Phosphates

[KYLE.801]

Ok gang I was just wondering if the phosphates in my tank are at .5ppm if I should be more worried than I am to lower them.  I know you want to have 0.0ppm if possible and actually a few weeks ago they were around 1.-2. but they lowered after I added some phosguard and that is how I got the phosphates down to .5.  So for almost a month now with no fish I figured the phosphates would lower by themselves because im only ghost feeding the tank maybe 2 times a week and with no fish no waste.  I did a 4 gal water change last night and could do a larger one this weekend(if you guys think I should).  The acro frag my friend gave me didnt make it after two weeks so either it didnt acclimate, didnt like where It was in the tank, the phosphates or something else either way when it died it made me start to think if the phosphates being at .5 should be more of a concern.  Now today my orange digi didnt have all of its polyps extended like usual when I got home from work tonight.  All the other parameters are where they should be.  The orange digi did get knocked off yesterday (stupid crab!!!) so maybe its still pissed but I put it back where it was when I first added it into the tank and today it didnt look as good as it has this week.  Montipora frags are still looking awesome and same with the rest of the coral.   Also how many of you run AC in your systems?  How often do you run it?  How often do you not run it?  Its been about a month since ive changed the AC in my tank but I wasnt too worried about it as I really havent had a large bioload in my tank.  Ive also removed the skimmer from my sump because at the time it really wasnt pulling anything out.  Im trying to read up as much as I can about sps corals and care between studying for my classes and on my breaks at work :) and what I have come up with is they can be a pita.  I made my wife promise me that she will not let me buy anymore sps for a few months because maybe I should let my system mature more.  But that makes me think of other systems ive seen that have been set up for the same amount of time as mine and have success with sps.  I know every system is different im just interested to know why?   Thanks for reading!

[Bergy]

hey Kyle... what is AC?   Im sure it is something simple that i am jsut blankin out on, but I cant quite figure out what the hell AC is..

as for the phospates..

phosphates are bad for fish 'per se'... they do promote algae growth.. so, if you are having larger issues with algae, then your good for now...  you will need to work on mounting skillz.. you can glue the frag or the frag plug/rock onto the rocks in your tank.. it is kinda tricky but can be done

you can also use an epoxy putty to mount them under water also.. still a bit tricky, but it will take more then a stupid crab to move it...

Andyes, you wll be able to move them in the future, until they encrust onto the rock...

basically the glue or epoxy dont stick under water, what they do is get hard afte being squished into the nooks and crannies of therock, and then harden and that holds the frag in place...

[KYLE.801]

Active Carbon.  I glued it how you said with the super glue gel and I thought it was on there pretty good but I guess not.  Im hoping thats what bugged it and it starts looking better.  Oh and no issues with algae. 

[KYLE.801]

Also is it uncommon for the digi to not have its polyps extended at night?  During the week I noticed that it would have its polyps extended pretty much all the time lights on or off.  Now the lights are off and all the polyps are retracted... just wondering

[Bergy]

i have had HORIBLE luck with digitatas... Im not the guy to ask...

sorry

[KYLE.801]

Its all good!  People told me they were "easy" to start with whatever that means haha.  What kinds of sps have you had sucess with? 

[Bergy]

im a believer that there is no EASY or DIFFICULT corals.. well, ok, there are difficult corals... hheehehehe


but, with everyone system being different, it cant be said that this is a for sure coral that will grow well for everyone...

I had issues/problems with xenia and Green STar Polyps, GSP...  these are the two EASIEST corals to keep/grow  but for the life of me, i couldnt grown either.. they would just melt away, no more then a month and i would have a bare rock


ALSO, most corals i get, pretty much stagnate for the first months, usually up to six months... before they start to seem 'ok'...  after that, they either just stay the same size or they take off  but that first six months is just sitting and waiting, and wondering...

my range of corals that have 'worked' for me, actually has changed since i started a new tank, again reinforcing my idea of different systems, etc...

right now, acans seem to do great for me... (which is the opposite to my last system where acans just kinda hung out and never really grew much)

my lobophyllia is doing great.. as is my anemone...

My zoathids are not doing as well right now.. im kinda wondering if i have a bug or something that might be irritating or worse for them...

I have a larger colony of what i think is a tri-color VALIDA that is doing excellent now.. I did have some red bugs that were inhibiting it from actually loking and growing well.. now that the red bugs are gone, it is colored up from the brown color and is now all purple, (real purple), with green tips


I actually have better lluck with my fish and inverts...they have been pretty stable/secure with minimal losses, (looking for some wood to knock on)

So, the basic suggestion will be for you to try different things and see what works for you...

Stay with the cheap stuff, obviously until you figure out what is a good safe 'bet' so that you dont lose too much while figurin it out

[KYLE.801]

Yeah I dont think there are "easy" corals..maybe i dont know haha.  Its very interesting to see what thrives in one system and dies in another.  Your Valida coral sounds way cool!  I think the next coral I try will be some acans or favia..  Like you said though about keeping it cheap until I get a better idea. 

[cruzincaril]

back to the phosphates..i keep a little bag of purigen in my filter and replace every three mos

[KYLE.801]

What do your phosphates test at?

[RandyFolds]

Phosphate tests are pretty useless...there are organic phosphates, and inorganic phosphates. The organisms in your aquarium basically don't care which one they use (trophic levels and whatnot), your test kit does. What this means is that you are measuring part of something and you have no idea what proportion it actually is, so the number is rather worthless.

If you have phosphates, you will have algae. That is about all the test kit you need, IMO. I use a lot of Kent Marine "Phosphate Sponge" in my clients tanks, and my own. If you change it out every month or two, it keeps up with your feeding input.

Phosphates will not directly kill corals in concentrations that we are talking. The issue comes from the chemistry...essentially PO4 inhibits calcification by binding where calcium should. I doubt that this was the demise of your acro.

But that makes me think of other systems ive seen that have been set up for the same amount of time as mine and have success with sps.  I know every system is different im just interested to know why?   Thanks for reading!

Success is a relative term... just because something is alive doesn't mean it is thriving. I use my 50g as a holding tank for extended lengths of time (1-2 weeks), and the corals survive fine with minimal stress, but I know that sensitive specimens will not thrive in there, so I don't leave them in. Success isn't really a point that you can hit per se, and just because they have SPS corals alive in their tank does not mean that they will be alive in a month, let alone ten years. Frag dealers whip together tanks that look great on the spot. The corals look bitchin' and happy, but if you left them in there a week, they would be dead.

Honestly, 4 months of run-time is nothing. The first stony coral in my 30g was a beautiful Turbinaria reniformis (read: indestructible), and it didn't go in until about a year and a half into cycling. Now, after a couple years, my tank is dominated by SPS.

[KYLE.801]

Very good points and thanks for bringing them up.  I just need to let my tank mature and be pa pat pat patient ( that hurts to say lol jk) really though I dont want to keep killing coral and right now I have no desire to try more sps till my tank is more mature.  I know its worth the wait. "take it slow, let it grow"  Once again very well said and it makes sense to me.  thank you. 

[Bergy]

exactly..

lots of the pics and corals you see were not grown in that tank...

they are bought that big

Try to ask how long folks have had it and how big it was when they got it...

[KYLE.801]

Another great point I should have wondered.