Calcium reactor and lower nutrients

[Scdell]

Any correlation with this? Seems since I set a calcium reactor up my nutrients are way down. Or is it my imagination?

 

[ndrwater]

I would say no, but it depends on what specifically you are talking about.
If Nitrate and Phosphate, there is no connection

 

[Sallstrom]

I've tested this as I was curious if there were any bacteria activity in the calcium reactor.
I didn't see any difference in nitrate after
the calcium reactors compared to before it.

Phosphate on the other hand might be released from the calcium reactor media/the coral gravel and raise your phosphate level.

 

[vangvace]

Not directly from the reactor, but perhaps the steadier parameters are allowing your corals to uptake more nutrients through growth.

 

[Scdell]

Not directly from the reactor, but perhaps the steadier parameters are allowing your corals to uptake more nutrients through growth.

This is what I'm thinking.

 

[Breadman03]

Not directly from the reactor, but perhaps the steadier parameters are allowing your corals to uptake more nutrients through growth.

This is quite possible. Notice how "empty" tanks fight nutrients, but packed tanks can practically dump buckets of food in? That's because healthy corals uptake nutrients and you aren't relying solely on bacterial action.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any correlation with this? Seems since I set a calcium reactor up my nutrients are way down. Or is it my imagination?

There's no general reason, but lower pH from a reactor may allow more CO2 to assist some types of algae to grow faster, and they may take down nutrients more.

 

[Scdell]

There's no general reason, but lower pH from a reactor may allow more CO2 to assist some types of algae to grow faster, and they may take down nutrients more.

This makes sense also!

 

[Crustaceon]

I could see nutrient reduction being a possibility due to a steady introduction of phosphates from the reactor media. Just as when carbon dosing to reduce nitrates, phosphates are taken up at the same time. When they peg at zero, bacteria seems to have a much more difficult time processing nitrates and they begin to climb until more phosphates are introduced. Keep in mind, our tanks are already full of bacteria and are happy to produce a bloom through whatever means necessary. In your case, phosphate could’ve been the missing piece of the puzzle. I’ve actually used small amounts of seachem flourish to “restart” carbon dosing nitrate reduction after adding a shotglass worth of vodka to the system and not seeing any results. IME, there’s a direct correlation between nitrate and phosphate reduction.