Weekly Discussion: Nutrient Mangament strategies

[Seamore]

Just have the ASW ready to go, kill the daylights and the corals should be fine. Think of it as low tide.

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by biowheel

Thanks . I'll give it a try . My tank smells like a nutrient jungle. It doesn't smell bad but I feel if I put a seed in it .The seed would germinate overnight like time laps photography

One word:

Clams.

[quader94]

Originally Posted by tdwyatt

One word:

Clams.

me and bio tried a squamosa and it died we tried everything to keep it alive

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by quader94

me and bio tried a squamosa and it died we tried everything to keep it alive

The clamsthrive on nitrogenous wastes, unless there is a problem outside the high nitrate in the system (commercial clam farms actually use ammonia as a nitrogen source under controlled conditions), that kind of tank(high nutrient) should be ideal for clams, killing two birds with one stone...

Pick up a copy of James' book (edit-Fatheree).

check this thread out at MARSH http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php...topic&p=136474

[biowheel]

Originally Posted by tdwyatt

The clamsthrive on nitrogenous wastes, unless there is a problem outside the high nitrate in the system (commercial clam farms actually use ammonia as a nitrogen source under controlled conditions), that kind of tank(high nutrient) should be ideal for clams, killing two birds with one stone...

Pick up a copy of James' book (edit-Fatheree).

check this thread out at MARSH http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php...topic&p=136474

I think the biggest reason the clam didn't make it was he never really settled in . We have a BB tank so we put him up on the LR. He took a bunch of falls from moving around . I finally put him in a Tupperware pan with sand . It was too late at that point . As soon as he was sick the peps wiped him out

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by biowheel

I think the biggest reason the clam didn't make it was he never really settled in . We have a BB tank so we put him up on the LR. He took a bunch of falls from moving around . I finally put him in a Tupperware pan with sand . It was too late at that point . As soon as he was sick the peps wiped him out

Too bad. They would be worth another try in such a situation, how do you supplement Ca and Alk? What is your lighting like? Do you had any bivalve predators in the tank?

[biowheel]

Originally Posted by tdwyatt

Too bad. They would be worth another try in such a situation, how do you supplement Ca and Alk? What is your lighting like? Do you had any bivalve predators in the tank?

My system is very stable. I don't supplement anything on the Cal/Alk side .Light is 2-double 55W PC bulbs(10,000/Actinic)50/50
Predators are 6-line,LMB , 4- snails and that's it . Now when the lights go out ???? I guess you never know. My Alk is 2.6 and 380 on Cal

[quader94]

Originally Posted by biowheel

My system is very stable. I don't supplement anything on the Cal/Alk side .Light is 2-double 55W PC bulbs(10,000/Actinic)50/50
Predators are 6-line,LMB , 4- snails and that's it . Now when the lights go out ???? I guess you never know. My Alk is 2.6 and 380 on Cal

and pep shrimps if they do anything.

i think our alk needs to go up

[biowheel]

yeah forgot about the 2 Peps

[jenglish]

What do folks think about Xenia culturing and fragging as a method of nutrient removal.


Dare I start the ATS discussion or have we beat that to death in past threads

[biowheel]

Originally Posted by jenglish

What do folks think about Xenia culturing and fragging as a method of nutrient removal.


Dare I start the ATS discussion or have we beat that to death in past threads

I'll discuss it . xenia won't grow in my tank
Tom has me on the edge of purchasing a clam .
I'm gonna try a large WC and see how things progress . Soon I will be doing something drastic because the tank is getting out of hand . Photos to follow later tonight

[Jnicho]

OK, after jeng's last post I'll jump in...I have a TON of Xenia in my tank...it gets "pruned" quite regularly and either given/sold/traded away or (I know God forbid) sometimes just trashed...that said, I have no idea how much if any impact the "Xenia farming" has...I have a large DIY skimmer and skim wet...and (drum roll please) I have an ATS!!!!!! Yes, that's right, I'm running a SantaMonica special, LOL!!!! OK, it's an interpretation of "his" bucket design...this is actually my second ATS...I had one with a surge setup quite a while back, but it had some serious drawbacks...I like the concept of Macro algae, but I've never liked the whole fuge/macro algae setup (although I've tried it a few times)...I find maintaining the ATS is easier than maintaining a "fuge with macro algae"...as for "success" with the ATS...well, I didn't have any serious N or P issues before I added it...and I have very little algae in the display...what I have is mostly HA in/on the overflows and a little "fuzz" on some rocks...in the two months or so that I've been running the ATS I have seen a significant reduction in the HA in the overflows and a definite, but slow recession in the rock fuzz...I'm not actually sure I'm growing much if any "turf", but it does have very fast growth, so whatever it is it seems to help.

Visuals always help...so here is the Xenia...the entire left side there is Pom Pom (and that's after a recent major pruning):


and at any given time I have this much or more in the frag tank waiting to go to a new home:


and here is the "famous" ATS:


and here is about a weeks worth of growth:

[biowheel]

Sweet set up but I have a "all in one " tank . The dreaded RED SEA MAX

I don't have a sump (per say )

[Jnicho]

Originally Posted by biowheel

Sweet set up but I have a "all in one " tank . The dreaded RED SEA MAX

I don't have a sump (per say )

I wasn't addressing your "problem per se", just adding some of what I do to the thread in particular the Xenia & ATS.

I've owed a 12g JBJ, 2 x 24AP & a 24g Cardiff (all "all-in-one" tanks)...I don't really think they are harder than larger systems just different...the biggest "help" I've found on these small systems is good sized weekly water changes...with no skimmer, or really any type of mechanical filtration, I think you have to really rely on "manual" removal...I generally blow off the rocks and vac the sand each week and change at least 20% of the water.

I would agree with EC...I don't think you're far off from beating the algae...I also agree with him on the food...I only feed Reef Crack (kinda like Rods only better IMO and made by a local reefer) and PE Mysis...I also thaw and rinse the food before I use it...I don't think there is one "big" thing that makes a difference in nutrient control...you have do as many little things as you can...when you add them all up you get the "total package".

[biowheel]

Originally Posted by Jnicho

I wasn't addressing your "problem per se", just adding some of what I do to the thread in particular the Xenia & ATS.

I've owed a 12g JBJ, 2 x 24AP & a 24g Cardiff (all "all-in-one" tanks)...I don't really think they are harder than larger systems just different...the biggest "help" I've found on these small systems is good sized weekly water changes...with no skimmer, or really any type of mechanical filtration, I think you have to really rely on "manual" removal...I generally blow off the rocks and vac the sand each week and change at least 20% of the water.

I would agree with EC...I don't think you're far off from beating the algae...I also agree with him on the food...I only feed Reef Crack (kinda like Rods only better IMO and made by a local reefer) and PE Mysis...I also thaw and rinse the food before I use it...I don't think there is one "big" thing that makes a difference in nutrient control...you have do as many little things as you can...when you add them all up you get the "total package".

I appreciate the help . I have had the take running for just about a year and the corals and fish are well . I just see the nutrients swallowing up the zoas and smaller corals . The algae ate my orange carnation but he's still in there I can see orange but did try to pull the algae off and ripped into the OC