Tank Parameters all over the place

The LC50 for nitrate in some literature is >500ppm, but varies from species to species. However the old guidance I learned from people was don't exceed 300ppm for FOWLR and 100ppm for most sensitive corals. I don't know the lethal levels for phosphate.

So you should dilute your samples with fresh saltwater and get accurate readings so you know if it's going up or down and if you need to consider a sulfur denitrator.
 
Darkxerox said:
The LC50 for nitrate in some literature is >500ppm, but varies from species to species. However the old guidance I learned from people was don't exceed 300ppm for FOWLR and 100ppm for most sensitive corals. I don't know the lethal levels for phosphate.

So you should dilute your samples with fresh saltwater and get accurate readings so you know if it's going up or down and if you need to consider a sulfur denitrator.
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Interesting, thanks for sharing.. my apologies, I am a sucker for logic behind everything and these links help feed my mind :)
 
First order of business is to test! Dilute and test until you get a value within range, and then multiply it by however much you diluted
If API nitrate test went red very quickly (within a few seconds of shaking), then it's likely much higher.

spuri87 said:
I wanted to stay a fish guy until I saw some of the awesome tanks from fellow reefers and now I want more from this hobby.. In your honest opinion, Is that even possible with so many fish in a young tank with the short and long term goals I stated yesterday or am I aiming for the stars and I should just stay FOWLR (maybe some softies and few LPS)?
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I think your tank is just overstocked. When you do that, you create problems that now have to be solved. I think you should take a step at a time; right now the focus is just to add nutrient controls and supervise the tank as levels drop to your intended range. Regardless of your destination I imagine it's probably going to be helpful to have nutrients in check.
 
spuri87 said:
Not expecting 1 water change to magically reduce everything, but I like to track something so that I can go back and check what I did and if I could have done anything better, so documenting the numbers in this thread:

03/31 (1:30 PM) : About 20 hours after 1st 20% Water change (~40 gal) + 125g Rowaphos:-
  • pH: 8.0
  • Alk: 8.3 (expectedly up from 7.7 in the initial reading since I used Red Sea Coral prod Salt with higher Alk)
  • phosphates > .6ppm (Hanna Phosphorous ULR shows 200 ppb which is the maximum it can show, which roughly translates to 0.6 ppm phosphates)
  • Nitrates > 75ppm max value on Hanna checker.. I also had an API kit and wanted to check if it gives me some idea on the actual number.. it showed BLOOD RED lol.. maybe nitrates are way over 200ppm going by this picture

View attachment 78520
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You can get a more accurate measurement of your phosphates and nitrates by diluting the tank water in some RODI or fresh saltwater which you have confirmed have zero nitrates and phosphates. If you dilute 1 part tank water to 1 part fresh saltwater then you can multiply the final result by two. You may need to dilute 1:3 and then multiply the final result by 4.

Note also that with your tank volume and fish load I don’t think in the long run you need to go to extreme measures to keep nutrients under control. I believe that is going on right now is a combination of stocking your tank with rocks with very elevated phosphates + too heavy handed feeding + insufficient nutrient export.

Unless you are willing to remove all the rock (you can do it one section at a time) and treat it outside the tank with LC, it may take months or a year or more for phosphates to stabilize. That is no big deal since people can grow some types of coral at very high phosphate and nitrate levels. You should also look into getting a RedSea Reefmat 1200—it would also help bring nutrients down if you are not changing your filter socks regularly.
 
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Slingfox said:
You can get a more accurate measurement of your phosphates and nitrates by diluting the tank water in some RODI or fresh saltwater which you have confirmed have zero nitrates and phosphates. If you dilute 1 part tank water to 1 part fresh saltwater then you can multiply the final result by two. You may need to dilute 1:3 and then multiply the final result by 4.

Note also that with your tank volume and fish load I don’t think in the long run you need to go to extreme measures to keep nutrients under control. I believe that is going on right now is a combination of stocking your tank with rocks with very elevated phosphates + too heavy handed feeding + insufficient nutrient export.

Unless you are willing to remove all the rock (you can do it one section at a time) and treat it outside the tank with LC, it may take months or a year or more for phosphates to stabilize. That is no big deal since people can grow some types of coral at very high phosphate and nitrate levels. You should also look into getting a RedSea Reefmat 1200—it would also help bring nutrients down if you are not changing your filter socks regularly.
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Thank you for the guidance on how to measure with diluted water.. I will try that next.. appreciate you sharing your experiences.. I do have Red Sea reefmat 1200 sitting in my garage.. I am just awful with plumbing so not collecting the courage to install it in my tank yet since it apparently isn’t straight forward install with waterbox tanks
 
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