Feeding Micro..

[Rippey]

These are the foods and supplemtents I use.
I use a seringe with a .5mm dull tip to direct feed. It works quite well. The coral accel I just do a squirt into the left side of my tank I dont use the suringe for that.

[Geoff]

why? most of those are all just phosphates in a bottle. a good blender mush or frozen food will provide all the food for all of the critters in a tank. from the filter feeders to the fish.

G~

[Rippey]

They never have effected my phosphate readings. Also I get good growth from them. Just feed every 3 days, use to directions.

[Geoff]

they will not affect your phosphate readings. the bacteria use it up to fast and bind it. phosphate test kits are useless when it comes to the aquarium. your phosphate levels in the substrate and LR would be off the scale by the time it even reads in the water. by that time you will have a serious HA and cyano problem.

G~

[Rippey]

Wouldn't the bacteria binding it consume the Phospate? If it doesn't how would I go about getting rid of it? Is that why my algea always forms air bubles when the lights are on?

[Rippey]

The Coral*Accel claims its a clean formual contaiting no Phostpate or Nitrates. Just trace elemtents and vitamians that skimming and other filtering removes.

[Geoff]

the phosphates are bound by the bacteria. when the bacteria are done processing it it falls to the bottom of the tank. at this point if you have a substrate it is then absorbed by the calcium carbonate in the substrate. here it will sit untill the substrate is replaced. if LR is touching the substrate than the phosphates can be wicked up into the LR itself.

it is not untill the substrate and the LR are completely full of phosphates that they will start to leach back out into the water column. at this point you will start to get reading from your phosphate test kit. by this time you will have all kinds of cyano and HA problems.

those bubbles are most likely nitrogen bubbles from the nitrogen cycle being trapped by the cyano. the cyano will create a anoxic zone under itself where nitrogen can be processed.

if the skimmer can remove the vitamins and other trace elements than why put it in. water changes will keep anything that is considered trace in check.

this hobby is expensive enough. you do not need to spending more money on suppliments and stuff than necessary.

G~

[Rippey]

If I add about a centimeter of new live sand will that stop Phospate leaching?

[wharyat]

Agreed with Geoff, that stuff will just cause you problems later on.

I was using it in my lightless tank until I started culturing my own.

1 dose would raise my phosphates to dangerous levels, on a normal tank all that phosphate is almost instantly bound up and/or absorbed. Here's a test for you, dump 1/2 a teaspoon in a gallon of filtered water, then test for phosphates.

[Rippey]

Ill try that! thanks.