attn: all reef experts ( suppliments)

[bizoid]

i have a 75 gal. tank of over x1yr. i add about x8 suppliments to the water ea. wk. overall tank does ok with about x15 corals, but minimal growth of all corals. i have good flow & have x2 250 watt haidle lights with x4 65 watt actonic lights. are most or all of the suppliments overkill? will biweekly water changes be adequate? also run chiller @ 76-78 degrees. i spent alot of cake & spend alot of time tending my reef, but i'am not getting the results i am hopefull for. please help. i'm open to all suggestions. calcium, mag, phos,ph,amonia, nitrite all pristine. nitrate 40

 

[tiberius]

I wonder why your nitrates are high since you do water changes twice a month. Maybe you don't take enough water out. I had that problem a while ago. I was feeding my tank everyday with Cyclopeeze to get the amphipod production up. Had to do a 35 gallon change for a 110 tank and since have been doing 10 % monthly changes. I finally got it to 10.

If you are adding Phytoplex every week, that will increase your nitrate level. I don't ever add any chemicals to my tank unless I can check them with a test kit. I know it says on those bottles to do so every week but I think it does so to get you to buy more!
List all those supplements you add.

 

[farslayer]

Well, first raise the temp, reefs are usually around 80 degrees, but I digress.
First and foremost, what fish and other animals are in there. If you have nitrate, it is because you have waste in there somewhere. Don't dose ANYTHING you don't test for, and only then dose if you are low. Your weekly water changes will take care of the trace elements, calcium, and buffer your pH for you. Do you skim? Have a fuge? A sump? What type of filters do you have? How much LR/LS?

 

[bizoid]

i add calcium, magnesium, iodine, pro buffer dkh, kent reactor, microvert, coral-vite, stontium molybdenum, and essential elements. i always check cal & mag before adding. ikeep cal around 400 & mag around 1000. am i overdosing tank & wasting money. i've yet to figure out why nitrate is present . coralife 125 gal skimmer , in-line sump with live rock. i do have 15 fish-- x2 neon gobies, x2 clown, x2 damsels, x2 helsinky firefish, x1 saddleback clown, x1 dragon gobie, x1 domino, x1 purple firefish, x1 lemon peel, x1 flameangel, x1 bangai cardinal

 

[bizoid]

i thought that some corals such as toadstools need cooler temps.

 

[tiberius]

Originally Posted by bizoid
i add calcium, magnesium, iodine, pro buffer dkh, kent reactor, microvert, coral-vite, stontium molybdenum, and essential elements. i always check cal & mag before adding. ikeep cal around 400 & mag around 1000. am i overdosing tank & wasting money. i've yet to figure out why nitrate is present . coralife 125 gal skimmer , in-line sump with live rock. i do have 15 fish-- x2 neon gobies, x2 clown, x2 damsels, x2 helsinky firefish, x1 saddleback clown, x1 dragon gobie, x1 domino, x1 purple firefish, x1 lemon peel, x1 flameangel, x1 bangai cardinal
If you have a decent LFS, bring them your water and have it tested for iodine, strontium and molybdenum. Your saltwater mix has essential elements in it. Read the back of your bag and see which ones are there. You are most likely double dosing. Most corals you buy at the store come from the tropics where the temp is always in the 80's. My store has signs all over stating tanks need to be kept at 82 degrees. The nitrate is most likely present from the micro vert.
I don't use any liquid food religiously. If I think about after I do a change, I will throw in a couple of capfuls of Phytoplex in the tank. My corals are all doing nicely and growing. I guess they get the food from the flakes dissolving because I sure don't feed them.
You can also just stop adding any of those for a couple of months and raise the temp up and see if you see any difference.
Take a tank pic now and then later to see any changes.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by bizoid
i add calcium, magnesium, iodine, pro buffer dkh, kent reactor, microvert, coral-vite, stontium molybdenum, and essential elements. i always check cal & mag before adding.
holy monkey! thats a lot of additaves. you should test everything your adding not just alk and cal. Iodine is really easy to OD on. you should also test strontium and molybdenum if your going to dose with it.
most of that stuff is taken care of with good waterchanges, ONLY dose with something if you know your tank needs it. you can cause yourself countless headaches if you dont.
15 fish would be the origin of your elevated nitrates. you need serious mechanical filtration to handle that much poo in a tank that size. and the biggest problem with mechanical filtration is if you dont clean it ALOT it doesnt really help.