Experiment

Hi All!

It's been a while since I have posted on here but I thought I wouold update you all on an experiment I have been running.

First an update on my tank -
125 gallon display with 55 gallon sump
LED lighting
corner overflows
Koralias pumps x4 for display tank
skimmer (not being used)
carbaon reactor (not being used)
GFO reactor (not being used)
Fish -
yellow tang, blue hippo tang, pajama cardinal, blue damsel, 2 velvet damsels, 2 clowns, coral beauty angel
Coral -
red moti, green monti, purple monti, green birds nest, 2 colonies of frogspawn, 1 colony of hammer coral, zoas, palys, green star polyps, ricordea mushrooms, watermelon & red mushrooms, 2 RBTA

OK - so that is a basic run down of my current tank. So here is what I have been experimenting with. I have not run carbon or GFO since January of this year. I started this because every time I changed one or voth of these my coral looked horrible for a week or two after. I made sure to rinse the carbon or GFO very thoroughly so I wasn't introducing something into the tank that would harm the fish or corals but they still looked bad. Bad color, poor polyp extension & bad growth.

OK - So now you are going to say that I am changing water out frequently to export nutrients. Here is the kicker - I have only done 1 water change since January (15 gallons). I have just been topping off and making sure that salt concentration remains stable. I don't dose with anything except for occasionally I do add Coral Vite. All of my water parameters have remained stable. Coral growth and coloring is the best it has been since I began running this tank.

My "THEORY" - I think that with the technology today we can actually clean our tanks to well. Removing all of the nutrients that coral need in nature. I use my sump with macro algea as a natural nutrient export and let evaporation and top offs take care of the rest.

So now I am waiting to here your thoughts on all of this?

 

Hi Ryland.

Most definitely I believe sometimes we keep tanks too pristine for certain types of corals and even some fish. I had far more success with Goniopora, all the Euphyllias and Catalaphyllia in systems without all the bells and whistles and intensive lighting. In my systems not designed for keeping sensitive SPS the Sponges and Gorgonians flourished, I was even able to keep Scallops for some time.

 

well, I'm impressed is my input I have no idea why this has been working so well for so long. It does indicate that macroalgae can be a darn good nutrient exporter I also think that it confirms the benefit of having a larger tank.

 

another tank that doesnt need to be dosed with every chemical known to man and everything's thriving??!?!?! wwwhhhaaaaaaaa?

 

I thought the same thing as my tank flourished for months. Great color and growth as all my little frags turned into small colonies and big colonies... then reality happened.

At the end of the day coral biology strips the system of needed ionic compounds (alk, Cal,Mag) and when those get striped stuff dies. Its like rolling a ball up a hill.... sure after it leave your hand its still rolling, but eventually it stops and starts going back down hill and gains speed. Before you know it you have sweet looking tables of grey LR where your colonies were.

 

I'm afraid Alex is right about the three major elements-- with even just a few small colonies in a larger system, they're still being used. It just takes longer for them to be depleted. Have you checked the levels lately?

As for nutrients, you are correct. All corals absorb DOCs. It's the end product of bacterial processes (nitrates) to which some are more sensitive.

 

While I do agree that you do not need to be high tech with every tank to get good results, I am on board with everyone else that water changes are beneficial.

Since you are dosing Coral Vite you're staying ok for now. When you say parameters have remained stable specifically what are the values?

This is a larger tank and the coral load might be such that utilization is not now an issue.