0 nitrates

James Robert · Aug 3, 2018

Have problem with some acros fading. Pale.
Everything reads good, except nitrates. 2 different test kits read 0.
Questions, How do I raise nitrates safely.

Nate77 · Aug 3, 2018

Feed more

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 3, 2018

You can easily and safely dose food grade sodium nitrate. Many people do.

cracker · Aug 3, 2018

I took Dr Randy's advice & this is what I do. I like it because you have much better control. & get faster results. Just be careful. It's real easy to over dose.

Reef Jedi · Aug 4, 2018

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
You can easily and safely dose food grade sodium nitrate. Many people do.

Randy, do you have a link to a good article about dosing nitrates? I struggle with keeping them and any time i test I'm around 0 to .25. I would like to stay around the 2-3 range as I've heard that's the sweet spot for sps. I have good sps growth so far but would also appreciate a recommendation on trace elements as well. If you have the time, i'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 4, 2018

Reef Jedi said:
Randy, do you have a link to a good article about dosing nitrates? I struggle with keeping them and any time i test I'm around 0 to .25. I would like to stay around the 2-3 range as I've heard that's the sweet spot for sps. I have good sps growth so far but would also appreciate a recommendation on trace elements as well. If you have the time, i'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

I've not read a good article on dosing, but I think dosing 1 or 2 ppm per day as a start is a fine plan.

This calculator can help make a dosing solution and amount. use potassium nitrate entry, whether it is potassium or sodium nitrate as the difference is minor.

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm

Reeferdood · Aug 4, 2018

James Robert said:
Have problem with some acros fading. Pale.
Everything reads good, except nitrates. 2 different test kits read 0.
Questions, How do I raise nitrates safely.

You could always add more fish... More fish, more fish poo, more nitrates, happy corals! It is a win win!

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 4, 2018

Reeferdood said:
You could always add more fish... More fish, more fish poo, more nitrates, happy corals! It is a win win!

The only issue is what happens in an emergency scenario like a power failure. More fish means more O2 consumption, and perhaps a faster downward spiral.

Reeferdood · Aug 4, 2018

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The only issue is what happens in an emergency scenario like a power failure. More fish means more O2 consumption, and perhaps a faster downward spiral.

True that...
A cheap fix to get is an UPS that will buy a little time should the power fail. It seems most reefers that have a substantial investment are running controllers that alert of a power outage that will allow for a faster recovery.
I good friend lost a lot of fish when the power went out but I have never in my life seen a system as heavily stocked as his either...

MichaelClark55 · Aug 4, 2018

I used SeaChem Flourish Nitrious. Tested every morning and dosed according to their online calculator. Took about 6 weeks to get stable at 5 ppm from not detectable.

James Robert · Sep 27, 2018

Been dosing sodium nitrate, 90ml a day for 5 days.
No3 is reading .25. Po4 readling 0.
Been feeding just a little heavier then normal.
Should I increase dosage on the nitrates, or. Let it ride.
Or should I stop dosing nitrate.
I don't like not having any Po4 reading.
Today after seeing had 0 Po4, I took gfo off line.
Any thoughts.

MichaelClark55 · Sep 27, 2018

James Robert said:
Been dosing sodium nitrate, 90ml a day for 5 days.
No3 is reading .25. Po4 readling 0.
Been feeding just a little heavier then normal.
Should I increase dosage on the nitrates, or. Let it ride.
Or should I stop dosing nitrate.
I don't like not having any Po4 reading.
Today after seeing had 0 Po4, I took gfo off line.
Any thoughts.

I would strive for stability rather than chasing a certain number. That seems to be what makes the corals thrive IMHO. Get the N03&4 stable and then keep it there dosing nitrate if needed. I wouldn't worry too much about the N04 being at 0 and keep dosing to keep the N03 at 5ppm. I agree I wouldn't use any N04 export if you are already reading 0.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 29, 2018

James Robert said:
Been dosing sodium nitrate, 90ml a day for 5 days.
No3 is reading .25. Po4 readling 0.
Been feeding just a little heavier then normal.
Should I increase dosage on the nitrates, or. Let it ride.
Or should I stop dosing nitrate.
I don't like not having any Po4 reading.
Today after seeing had 0 Po4, I took gfo off line.
Any thoughts.

I'd like to see some phosphate too. if it does not rise within a few days after taking GFO offline I'd feed more or dose it.

MichaelClark55 · Sep 30, 2018

Just got a hanna low level checker today and it read the same as the Salifart test "0.00" Starting to dose again also.

James Robert · Sep 30, 2018

New
Update, Got nitrates. 3 ppm.
I'm dosing 105 ml of sodium nitrate a day, for about a week.
Still have some pale colors on some acros, I have not seen any improvement yet. How long will it take to color up.