scripps water for SPS

[HHN]

Any of the experienced Scripps water users with SPS tanks have any updates to this thread? Would love to to hear some specific tips/routine from someone who as an SPS dominant tank and been using Scripps for years. Best tips I have heard so far. 1) Skim it outside the tank first. 2) Add phoshate remover while skimming outside the tank. 3) Bring up Alk, Mag and Calc a bit ....Alk is really low (7ish). Does anyone dose trace elements too?

[brandon0350]

http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showth...SW-Triton-test

[crabbysd]

Any of the experienced Scripps water users with SPS tanks have any updates to this thread? Would love to to hear some specific tips/routine from someone who as an SPS dominant tank and been using Scripps for years. Best tips I have heard so far. 1) Skim it outside the tank first. 2) Add phosphate remover while skimming outside the tank. 3) Bring up Alk, Mag and Calc a bit ....Alk is really low (7ish). Does anyone dose trace elements too?

NSW Alk is just under 8. so if you want to run a higher alk you have to dose it up int the bucket or, like me, I just target an alk of 8 with two part. There are low level nutrients in the NSW, pretty much exactly in line with most common parameters found in a reef tank, most of the rest is added by us. you don't have to dose other trace elements, exactly like you do with any other salt really. it is after all water from the ocean, where corals grow.

No clue as to why you'd need to skim outside the tank for better results. Po4 is highly debatable and IMO IME a preference and not a need. Really, you can just treat it like any other water IMO

This tank, the guy finally got his Po4 down by adding an auto water change system.(it was 3 when he was in SD in 2016)
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-home-tank.296635/

this has a Pic of one of the Birch aquariums Sps tank. All Scrips water obviously. I cant find the article on the Vileda they keep spawning. I forget what they keep the Alk at with the calcium reactor. id wager 10-11.
http://awesomeocean.com/guest-column...g-coral-reefs/

[HHN]

Thanks for the links guys, that was very useful. As for the skimming prior to puting in my tank, it was recommended by another reefer and made sense at the time. And, honestly, still does. Every time I have tested, I find phosphates in Scripps. I would rather increase my phosphates from food/feeding than my water changes. I realize the guy on the other thread has an amazing tank with super elevated phosphates, but I saw a video about that a while back and I think he mentioned that one of the reasons he has no algae is that he has no room for it. Im not there yet. ....Brandon...if you want a donation to run the test again, Ill contribute. Paypal is probably best. Thanks again,

[crabbysd]

He uses cuc to control algae. To remove Po4 from a bucket of water is a trick. If you use lanthanum chloride you'd have to strain it in a small micron sock or large skimmer, same way ya do it in a tank, it relies on mechanical filtration to work, or, run a reactor in the bucket before use.
Now keep in mind, In brandons test his kit detected .03 Po4 n the ICP was .03
According to Farley that's spot on for your P04.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/op...farley.173563/

IMHO, if the Po4 from the incoming source water is a concern, its easier to deal with IN the tank with a Lanth based product or GFO or similar binder.

A side note on alges , cyno dinos etc, those organisms tend to prefer higher nitrate environments(cyano will actively create a low po4 high no3 micro climate in fact), and a lack of P04 then discourages growth of other beneficial organisms like Nitrifing bactera and coral chato etc who need a more balance no3 po4 diet.(no the redfield ratio is not universal to all photosynthetic organisms, however it is indicative). So thats kinda one danger of running a true Zero po4 system. ULNS, if that's the aim, are pretty tricky and require a higher sensitivity test and more monitoring to ensure there's no over stripping. A lot of folks there actually wind up dosing P04.

food for thought anyway. 10 years of using NSW and I honestly don't have more algae than artificial seawater users. and I doint run Lanth or chem binders.

[HHN]

I definately get your point. Do you feed a lot?
I still feel that if my tank is already at .05 (I am very happy with that), I'd still rather keep it there via food vs water change. That is really my only point.
I don't see the harm of skimming before putting it in my tank. Not sure that I am removing anything beneficial and likely would remove something that I'd rather not have.
I have a phosphate problem too in that I started with used sand that was high in phosphate.
Thanks for the feedback. I am looking for people that have been using it for years without problem.

