I have been using the complete red sea program on my 29 gal bio cube for 2 years with pretty good success. I have started my 150 gal tank and it is now 7 months old. I have just added corals in the last 60 days and I am starting to implement the red sea program again.
I am using the colors per instructions.
I have a couple of questions that did not come up when I was using my old 29 gal system.
1. my new 150 gal system uses a 4 inch deep sand bed. Is using the NOPOX additive going to effect the anaerobic bacteria? how about the fauna, ie pods and copepods?
2. can I use a phosphate/carbon reactor while using Nopox?.
if the answer is no, than why not? as I understand it, the phosphate part of the reaction is very slow and sometimes even after 6 or 9 months as in my 29 gal the phosphate never drops down to the desired level, so I added a phosphate reactor in which I ran GFO and carbon. it seemed to be okay. and dropped the phosphate level.
3. can I run carbon? how about Chemi Pure Elite?
4. I currently have a refugium, which has cheato, but I am having problems keeping the cheato alive because I believe the nutrient levels are too low. I have the lights on 18 hours a day. If I start running NOPOX, I should, I believe take the cheato out, because there will not be enough nutrients in the water to feed the cheato. I also have a deep sand bed, more than 4 inch or sugar fine sand, in the refugium. should I then shut the lights off in the refugium completely???. how will that effect the snails, amphipods, and copepods, and worms I have in there refugium? do they need any light at all? should I then start feeding the inhabitants of the refugium with a pinch of flake food everyday, or every other day since there will be nothing, no plants, in there for them to eat?
5. I am using Red Sea Energy A & B. every other day. and Phyto Pfeast every other day, mainly because the photo pfeast claims to have phyto planton in it, which I hear feeds some of the corals and again the copepods, and amphipods. if I stop using the photo feast and go strictly Red Sea Energy will it sustain the Phyto Planton dependent critters such as the amphipods?
I am using the colors per instructions.
I have a couple of questions that did not come up when I was using my old 29 gal system.
1. my new 150 gal system uses a 4 inch deep sand bed. Is using the NOPOX additive going to effect the anaerobic bacteria? how about the fauna, ie pods and copepods?
2. can I use a phosphate/carbon reactor while using Nopox?.
if the answer is no, than why not? as I understand it, the phosphate part of the reaction is very slow and sometimes even after 6 or 9 months as in my 29 gal the phosphate never drops down to the desired level, so I added a phosphate reactor in which I ran GFO and carbon. it seemed to be okay. and dropped the phosphate level.
3. can I run carbon? how about Chemi Pure Elite?
4. I currently have a refugium, which has cheato, but I am having problems keeping the cheato alive because I believe the nutrient levels are too low. I have the lights on 18 hours a day. If I start running NOPOX, I should, I believe take the cheato out, because there will not be enough nutrients in the water to feed the cheato. I also have a deep sand bed, more than 4 inch or sugar fine sand, in the refugium. should I then shut the lights off in the refugium completely???. how will that effect the snails, amphipods, and copepods, and worms I have in there refugium? do they need any light at all? should I then start feeding the inhabitants of the refugium with a pinch of flake food everyday, or every other day since there will be nothing, no plants, in there for them to eat?
5. I am using Red Sea Energy A & B. every other day. and Phyto Pfeast every other day, mainly because the photo pfeast claims to have phyto planton in it, which I hear feeds some of the corals and again the copepods, and amphipods. if I stop using the photo feast and go strictly Red Sea Energy will it sustain the Phyto Planton dependent critters such as the amphipods?