) this was in 2.5 weeks!!!!!!!!! ive tried alot of CRAP from the market, but this is the ONLY thing that helped me!! NO more dosing for me!!!!

Mike

Emoney · 12/07/2009, 09:07 AM

add a Large Fuge with different types of macro's!

DT's_Reef · 12/07/2009, 09:54 AM

I suggest getting a more efficient skimmer. Get a super efficient skimmer rather than oversizing the skimmer. A good cheap skimmer is the Vertex IN100.

If price isn't a big deal, then I suggest the ATB multi-skimmer (hang on the back model that can be used in-sump). It's actually my favorite skimmer on the market at the moment even though I use an in-sump skimmer. I have two other ATB skimmers, lol, but they're both a bit large for my 85g system.

I would stop feeding brine shrimp. Try to get your fish to accept another type of food for diversity purposes. Try making your own frozen meaty food. There are lots of recipes online.

arthurlo · 12/07/2009, 12:37 PM

Put some macroalgae in your sump with a cheap clamp-on spotlight fixture on a timer. Trimming the macroalgae regularly is a typical way to export additional nutrients from your system.

Also, the 75 gallon tank and a 20 gallon sump might be too much for the Remora.

12/06/2009, 05:24 PM	#1
blasto_master Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: western mass usa Posts: 258	Advice on nutrient reduction other than weekly water changes I am looking for a way to keep my nutrients down to as low as possible. I do weekly water changes up to 15% of my 75 reef tank. Looking for improvement,insight,and advice other than water changes and reduced feeding. My fish exclusively eat mysis and brine shrimp. I tried other foods, but they are just too finicky. __________________ Responsible reef keeping is the only way to go. Current Tank Info: 120 Gallon SPS/ 55 Gallon Zoa

12/06/2009, 05:37 PM	#2
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	Have you looked into vodka or othe organic carbon dosing? When done correctly it works great. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

12/06/2009, 05:48 PM	#3
blasto_master Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: western mass usa Posts: 258	I do that already but in doing so, the organic carbon brings out the brown algae on the sand more than ever. __________________ Responsible reef keeping is the only way to go. Current Tank Info: 120 Gallon SPS/ 55 Gallon Zoa

12/06/2009, 05:52 PM	#4
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	If you are already dosing vodka the only other way to reduce nutrients further is to feed less and get a bigger skimmer. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

12/06/2009, 05:54 PM	#5
Hookup Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,281	First off, try minimizing your input of nutrients. Feeding slowly so less gets missed RO/DI water instead of tap water Secondly, increase your nutrient export. -Protein skimmer, higher quality the better -Fuge -RDSB -Phosphate Removers Those would be the more simple/common methods. __________________ Spellking is an art form to which I have no brush. I'm not sure FOWLRs actually exist, I think they're like unicorns or platonic girlfriends. A FOWLR is just a reef tank that doesn't yet hold any coral. Current Tank Info: 180g display, 150gallon sump in-wall 4-side viewable sps dominated tank, ATI Powermodule, MRC MR-4 skimmer, GHL controller, Baling Method, Ultralith Reactor, Carbon & Phosphate Reactors, and general time consuming money pit that I live for.

12/06/2009, 06:02 PM	#6
blasto_master Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: western mass usa Posts: 258	I have the kent ro di maxima and vodka dose but the skimmer could be the problem. It is a remora skimmer up to 75 gallons nothing more and my tank is a 75 gallon. Any advice in a good skimmer for a reef tank of my proportions???? __________________ Responsible reef keeping is the only way to go. Current Tank Info: 120 Gallon SPS/ 55 Gallon Zoa

12/06/2009, 06:30 PM	#7
nikon187 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 4,717	How big of a space do you have in your sump Or are you running it hang on? What kind of fish do you keep and how much are you feeding at this time? __________________ ----------------- Current Tanks: New 210 custom 84 x 24 x 24, 60g sump, SWC 250 extreme with bubble blaster 5000, 2 vortech mp40, 2 vortech mp10, 12 T5, Water blaster 5000, warner marine bio pellets, 60g clownfish cube, red carpet anemone with a 25g sump,SRO octopus 1000sss, 250w radium, lumenarc large.