[crabbysd]

I definately get your point. Do you feed a lot?
I still feel that if my tank is already at .05 (I am very happy with that), I'd still rather keep it there via food vs water change. That is really my only point.
I don't see the harm of skimming before putting it in my tank. Not sure that I am removing anything beneficial and likely would remove something that I'd rather not have.
I have a phosphate problem too in that I started with used sand that was high in phosphate.
Thanks for the feedback. I am looking for people that have been using it for years without problem.

One tank i do, one tank i dont, but I do have a low fish bio load.
Keep in mind dilution. If the tank is .05 po4 and you use water with .03, you are by delution, lowering the Po4 by watering it down.
Skimmers, comtrarty to popular opinion<, (fact check me and youll see) are not good mechanical filtration.It only when they are larger than the prober tank size the do they become more efficient by volume. they remove the bacteria and other organics in the water containing the Po4 & no3 rather than the actual Po4 molecule as I understand it. so skimming the bucket may be in vain. a ractor would work better.

SO honestly its preference of method.to me , it seems like a lot of work to prep the watewr, esp in small batches, rather than used mixed water. Or to treat Po4 reduction IN tank.

more honesty, Ive had more problems with bad Rodi i was sold, and Rodi I made going bad due to our crappy tap water burning the filters so fast than I have with the real ocean water.
three 4 months of problems with barely 1- 1.5 TDS in my rodi). I did massive water changes with NSW to fix it in fact.

[crabbysd]

Nothing fancy but I like it.
Sept of last year.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[d-man]

If you’re worried just use GFO for a couple days after each water change and it will lower PO4 just fine. No need to run it 24/7. I have been using scripps for 15yrs. Never once have I had an algae outbreak in any of my tanks. They are always Fish overloaded so I feed heavily as well. . I also start up my tanks with scripps. My next build of about 1k gal will also use scripps and I highly doubt I’ll have an issue Luther than typical new tank syndrome of some diatoms and maybe cyano for a month. Nothing to worry about. And yes this will be an angel/tang/wrasse/anthia dominant reef with probably 100-130 Fish.

[HHN]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The non-scripps users are always so insistent that it's a huge mistake, so I appreciate it. I get all the arguments against but I think the best argument for is that Triton test Brando provided (and the fact that people use it successfully). Seems pretty spot on for what we need with few adjustments. D-man, I'd love to see a few photos of your tank. Care to post them here?...probably be useful within the thread.

[crabbysd]

On of the theories I believe behind using artificial waters is, like alkalinity and light spectrum, is if you have elevated levels of minerals is more easily accessible to the animals to use. I'd add that there is a considerable amount of fear with the unknowns of "what's in the water." even though most arent chemically savy to understand wahts in the salt mix either really.

That said, were I to run a system with 10k+ in in corals and money were no object, Id likey run artificial seawater, have every monitor available, an auto water change system and a nice person to scrape my algae for me. lol. (jason fox would also come over for BBQ's)
But for a casual reefer, IMO, NSW from what Ive seen is more than fine. you just need to understand how to deal with it. ie, Po4, alk targets and the big 3, and possibly trace element dosing. Those are actually much simpler than it sounds.

[d-man]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The non-scripps users are always so insistent that it's a huge mistake, so I appreciate it. I get all the arguments against but I think the best argument for is that Triton test Brando provided (and the fact that people use it successfully). Seems pretty spot on for what we need with few adjustments. D-man, I'd love to see a few photos of your tank. Care to post them here?...probably be useful within the thread.

I could send u a pic but I don’t know how to post on here still after on this time. I’m a tech moron, lol

[jcal]

If you’re worried just use GFO for a couple days after each water change and it will lower PO4 just fine. No need to run it 24/7. I have been using scripps for 15yrs. Never once have I had an algae outbreak in any of my tanks. They are always Fish overloaded so I feed heavily as well. . I also start up my tanks with scripps. My next build of about 1k gal will also use scripps and I highly doubt I’ll have an issue Luther than typical new tank syndrome of some diatoms and maybe cyano for a month. Nothing to worry about. And yes this will be an angel/tang/wrasse/anthia dominant reef with probably 100-130 Fish.

..
+1, 16+ on Scripps. from Anemone only, softies/LPS/SPS. Corals that died were from my husbandry neglect, not because it is Scripps water and what comes with it.