Recent content by CharlesJohns58

Yes you used to be able to still get Caulerpa palifera, we had some in 2012(?) on the shallows of your reef tank.

Nope since since January 1, 2024: https://www.coastkeeper.org/caulerpa-ban-jan-1/ Starting today, January 1, 2024, Californians are prohibited from selling, possessing, importing, transporting, transferring, releasing alive in the state, or giving away without consideration all saltwater algae...

That would be a molar N/P ratio of 27.6. The NO3/PO4 ratio falls well below the NO3/PO4 ratio of 100-150 recommended by Fauna Marin. Now I can't speak how these levels are affecting coral skeleton density or zooxanthellae density ... that is a whole other realm of discussion. :p

What test kits are you using? A reading of "zero" is not actually zero, it just means that the level is lower than your test kit's ability to measure it. The attached paper takes an interesting viewpoint of the relationship between corals, zooxanthellae and nitrogen. Worth a read.

Yes a wealth of info can be found in these journals stretching all the way back to 1958! They also have a cumulative searchable index of every issue published plus some shark supplements. http://drumandcroaker.org/

The ability to remove the precipitate (either LaPO4 or La2(CO3)3) is entirely dependent on contact time and the size of particulate your skimmer can remove. If your contact time is too short and the resulting particulate too small for your filter to remove, it will get back into the tank. I...

In my experience, and granted this is on a 212,000 gallon system, you need to add it slowly, in small amounts. We add ours into a sand filter inlet to remove the precipitate. We are adding 275 mL diluted into 30 gallons of DI water of which we currently are dosing approx. 3 gallons/24 hrs. So...

Actually the PO4 was due to ground water intrusion at the point where the intake is as evidenced by a salinity of 24 ppt, and that ground water comes from GGP where they water the plants with grey water so we also saw ammonia in the water. Also, we were using lanthanum to remove the PO4 from the...

Just wanted to comment on the ratios I see being mentioned on the forum. Just to clarify the formula of NO3/PO4 * 1.53 does not give a ratio of NO3/PO4 but of N/P. So if you are adding NH4 this is a source of N as is NO3 and NO2. Normally NH4 is undetectable in aquaria as it is quickly utilized...

As others have mentioned consider adding Lysmata wurdemani shrimp. They will take out the small ones pretty quickly. Sorry, I don't know what else you have in the tank but you could also try a juvenile Chaetodon kleini or C. lunula, or filefish Acreichthys tomentosus. You may have to remove...

When were you at the Museum? I was there June 17, 2024. The alkalinity and Ca levels in all the coral tanks there are maintained in the same way as the big tank, sodium bicarbonate powder just tossed into the sump before the lights go on, and CaCl2 tossed into the sump much later in the day...