Dosing phosphates to equilibrium with dry rock

[kozzy]

Hi everyone, so I have been having issues with a number of corals in my tank appearing to have quite poor health and thanks to others who have contributed on my other posts I have concluded that the likely issue is my zero'd out nitrate and phosphates. Also have decided that plus np is getting me no where and it's time to dose either nitrates and phosphates or just phosphates. For back story, the tank is 3 months old, 30 gallons, and its clear that no amount of feeding + a basically fully stocked tank will not increase these levels whatsoever. I stated the tank with carib sea life rock and it seems these rocks absorb the nutrients until a certain point. So first question:

1) Should I be dosing both right of the jump or just focus on phosphates? I would prefer to just dose phosphates but I understand that an imbalance may cause me further issues...correct me if I am wrong (i am fairly new to the coral side of things) Also ive read that these rocks dont absorb nitrates so I am confused at where these are going. My filtration is super minimal - filter floss, carbon, and biological media..no skimmer or anything

2) Specific to phosphates, I am only confused on how to begin the initial dosing if everything is absorbed within a few hours and how i can keep a constant supply in the water. I do have an open line on a doser that I can hook this up to. I guess my question is can I basically sit there for a day dosing say 0.2ppm of phosphate, test, repeat every hour until equilibrium or is that the wrong way to go about it. Then I would think I should again dose x amount like 0.1ppm test an hour or 2 later and see how much is absorbed and then set the amount it uses on the doser every hour to try and keep it stable at 0.08-0.1 ishh.

Thanks in Advance, any advice is appreciated

 

[CHSUB]

Hi everyone, so I have been having issues with a number of corals in my tank appearing to have quite poor health and thanks to others who have contributed on my other posts I have concluded that the likely issue is my zero'd out nitrate and phosphates. Also have decided that plus np is getting me no where and it's time to dose either nitrates and phosphates or just phosphates. For back story, the tank is 3 months old, 30 gallons, and its clear that no amount of feeding + a basically fully stocked tank will not increase these levels whatsoever. I stated the tank with carib sea life rock and it seems these rocks absorb the nutrients until a certain point. So first question:

1) Should I be dosing both right of the jump or just focus on phosphates? I would prefer to just dose phosphates but I understand that an imbalance may cause me further issues...correct me if I am wrong (i am fairly new to the coral side of things) Also ive read that these rocks dont absorb nitrates so I am confused at where these are going. My filtration is super minimal - filter floss, carbon, and biological media..no skimmer or anything

2) Specific to phosphates, I am only confused on how to begin the initial dosing if everything is absorbed within a few hours and how i can keep a constant supply in the water. I do have an open line on a doser that I can hook this up to. I guess my question is can I basically sit there for a day dosing say 0.2ppm of phosphate, test, repeat every hour until equilibrium or is that the wrong way to go about it. Then I would think I should again dose x amount like 0.1ppm test an hour or 2 later and see how much is absorbed and then set the amount it uses on the doser every hour to try and keep it stable at 0.08-0.1 ishh.

Thanks in Advance, any advice is appreciated

3 months in you should have a couple of leather corals and maybe a few other easy corals. Forget about dosing inorganic nutrients and relying on flawed hobby test kits. If you have fish and feed them N is not going it be limiting. Po4 just feed your coral directly and wait till your tank is mature.

 

[Oldreefer44]

Have you verified your test results with either a different test kit, ICP or at an LFS? A picture and actual test results including Alk, Mg, Ca, NO3 and PO4 would also be helpful.

 

[kozzy]

Have you verified your test results with either a different test kit, ICP or at an LFS? A picture and actual test results including Alk, Mg, Ca, NO3 and PO4 would also be helpful.

hi, thanks for the response. I have not done an ICP but have brought it to an LFS. I dont have pictures of my test results but I have been testing almost every other day my tank water as well as any water I am using for water changes. Parameters are as follows:
alk 9 - hanna
mg - 1380 - salifert
cal- 440 - salifert
N03 - 0 - hanna
P04 - 0 - hanna
salinity - 1.026 - refractometer
temp - 78-79
All of these taken this morning and also have remained stable in the past two months with inhabitants

Also I dont believe the test kits to be faulty as initally I was thinking this and did tests before and after feeding reef roids and saw a jump in p04 to about 0.1ppm and than hours later back to zero which makes sense as its been consumed as well absorbed into the rock

 

[kozzy]

Have you verified your test results with either a different test kit, ICP or at an LFS? A picture and actual test results including Alk, Mg, Ca, NO3 and PO4 would also be helpful.

these are taken from the other day and the issues are showing mostly with the euphyliia except the torch, but I expect a similar out come to begin happening with my other corals if not solved at this time. Hammers and frogspawn just dont look as good as they have and there flesh bands are fully receeding. I will say they defenitly look wrose today than in those photos.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I personally would not want zero nutrients and would either dose ammonium/nitrate and phosphate, or feed more until both were detectable.

 

[kozzy]

I personally would not want zero nutrients and would either dose ammonium/nitrate and phosphate, or feed more until both were detectable.

Okay thanks! I will go ahead with doing the dosing. Could you refer to the second question in my initial post and give me your thoughts on that? I have been feeding the fish 3x a day a mix of frozen, flakes and pellets as well as reef roids every 2 or day days and still can get anything to show up.