Automatic testers for nitrate/phosphate?

[L/B Block]

Anyone using any auto testers for nitrate and phosphates? After spilling reagent outside the tube (again) for the Hanna I am just like..ugh.

I found this online. Seems kinda pricey though!

ReefBot Lab \xe2\x80\x93 Automated Reef Tank Water Tester | 18 Parameters | Reef Kinetics

ReefBot Lab automatically tests 18 aquarium parameters using your existing Salifert, Red Sea, API and Tropic Marin test kits. Save hours every week with lab-grade accuracy at home.

www.reefkinetics.com

I found another couple devices in development -but I can’t find the link on my phone at the moment.

 

[L/B Block]

This is the other one I found in development

Reef Factory Smart Tester Can Test Ca, Mg, PO4 or NO3 | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Smart Tester by Reef Factory is a mostly nondescript enclosure that doesn't divulge its intended purpose but underneath that glossy smoked black window is a veritable aquarium robot.

reefbuilders.com

 

[Srt4eric]

@Beanju

 

[H2OPlayar]

My question is why test those other than every 2 weeks. Salinity, alkalinity and temperature control are all that are really needed for a successful sps reef. A trend can be deciphered from one test a week on N and P. Personally, I think the effort can be better spent on scaping or cleaning your sump.

 

[richiev]

I'm curious as well. There was a discussion recently about Mastertronics. I've been seeing conflicting reviews. Seems like a cool device, but I'm leery of needing to spend as much time calibrating as I'd save testing. Also they're all so expensive.

I was debating trying to just make a setup to hands free test with a Hanna checker instead. I'm not sure how to deal with the powder, but everything else seems doable.

 

[richiev]

My question is why test those other than every 2 weeks. Salinity, alkalinity and temperature control are all that are really needed for a successful sps reef. A trend can be deciphered from one test a week on N and P. Personally, I think the effort can be better spent on scaping or cleaning your sump.

My reasoning is why not automate it if possible. I wish I could have one where I could give it cups of water from multiple tanks and get the numbers. It'd be great if there was one that could do multiple at the Trident price point. That's not the case though.

That being said, technically the hydros units + a Mastertronic + a doser are a similar cost point as an Apex + Trident + DOS.

 

[H2OPlayar]

I am all for automation, but automating N, P, Alk, CA, Mag, Temp seems excessive, but if you can and have the budget/space then why not. I would automate my skimmer cleaning and emptying after Temp and Alk as the most important.

 

[L/B Block]

I'm curious as well. There was a discussion recently about Mastertronics. I've been seeing conflicting reviews. Seems like a cool device, but I'm leery of needing to spend as much time calibrating as I'd save testing. Also they're all so expensive.

I was debating trying to just make a setup to hands free test with a Hanna checker instead. I'm not sure how to deal with the powder, but everything else seems doable.

If Hanna actually changed the formation of the packets to more of a slim tube it would go a long way.,

 

[L/B Block]

My question is why test those other than every 2 weeks. Salinity, alkalinity and temperature control are all that are really needed for a successful sps reef. A trend can be deciphered from one test a week on N and P. Personally, I think the effort can be better spent on scaping or cleaning your sump.

My sump is actually pretty clean -relatively speaking -it’s just dealing with the powder of the Hanna reagents. I am sure a small funnel could help but then you lose reagent powder residue that sticks to it and then does that throw off the calculations?

I would say that for those dosing for N and/or P -with nopox or other carbon dosing (or adding) it helps checking 2x a week at just to make sure it doesn’t drop too far or too fast one way or the other.

 

[H2OPlayar]

I also don't get the philosophy of dosing N and P. Just feed more and more often. Reef beef said something recently that resonated with me. Corals eat food, not nitrates or phosphates.

As for the powders, I never had any issues with cutting along the dotted lines, folding and making a funnel out of the foil pouch. If you are losing 1-5% of the powder, I bet the results are still usefull.

 

[Coral reefer]

If Hanna actually changed the formation of the packets to more of a slim tube it would go a long way.,

I’ve been saying that for years now. The reality is they don’t make the reagents. It’s just prepacked from other suppliers I think

 

[Coral reefer]

I also don't get the philosophy of dosing N and P. Just feed more and more often. Reef beef said something recently that resonated with me. Corals eat food, not nitrates or phosphates.

As for the powders, I never had any issues with cutting along the dotted lines, folding and making a funnel out of the foil pouch. If you are losing 1-5% of the powder, I bet the results are still usefull.

I was just asking myself recently how corals actually use nitrate and phosphate. I actually don’t know. Respiration?
I’ve always assumed they absorb it from the water, but never really thought much more about it, like what they use it for and how.
I never thought they “ate it” like food.

