Piperspop
08-25-2008, 12:04 AM
Hello Everyone.
Do you wash your food every feeding? Now the long question! I have a 55 gallon, Sumpless, totally manual, Reef Tank. Here are today’s numbers:
Temp: 80 F
PH: 8.2 (API Kit)
Nitrate, Phosphate, Ammonia: 0
Calcium: 380
Alk: 10
Mag: 1370 >1390
10 days ago I was having trouble with a development of, “Hair Algae”, on my substrate. I currently own a Tek5, 6 bulb, HO lighting, which I was running full blast for four hours of the day. I began reducing the total wattage per day. Now a max of 4, 54 watt bulbs going,(4 hours), and increased my, “low light”, 2 54 watt bulbs, (8 hours.) Never all 6 at once now. I really like the way washed food looks going into the tank. BUT, BUT, I can’t help but wonder, do the following inhabitants wish I allowed the “Packing Juice” to go into the water as well? 5 fish total, 2 False Percs, 2 PJ Cardinals, Pink Spotted Goby, (Fun Fun Fish). Sun Polyps, Zoos, A 12 Polyp Duncan, Frogspawn, small Ricordia, and Sun Coral.
This tank is now 7 months old, I have not had a nitrate reading in months, I have not had a Phosphate reading since testing for it. 9 days ago, I stopped my photo period that included all 6 bulbs on at once,
( 324 watts).The lights and Corals are 1 month old. With my light reduction, plus food washing, plus a couple 10 gallon water changes, I am not seeing the return of these algae. I know my job for this tank. Once a week, 10 gallon water change, Alk buff, calc buff, and sometimes 2 part mag added. Staggered of course. So, can I keep washing my food? Or am I going to hurt my Corals by depleting some necessary nutrient released in the juice? I spot feed the Sun Coral 4 days a week, and my Duncan three of those days. Duncan’s are fun too. I mix with Reef Crystals, have 60 lbs of live rock, and use Salifert tests for all tests but PH.. Thanks for reading, and thanks for any feedback.
Do you wash your food every feeding? Now the long question! I have a 55 gallon, Sumpless, totally manual, Reef Tank. Here are today’s numbers:
Temp: 80 F
PH: 8.2 (API Kit)
Nitrate, Phosphate, Ammonia: 0
Calcium: 380
Alk: 10
Mag: 1370 >1390
10 days ago I was having trouble with a development of, “Hair Algae”, on my substrate. I currently own a Tek5, 6 bulb, HO lighting, which I was running full blast for four hours of the day. I began reducing the total wattage per day. Now a max of 4, 54 watt bulbs going,(4 hours), and increased my, “low light”, 2 54 watt bulbs, (8 hours.) Never all 6 at once now. I really like the way washed food looks going into the tank. BUT, BUT, I can’t help but wonder, do the following inhabitants wish I allowed the “Packing Juice” to go into the water as well? 5 fish total, 2 False Percs, 2 PJ Cardinals, Pink Spotted Goby, (Fun Fun Fish). Sun Polyps, Zoos, A 12 Polyp Duncan, Frogspawn, small Ricordia, and Sun Coral.
This tank is now 7 months old, I have not had a nitrate reading in months, I have not had a Phosphate reading since testing for it. 9 days ago, I stopped my photo period that included all 6 bulbs on at once,
( 324 watts).The lights and Corals are 1 month old. With my light reduction, plus food washing, plus a couple 10 gallon water changes, I am not seeing the return of these algae. I know my job for this tank. Once a week, 10 gallon water change, Alk buff, calc buff, and sometimes 2 part mag added. Staggered of course. So, can I keep washing my food? Or am I going to hurt my Corals by depleting some necessary nutrient released in the juice? I spot feed the Sun Coral 4 days a week, and my Duncan three of those days. Duncan’s are fun too. I mix with Reef Crystals, have 60 lbs of live rock, and use Salifert tests for all tests but PH.. Thanks for reading, and thanks for any feedback.