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Nitrate puzzle

Mozby

Mozby

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For the life of me, I can’t figure out why my nitrates are at 0 while my po4 is 0.04.

Some details:
70g tank, 30g sump, 10 fish, chaeto growing well, using a regal 150sss skimmer (a tad oversized maybe?). I’ve used filter socks before but have kept them off for weeks now.

So every time I try to increase feeding, my po4 spikes but nitrates stay low. How do I raise my nitrates without raising po4? Trying I figure this out without dosing nitrates if possible.




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Mozby said:
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why my nitrates are at 0 while my po4 is 0.04.

Some details:
70g tank, 30g sump, 10 fish, chaeto growing well, using a regal 150sss skimmer (a tad oversized maybe?). I’ve used filter socks before but have kept them off for weeks now.

So every time I try to increase feeding, my po4 spikes but nitrates stay low. How do I raise my nitrates without raising po4? Trying I figure this out without dosing nitrates if possible.
Click to expand...

IME, phosphate spikes faster than nitrates when you overfeed. I'd dose NeoNitro instead. Once you get nitrates up above zero, you can usually cut back dosing and/or stop altogether.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

NeoNitro - Balanced Nitrogen Supplement

Used in conjunction with MICROBACTER7 and REEF BIOFUEL or KATALYST, enables natural phosphorus uptake to take place in systems with inadequate nitrogen content, lowering phosphate concentration without the use of chemical filtration media and without resorting to polluting the system with...
www.bulkreefsupply.com www.bulkreefsupply.com
 
Or you can also use this...
Screen Shot 2019-09-24 at 11.27.00 AM.png
Screen Shot 2019-09-24 at 11.27.33 AM.png
 
A key issue :
The faculative/aerobic bacteria on surfaces removes both Phosphates and Nitrates.
But the anaerobic bacteria deep in live rock only remove Nitrates, not Phosphates.
So weirdly, a lot of good live rock can cause an imbalance like that.
Carbon dosing can make this effect worse.

I generally add food plus run GFO to remove phosphates, instead of adding Nitrates, but both methods will work.
Adding more food increases both N+P.
 
Also, you may want to get food grade potassium nitrate. (Saltpeter for curing meat)
Stump remover is only ok as long as they don't quietly decide to add some other chemicals.
 
Mozby said:
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why my nitrates are at 0 while my po4 is 0.04.

Some details:
70g tank, 30g sump, 10 fish, chaeto growing well, using a regal 150sss skimmer (a tad oversized maybe?). I’ve used filter socks before but have kept them off for weeks now.

So every time I try to increase feeding, my po4 spikes but nitrates stay low. How do I raise my nitrates without raising po4? Trying I figure this out without dosing nitrates if possible.




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Click to expand...

What are you feeding?
 
RandyC said:
What are you feeding?
Click to expand...

I rotate a feeding of LRS reef frenzy, mysis, fish eggs, and spirulina brine once a day. I also add a dose of phyto feast and oyster feast into the feed mix. Reef roids once a week.


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I’ve had it both directions with po4 or nitrates up while the other is 0. I dose this for nitrates and strongly recommend trying it. I’ve had great success raising it the exact amount I want. And your just just dumping in food hopping the numbers will come out the way you want. I keep this for nitrates and the seachem phosphate for p04
Seachem Flourish Nitrogen 500ml https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EUG7F2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_s.PIDbKKJ0X66
 
There are a multitude of reasons that N or P might be consumed faster. If you're a bit off then adding some KNO3, or the Ca or Mg equivalents is very easy, I've been doing it for years. I get mine as a dry powder from Green Leaf Aquariums. A pound of any of those is really cheap and will last a long time.
 
Mozby said:
I rotate a feeding of LRS reef frenzy, mysis, fish eggs, and spirulina brine once a day. I also add a dose of phyto feast and oyster feast into the feed mix. Reef roids once a week.


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Click to expand...

Asked because pellets are usually a high source of phosphates, but since that is not what you're feeding, if it were me, I would start by just decreasing your fuge photoperiod.

And phosphates usually really aren't that bad of a thing below 0.1. my tanks usually range from 0.03-0.08. so if you're not seeing any issues when phosphates go up (along with nitrates) maybe it shouldn't be that big of a concern? (Edit: I do run GFO)
 
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On one of my tanks I dropped my fuge photo period down to 2 hours a day and my chaeto never died. It’s a option if you need to raise nutrients
 
RandyC said:
Asked because pellets are usually a high source of phosphates, but since that is not what you're feeding, if it were me, I would start by just decreasing your fuge photoperiod.

And phosphates usually really aren't that bad of a thing below 0.1. my tanks usually range from 0.03-0.08. so if you're not seeing any issues when phosphates go up (along with nitrates) maybe it shouldn't be that big of a concern?
Click to expand...

Actually in addition to what I mentioned, I used to feed pellets via auto feeder every morning. But like you said, it spiked phosphates more than nitrates so I stopped. What you suggested sounds good except that I see gha growth when my po4 goes over 0.07. Guess I would need to run gfo if I go the feeding route.


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Last edited:
A Aaron said:
On one of my tanks I dropped my fuge photo period down to 2 hours a day and my chaeto never died. It’s a option if you need to raise nutrients
Click to expand...

Interesting! I had trouble keeping chaeto when I had my 20g, so now that my chaeto is growing great, I am hesitant to mess with it too much. Plus I always thought chaeto consumed more phosphates than nitrates.


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