Best nutrient export strategies for mid-sized reef tanks (60-90 gallons)?

[bardia]

Hi everyone,

I’m running a 75g mixed reef and trying to keep nitrate and phosphate levels in check without starving my corals. I’m curious what nutrient export methods have worked best for you in mid-sized systems (say 60-90 gallons).

Do you rely on refugiums with chaeto or other macroalgae? Do algae scrubbers or carbon dosing make a noticeable difference? How about oversized skimmers or frequent water changes? I’d love to hear pros and cons of each approach and any real-world results you’ve seen.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

[GratefulAlpaca]

There are a bunch of ways you can do this. It’s best to find what will fit and especially what you can commit to maintaining. I run a large and well lit refugium with a strong skimmer. There are a bunch of benefits to this setup, and a few gotchas. Refugiums are amazing for nutrient control as long as you are regularly harvesting. You can also tune the nutrient export with the light intensity. However, you do have to keep the ball moving and/or stir it regularly. What’s released when you do this is actually amazing for coral growth, but if you go too long between stirs, it’ll be like dumping a ton of reef roids back into your tank.

A note on what algae to grow in the refugium. Start with chaeto, but also let other algae grow in there. If you see an explosion of something like carpet algae in there, that means the conditions are prime for it to grow. So let it grow! Growing nuisance algae in the refugium means it isn’t growing in your display. Trying to force just one type of algae can throw balances off.

Strong skimmers will help to suck dissolved organics (DOCs) out of the water. They take time to break in and tune, but are amazing once setup and running well. They also have the added benefit of increased gas exchange for the tank, which directly drives up your pH. But be warned, cleaning the collection cup isn’t for the faint of nose. It’s liquid poop and smells worse than it sounds!