12/06/2009, 06:36 PM	#8
Jared J Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 431	Has anyone tried the Brightwell Aquatics BioFuel? It's supposed to replace the vodka for the organic carbon. Dosage uses the same method though.

12/06/2009, 06:53 PM	#9
blasto_master Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: western mass usa Posts: 258	Ok my fish are the following: one medium powder brown tang, one small hippo tang, one yellow head jawfish, one small cleaner wrasse, and one large maroon clownfish. I usually feed two cubes per day. Yes, my skimmer is a hang on the back remora. I have a 20 gallon sump/refugium with about 15inches of clearance below the drawers and behind the drawers about 21 inches. __________________ Responsible reef keeping is the only way to go. Current Tank Info: 120 Gallon SPS/ 55 Gallon Zoa

12/06/2009, 07:28 PM	#10
gwenvet Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: West Lafayette, Indiana Posts: 300	It could be that you are feeding too much. I have a pretty similar bioload (med/lg blue tang, a lg clown, a lg chromis and a sm flame angel) and I only feed 1 cube on Mon WEd and Fri, plus a 2x2" piece of seaweed 5d/wk. No one is skinny and everybody is growing. Also, after thawing, rinse the food in water to get rid of any nutrients in the water it is frozen in.

12/06/2009, 07:39 PM	#11
insane Moved On Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: under your bed Posts: 771 Blog Entries: 7	You can also use an ATS. Algae Turf Scrubber. The most efficient types alternate the water flow on and off to expose the algae to the air. Just like waves hitting algae covered rocks on a shoreline. Air, water, air, water.

12/07/2009, 07:08 AM	#12
Randy Holmes-Farley Reef Chemist Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Arlington, Massachusetts Posts: 86,233	I am looking for a way to keep my nutrients down to as low as possible. I detail many methods of nutrient reduction in these articles: The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 4: What Chemicals May Detrimentally Accumulate http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/rhf/index.php Phosphate and the Reef Aquarium http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...t2003/chem.htm __________________ Randy Holmes-Farley Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef

12/07/2009, 08:09 AM	#13
elegance coral They call me EC Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: central Florida Posts: 6,208	Cleanliness. One of the most common causes of nutrient buildup is the buildup of organic matter. Keep the system clean by removing as much organic matter/detritus as possible and it becomes much easier to maintain low nutrient levels. In other words, don't allow detritus to sit in the tank and rot.

12/07/2009, 08:53 AM	#14
triton3d Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 43	DIY Sulfur denitrator! went from 35ppm to 5ppm (Redsea Test Kit) or 25ppm to 0ppm (API test Kit) this was in 2.5 weeks!!!!!!!!! ive tried alot of CRAP from the market, but this is the ONLY thing that helped me!! NO more dosing for me!!!! Mike

12/07/2009, 09:07 AM	#15
Emoney Registered Member. Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 90	add a Large Fuge with different types of macro's!

12/07/2009, 09:54 AM	#16
DT's_Reef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 3,083	I suggest getting a more efficient skimmer. Get a super efficient skimmer rather than oversizing the skimmer. A good cheap skimmer is the Vertex IN100. If price isn't a big deal, then I suggest the ATB multi-skimmer (hang on the back model that can be used in-sump). It's actually my favorite skimmer on the market at the moment even though I use an in-sump skimmer. I have two other ATB skimmers, lol, but they're both a bit large for my 85g system. I would stop feeding brine shrimp. Try to get your fish to accept another type of food for diversity purposes. Try making your own frozen meaty food. There are lots of recipes online. __________________ 85g starphire system, 38"x26"x20", 250w Radium SE + Galaxy Ballast + Lumenmax Elite reflector, Tunze Nano Wave Box, 2 Tunze Nano Streams, Profilux dosing system (2-part + vodka), ATB 840 Skimmer, Eheim 1262 return pump.

12/07/2009, 12:37 PM	#17
arthurlo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 83	Put some macroalgae in your sump with a cheap clamp-on spotlight fixture on a timer. Trimming the macroalgae regularly is a typical way to export additional nutrients from your system. Also, the 75 gallon tank and a 20 gallon sump might be too much for the Remora.