May be switching to a 175 watt Halide

Discussion in 'LED Aquarium Lighting' started by Kevin_E, Mar 29, 2013.

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  1. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    ULNS is Ultra Low Nutrient System. I think that may be your issue as well. I would try some amino acids.
     
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  3. skurious

    skurious Sailfin Tang

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    yes, I personally use Seachems Fuel for that. I've also hear that Warner Marines Amino Acids are good too. Either would be fine if choose to try that out.
     
  4. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    Interesting. So you guys think I should bring the levels of my big 3 down and dose amino acids. That will improve color and growth?
     
  5. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    That's interesting.
     
  6. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    Personally, that's what I would do if it were my tank. Will it alleviate your issues? I really don't know for sure but it's worth a shot.
     
  7. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    I just figured amino acids were a gimmick.
     
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  9. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    They aren't. If you aren't feeding your system enough, there's not enough microscopic food particles floating around to fuel the coral. They have to get nutrients from somewhere. Most people who run a ULNS have to replenish this stuff for the coral to thrive. There are many reputable manufacturers out there who produce amino acids.
     
  10. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    I was under the impression that the photoperiod was enough for corals to thrive and that it wasn't necessary to feed them. I have been feeding a lot more this past week as I added a second fish. I have been feeding 2-3 times daily. Prior to this week, I was feeding every other day and only feeding a pellet or two at a time so there was no waste.

    Test numbers from today:

    Calc= 430
    Alk= 3.7
    Mag= 1620
    pH= 8.15
    Temp= 78
    Nitrate= 0 (or undetectable)
    salinity= 1.027

    Is mag being as high as it is causing a stunt in growth and color?
     
  11. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    I would bring salinity down a bit and the feeding more is going to help. I try to keep my specific gravity at 1.025 on the button. I have never seen any proof that higher salinity will help coral growth or coloration. Your mag is awfully high as well. When folks first started successfully keeping SPS, in the very beginning, it was in pretty much fishless tanks but this was before the protein skimmer was widely available. When the protein skimmer became available to the average reef keeper, it was found that adding some fish actually helped things a bit because the water was all of the sudden too clean. I'm not going to find the references for the above information but I believe it was Randy Holmes Farley who wrote an article on this. There has to be a bit of waste, food, or amino acids in the water column for your corals to thrive. Most of the time, this comes from average fish food. For example, when I feed frozen, I don't filter out the juices like some people do. I'm under the impression that there has to be microscopic matter in there that the corals can use.
     
  12. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    I am going to do some water changes and get the mag and salinity down. I don't run a skimmer, fwiw.