Spur2 Help,

[nbd13]

Hey guys well over the last 2 months i have been trying to find the right dose on my 200 gallon net tank. right now i am at about 4.4ml,

no the color is supposed to stay "lighter" for 7-10 days right?

then how often do i dose? so say i find the dose that keeps the color lighter for 8 days, how often do i dose?

thanks guys!

also any other supplements worth trying besides basic 4, AA's, spur2?

thanks!

Nick

[invincible569]

i was dosing about every 2wks for 2 months.. but colors just kept getting too light.. I stopped since then and colors have darkened especially since my double dose of AA's

[Aged Salt]

Hi Nick, as your nutrients become ultra-low[Phase 3], Spur2 intervals will, by necessity, be lenghtened. I'm dosing now only every 3wks, wheras initially, I had 14 days between the dosage. Spur2's effect on coral lightening depends on nutrient availability. The dosage may therefore, need to be decreased from when Spur2 was dosed previously in a higher nutrient environment. IME, the corals must be healthy before dosing Spur2 or coral consequences can occur. Thus if one has a few corals showing STN-type symptoms, hold the Spur2 dose until the coral[s] has stabilized. Another side benefit from dosing Spur2 is acclerated growth. Bob

[nbd13]

Hey great!

thanks guys!

Nick

P.S. how did the big move go Bob? i hope it went smooth for you.

[wasp]

So Spur2 causes corals to lighten? I was about to start dosing it because my SPS are already very light, even the LPS have gone more pale over recent months. I thought the Spur2 would add some nutrient / trace elements, and help them darken a bit. Perhaps I should increase dose rate of AA?
Should I dose Spur2 at all in this situation?

[Aged Salt]

Hi Nick, I'm still in the midst of the move but now have a temporary holding system setup. I've had a few coral causilities in the move[4] which is just about what I expected.

Alastair, you're correct, Spur2 will not darken your corals, & in your situation, it would be best not to use Spur2 if your corals are already zoox. deficit. AAHC is higher doses should nourish your corals. Are you still using Start1? Have you recently changed brands of carbon? Or quantity? You may also lower the zeo-filter flow rate until the color heightens &/or decrease the zeolite quantity. Bob

[nbd13]

Thats great news!

i dread the day when i have to move from my 180 to my new 300 but i think it will be worth it!

thanks again for the help Bob and good luck w/ the new house and setup!

Nick

[wasp]

Thanks. Haven't been around much lately so I didn't know you'd moved Bob, good it went relatively well.
I'm now using start 2 on the main tank, but may have been overdoing it a bit, I've cut back. Haven't changed carbon brand, I think it may simply be using too much start. I'll take your other advice, including increasing AA, and will be interesting to see what happens.
Cheers.

[gqjeff]

Alistar, I starting using less start2 and more corals have become lighter.. the more Iused the darker they got..

Nick, I use 6ml on my 200 net every 2 weeks.. The corals stay lighter for 8-10 days or so...

[nbd13]

Thanks Jeff, i am still hunting for the perfect dose,

i leave avout 3 weeks in between doses to be safe, so its taking awhile.

Nick

[wasp]

Alistar, I starting using less start2 and more corals have become lighter.. the more Iused the darker they got..

Now I'm even more confused...

Could something else have caused the lightening?

[G.Alexander]

Alastair, not sure how light your corals are. I have observed this by running the much water through the zeolite or by to less mixing up the material, also after overdosing potassium iodine.

I would recommend to rise the dosage of AAHC until you get the overdosing signs for this product (brown slime or air bubbles on the rocks).

G.Alexander

[wasp]

OK, Much thanks. Yes I have been slacking a bit lately with pumping the stones, I'll have to get back into set routine with it. And have already increased AA dosing. There have been no signs of excess, in fact I haven't cleaned the front glass for several weeks, so I'll slowly build up until that brown haze becomes visible, then drop back a tad.
And, thanks to everybody for the advice, greatly appreciated!