Adding Neophos but Nitrate dropping

[Aaron Soliz]

Hello everyone,

I started to add Neophos to my tank due to lack of phosphates. Basically non detective.

nitrates always stick around 15-20 which is fine since all I have is soft coral. With that being said… I started to add 3 drops of neophos every Tuesday, Thur and Saturday for the past two week. I check my nitrates today and last Monday and they continue to drop by 4PPM. Last Monday they say at 14.9 and today they sit at 11.9

I’m kind of confused why my nitrate is dropping while my phosphate is starting to increase.
I’m using the Hanna checker so I think it’s pretty accurate.

thanks for the help!

 

[Spare time]

What kind of nitrate removal does the tank have (i.e. carbon dosing, refugium, water change, etc.)? It makes sense to me that something is trying to grow and use nitrate but is being limited in growth by phosphate (until you added it)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Agreed.

 

[Aaron Soliz]

What kind of nitrate removal does the tank have (i.e. carbon dosing, refugium, water change, etc.)? It makes sense to me that something is trying to grow and use nitrate but is being limited in growth by phosphate (until you added it)

I run Red Sea carbon but that has never lowered my nitrate. I haven’t done a water change in two weeks and i don’t have a skimmer or refugium. I find it very odd that adding Neophos has started to eat into my nitrates.

 

[Spare time]

I run Red Sea carbon but that has never lowered my nitrate. I haven’t done a water change in two weeks and i don’t have a skimmer or refugium. I find it very odd that adding Neophos has started to eat into my nitrates.

Carbon dosing is dosing something like ethanol, vodka, sugar, nopox, etc., which is not the same as activated carbon. It is adding an organic carbon source that bacteria use in conjunction with nitrate and phosphate to build themselves, and then be removed by a skimmer.

If indeed the nitrate is lowering because of the neophos being added, then my previous statement was the most reasonable explanation I can think of. Pretty much anything growing needs nitrogen and phosphorus.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I do not think it is unusual or unexpected. If phosphate was low enough to limit growth (of anything) then raising it will cause a nitrate decline.

 

[Aaron Soliz]

I do not think it is unusual or unexpected. If phosphate was low enough to limit growth (of anything) then raising it will cause a nitrate decline.

I think you are correct on that. I have always had low phosphate. Coral growth was limited due to that and slight loss of color. A very slight color but i have noticed by dosing it…. It has made my corals happier. I just don’t know if i continue dosing the way i have or to cut it back to where my nitrate doesn’t take a hit Weekly.

 

[Aaron Soliz]

Carbon dosing is dosing something like ethanol, vodka, sugar, nopox, etc., which is not the same as activated carbon. It is adding an organic carbon source that bacteria use in conjunction with nitrate and phosphate to build themselves, and then be removed by a skimmer.

If indeed the nitrate is lowering because of the neophos being added, then my previous statement was the most reasonable explanation I can think of. Pretty much anything growing needs nitrogen and phosphorus.

Correct no dosing of any sort.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think you are correct on that. I have always had low phosphate. Coral growth was limited due to that and slight loss of color. A very slight color but i have noticed by dosing it…. It has made my corals happier. I just don’t know if i continue dosing the way i have or to cut it back to where my nitrate doesn’t take a hit Weekly.

Only time will tell how you need to adjust feeding and/or dosing going forward.

 

[Aaron Soliz]

Only time will tell how you need to adjust feeding and/or dosing going forward.

I only have 3 fish but it’s only a 20 gallon. I feed pellets and flakes off and on… i would think i feed heavy enough to naturally get phosphates but sheesh… never have been able to. It’s irritating

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I only have 3 fish but it’s only a 20 gallon. I feed pellets and flakes off and on… i would think i feed heavy enough to naturally get phosphates but sheesh… never have been able to. It’s irritating

Bare calcium carbonate rock and sand can bind a lot of phosphate.

 

[czoolander]

Also dosing Neophos to increase my phosphate and my nitrates have been dropping.

Good to know i am not the only one . I wrote a post on this topic this morning as well

You said you are dosing 4 drops? that seems like not much ? I am putting in 20 ml of neophos every 1-2 days right now and thinking of increasing too because i cant keep a consistant P04 reading it always drops back to 0.00 within a day or so

 

[Aaron Soliz]

Also dosing Neophos to increase my phosphate and my nitrates have been dropping.

Good to know i am not the only one . I wrote a post on this topic this morning as well

You said you are dosing 4 drops? that seems like not much ? I am putting in 20 ml of neophos every 1-2 days right now and thinking of increasing too because i cant keep a consistant P04 reading it always drops back to 0.00 within a day or so

How big is your tank bud?

Yeah from what I'm getting from four drops is like 2 Mil. If that.

I just don't like Nitrates dropping because now I can't really do water changes but not even that... I don't want it to hit 0 so I cut from 12 drops/ 4 drops three days out of the week to one drop. I realized 12 drops decreases nitrate by 4. So irritating. I'm debating on stopping it in general and just dose reefroids once a week and let it go up naturally. I just don't really know anymore lol.

I have a 20 gallon.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Also dosing Neophos to increase my phosphate and my nitrates have been dropping.

Good to know i am not the only one . I wrote a post on this topic this morning as well

You said you are dosing 4 drops? that seems like not much ? I am putting in 20 ml of neophos every 1-2 days right now and thinking of increasing too because i cant keep a consistant P04 reading it always drops back to 0.00 within a day or so

Dose more phosphate if it isn’t staying detectable , and expect nitrate to drop as well.

 

[Aaron Soliz]

Dose more phosphate if it isn’t staying detectable , and expect nitrate to drop as well.

that is the downfall of dosing phosphate

Is there anything else to do without dosing Neophos without it dropping the Nitrate. I have all softies as I know they like a dirtier tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

that is the downfall of dosing phosphate

Is there anything else to do without dosing Neophos without it dropping the Nitrate. I have all softies as I know they like a dirtier tank.

Most people don't consider removing the phosphate limitation to growth a downside, but you can always feed more instead, or dose both N and P.

 

[czoolander]

that is the downfall of dosing phosphate

Is there anything else to do without dosing Neophos without it dropping the Nitrate. I have all softies as I know they like a dirtier tank.

Ive been feeding frozen 1-4 cubes daily so i dont worry about my nitrates dropping too much . my struggle is keeping phosphate in my tank but ill just up my dosage on the neophos.

I have 139 gallon but i dose for 125 gallon directions . 20 ml = 0.04 PO4 added . I am trying to calculate my daily consumption but have been unsuccessfull this far . everytime i test its 0.00 PO4

Maybe you can dose like a Redsea AB+ and frozen cubes if you are having issues in keeping nitrates high ? or add more fish haha

 

[EricR]

Dose more phosphate if it isn’t staying detectable , and expect nitrate to drop as well.

Really wish I had known/expected this too,,, but didn't.
Nitrate down to 0.9 ppm with Calcium Nitrate on the way from Loudwolf ... ooops