 

[L/B Block]

I also don't get the philosophy of dosing N and P. Just feed more and more often. Reef beef said something recently that resonated with me. Corals eat food, not nitrates or phosphates.

As for the powders, I never had any issues I with cutting along the dotted lines, folding and making a funnel out of the foil pouch. If you are losing 1-5% of the powder, I bet the results are still usefull.

I’ve been saying that for years now. The reality is they don’t make the reagents. It’s just prepacked from other suppliers I think

Not surprised..but you think that inertia wouldn’t rule the day on this..

 

[L/B Block]

I also don't get the philosophy of dosing N and P. Just feed more and more often. Reef beef said something recently that resonated with me. Corals eat food, not nitrates or phosphates.

As for the powders, I never had any issues with cutting along the dotted lines, folding and making a funnel out of the foil pouch. If you are losing 1-5% of the powder, I bet the results are still usefull.

I can cut on the line. It’s just making a “funnel” out of the pouch. Maybe I need to find a YouTube video on that and my problems will be solved. Or just get a tiny funnel.

 

[L/B Block]

I was just asking myself recently how corals actually use nitrate and phosphate. I actually don’t know. Respiration?
I’ve always assumed they absorb it from the water, but never really thought much more about it, like what they use it for and how.
I never thought they “ate it” like food.

Their equivalent of “vitamins”? But I do agree it would be interesting to know how they use them. And if all coral types (lps, sps) use them the same or differently

 

[Darkxerox]

I was just asking myself recently how corals actually use nitrate and phosphate. I actually don’t know. Respiration?
I’ve always assumed they absorb it from the water, but never really thought much more about it, like what they use it for and how.
I never thought they “ate it” like food.

The frequent theory I heard from Lou Ekus is that they uptake via bacterial or microbial consumption. The bacteria or zooxanthelle are better at scavenging N (probably prioritized as ammonia) and P, and are either internally accumulating in the polyps or the bacteria via predation catching/eating.

But I agree 100% with the feeding the tank more vs. dosing nitrate and phosphate. You're not just feeding corals, you need to feed other life forms like fish and invertebrates.

 

[rdriggett]

I was over feeding to the point of tank odor and I still couldn’t get nitrate above 0 so I ended up with Dinos. Now I dose 4ml of (40g sodium nitrate to 750ml RODI) to maintain 10-15ppm.
Nitrate dosing is poo-poo’d on here but it was a key part in stabilizing my tank. That and a lot of pods.

 

[RandyC]

The frequent theory I heard from Lou Ekus is that they uptake via bacterial or microbial consumption. The bacteria or zooxanthelle are better at scavenging N (probably prioritized as ammonia) and P, and are either internally accumulating in the polyps or the bacteria via predation catching/eating.

But I agree 100% with the feeding the tank more vs. dosing nitrate and phosphate. You're not just feeding corals, you need to feed other life forms like fish and invertebrates.

Feeding more might not be the solution to every problem. While I generally agree that feeding more or reducing nutrient reduction methods is something you should try first before dosing, over feeding your tank can come with some unintended consequences. Extra detritus being built up, explosion of vermitids/feather dusters/bristleworms that you may not want and potentially extra cost on food. Plus, there have been times where I was putting in a ridiculous amount of food for the number of fish that were in the tank just to move the needle. Also, food is not a measurable way to add nitrates and phosphates. Some may argue why do you want that, but a key to good reefing is trying to keep things as stable as much as possible (within reason). So why not this as well?

 

[richiev]

One call out on "feed more", it also means feed more and let the food stay in the tank. If you're aggressively mechanically filtering egg changing the mechanical filtration out constantly, before it can switch to free N/P, I don't think that counts.

The other caveat is I think the answer for 150gal of water is likely different than the answer for 40gal of water. It takes a lot more dosing or food to change numbers in 150gal than 40. That's similar to the theory that nanos require a lot more hands on work and testing than the Monterey aquarium. A cube is proportionally more impactful, both because it is diluting less, but more because the live stock in that tank are different. Obviously herbivores fit into that, but also the space available for refugiums and giant protein skimmers and bacteria.

I was dosing for a bit because feeding was pushing my P up faster than my N in my Reefer 170. It was just easier to keep everything stable by dosing. Including if I went out of town and knew my helpers would be feeding at most once a day.

Now I'm just feeding more, and that's my plan on my Reefer 500.

 

[RandyC]

I can cut on the line. It’s just making a “funnel” out of the pouch. Maybe I need to find a YouTube video on that and my problems will be solved. Or just get a tiny funnel.

Hanna’s Video:

Demo of how I do it, but I find it easier to pour out if I crease it.