Phosphate

[BudgetR33f]

I’ve noticed my goni was a bit closed up and not extending as much so I decided to raise the nitrates. I didn’t have access to a good tester at the time but knew it was somewhat close to 0. I raised it over the course of maybe 5 days to 7.3 ppm by just feeding more (twice daily instead of once), but now my phosphates are at .08 ppm while my goni only started to extend a little more. I know that phosphates should be closer to .05 ppm, but I would also like to raise nitrates a little closer to 10 ppm. Do I just have to start dosing nitrates? Any advice would be appreciated

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

Interested to hear what others say, but I don't think Phosphate of .08 is going to hurt anything. I have seen reefers here claim to run it .2 and above. I would say .03 phos and 5-10 nitrate are what I try and keep in my reef. There are lots of opinions on here, but I always liked the idea of just adding nitrates when I need them rather than feeding more. That way, I am controlling more specifically what goes into my aquarium.

 

[saltytanked]

Why would you react so profoundly and without merit? Don’t chase numbers for a single coral especially something g as finicky as a goni.

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

Why would you react so profoundly and without merit? Don’t chase numbers for a single coral especially something g as finicky as a goni.

I do agree with salty, IMO gonis are pretty finicky.

 

[BudgetR33f]

Interested to hear what others say, but I don't think Phosphate of .08 is going to hurt anything. I have seen reefers here claim to run it .2 and above. I would say .03 phos and 5-10 nitrate are what I try and keep in my reef. There are lots of opinions on here, but I always liked the idea of just adding nitrates when I need them rather than feeding more. That way, I am controlling more specifically what goes into my aquarium.

Thanks for the advice and quick response. So do you just manually dose it when you feel like it’s too low?

 

[saltytanked]

Watch your nutrients and respond accordingly. If something is low dose, if something is high dilute

 

[BudgetR33f]

Watch your nutrients and respond accordingly. If something is low dose, if something is high dilute

Ok, thanks. I’m still a little confused on what to do in this situation, should I just go back to my normal feeding schedule?

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

Thanks for the advice and quick response. So do you just manually dose it when you feel like it’s too low?

I use a Salifert test. When I see the measurement is closer to 5ppm in color than the 10. I will do 3ppm of nitrate. Test a week later see if its back closer to 5 rinse and repeat.

How long have you had the goni? Are your other corals looking healthy?

 

[BudgetR33f]

I use a Salifert test. When I see the measurement is closer to 5ppm in color than the 10. I will do 3ppm of nitrate. Test a week later see if its back closer to 5 rinse and repeat.

How long have you had the goni? Are your other corals looking healthy?

Thanks again. I had the goni for around a month now. I also have 2 hammers, zoas, and gsp. My zoa recently fell in the sand last night so I don’t really think it’s fair to compare it at the moment. However, my gsp seems fine while my hammers seem a little less well when they were doing just fine yesterday.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve noticed my goni was a bit closed up and not extending as much so I decided to raise the nitrates. I didn’t have access to a good tester at the time but knew it was somewhat close to 0. I raised it over the course of maybe 5 days to 7.3 ppm by just feeding more (twice daily instead of once), but now my phosphates are at .08 ppm while my goni only started to extend a little more. I know that phosphates should be closer to .05 ppm, but I would also like to raise nitrates a little closer to 10 ppm. Do I just have to start dosing nitrates? Any advice would be appreciated

Phosphate is in safe range. Goni does best in low to medium flow, with some random flow which allows a waving motion that helps keep the coral clean and brings food past the coral. If you see its' tentacles thrashing around, there is probably too much flow and relocation to a calmer area of the tank would be best.
Lack of food is a big issue with these corals and there are two types of food you can give them . . . . . Amino acids are one as they play a major role in building proteins as well as other biological functions which corals regularly take in for growth and color. The second type of food is planktonic plankton such as reef chili and reef roids but these quickly raise Phosphate levels.
Keep an eye on Phosphates as they dont tolerate high levels well and assure you have an accurate po4 reading. I also add occasional Manganese in the water helps them to reduce stress in general and its important to have Mag at 1300-1350 to help stabilize CA and ALK level consumption

 

[BudgetR33f]

Phosphate is in safe range. Goni does best in low to medium flow, with some random flow which allows a waving motion that helps keep the coral clean and brings food past the coral. If you see its' tentacles thrashing around, there is probably too much flow and relocation to a calmer area of the tank would be best.
Lack of food is a big issue with these corals and there are two types of food you can give them . . . . . Amino acids are one as they play a major role in building proteins as well as other biological functions which corals regularly take in for growth and color. The second type of food is planktonic plankton such as reef chili and reef roids but these quickly raise Phosphate levels.
Keep an eye on Phosphates as they dont tolerate high levels well and assure you have an accurate po4 reading. I also add occasional Manganese in the water helps them to reduce stress in general and its important to have Mag at 1300-1350 to help stabilize CA and ALK level consumption

Thanks for all the info. I used hanna to check phosphate and nitrate. I also have salifert tests coming for mag, alk, and calc. Nice goni by the way!

 

[VintageReefer]

Your coral should adapt to your tank, not the other day around. Keep parameters in healthy range and keep them steady and stable. then leave the tank alone and in time the corals will adjust.

Stability is the key. And even still, sometimes certain gonis close up for a few days while others are fine.

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

Your coral should adapt to your tank, not the other day around. Keep parameters in healthy range and keep them steady and stable. then leave the tank alone and in time the corals will adjust.

Stability is the key. And even still, sometimes certain gonis close up for a few days while others are fine.

Vintage has a point here. I had a goni that closed up for the better part of 2 months. Thought it was a goner, but then one day it came back. Currently is the biggest goni I have.

 

[Lavey29]

Vintage has a point here. I had a goni that closed up for the better part of 2 months. Thought it was a goner, but then one day it came back. Currently is the biggest goni I have.

It was growing skeleton

 

[Lavey29]

My phosphate is .2 to .4 and my gonis are huge for multiple years now. The key is the 100:1 nitrates to phosphate ratio. 20 nitrates for .2 phosphate, 10 nitrates for .1 phosphate.

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

It was growing skeleton

Like actually? Or is that a joke?

Lol I just thought it was super unhappy, then one day decided to quit complaining and thrive.

 

[VintageReefer]

I moved one 12” and it stayed closed for almost a month and wouldn’t extend at all. But, it was alive and colorful. Guess what I did? I waited it out. I didn’t move it back. I didn’t change parameters. I decided to be more stubborn than it. And after about 4 weeks…

 

[Outlaw Corals]

I’ve yet to get a Goni to open

 

[Lavey29]

Like actually? Or is that a joke?

Lol I just thought it was super unhappy, then one day decided to quit complaining and thrive.

Have you ever seen other corals like hammers or torches retract while they are splitting or growing new heads? Same thing basically or it could just be angry with you too. I experience that regularly in my house.

 

[Provate]

Why would you react so profoundly and without merit? Don’t chase numbers for a single coral especially something g as finicky as a goni.

Right