Cant keep nitrates or phosphates and need advice please

[Salty_Northerner]

I experienced the same thing at the same time, but at this point I was not yet dosing any carbon products. At this point I only dosed some nitrates to keep my chaeto alive.

I got a mean green machine from petco ti run in my display, ran it and it cleared up in about 24 hours.

Since this is so similar, I am wondering... and maybe you don't since you are carbon dosing, but have you see any brown snot or flowy brown stuff on your rocks or glass? I had dinos imidiately following this, of which I combated by running the UV again, along with keeping phos and nitrate up along with dosing silica.

Thanks for helping here. I had a slight start to dinos on the new sand bed and started to dose a cap a day of bactor7 and after one day the sand was pristine. Nothing since has been showing it's ugly stage. Remember this is a new tank with only my rock and bio Media bags and fish and Coral transferred. The tank had Red Sea coral pro but it was a funky batch. Anyways I swapped out about 80% of the water and a week later did another 10% WC.

Ok so after the water swap I started to notice a decline in nitrates and phosphate. I was using Neophos. I stopped using it since I'm using Tropic Marin bio-actif salt so figured I may as well stick with Tropic Marin products. I picked up a bottle of plus-NP and have been dosing it up until the day before yesterday.

If I knew this carbon dosing thing was going to be an issue I wouldn't have even bothered. But Tropic Marin makes it sound so easy where you can't mess anything up right! I've started dosing bactor7 since last night because honestly nobody's given any answers on what could be the problem. If they do like Randy does he can be very vague in his answers.

I wanted to dose some nitrates to the water but yet I went out and spent 15 bucks on a bottle of seachem flourish nitrogen that I have not added. I can't get any advice on how much of it to use so I ordered the ESV nitrate. At least they have a nice simple dosing regiment.

I'm dealing with milky looking water at the moment and I'm pretty sure it was the trochus snail releasing its sperm into the water. He did it once before in my small tank and the water cleared up within a day but then again I was using media baskets. Water is a bit hazy at the moment and honestly since switching to Tropic Marin actif salt my water has always had a hazy look to it. It's very frustrating and I'm almost ready to throw that box into the garbage.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

@Court_Appointed_Hypeman why would you dose silica to your water? I thought that's the last thing we need in a reef aquarium is silica just because it's a fuel for algae.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

@Court_Appointed_Hypeman why would you dose silica to your water? I thought that's the last thing we need in a reef aquarium is silica just because it's a fuel for algae.

To increase availability for diatoms. This is a strategy for combating dinos. You may not have dinos yet, just the timeline reminded me of my situation.

I also dose silica for sponges and to keep diatoms available for my pods to eat.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

My pods are active more n more every night and I'm not feeling them. I'll see them on the glass scootn along doing their thing. I was thinking silica would come from the sand? Or rodi unless a person had the other stage just for that case.

 

[ninjamyst]

I hope you don't have the same problem I have. For months I have 0 phosphate and 0 nitrate despite dumping tons of NP Plus. Then slowly I am at 50 nitrate and 1.1 phosphate. My guess is that my rock were absorbing all the phosphate since I started with dry rock and now it's leeching back. So keep testing weekly to make sure it doesn't swing the other way too fast. I kinda skipped testing for a few months and this happened....

 

[jabberwock]

Kinda sorta, its a new tank and the only thing that is new is the sand bed. Its a shallow bed, I added all the rock from my other tank and all the bio media as-well and even added more to what was from the other tank.

How old was the other tank?

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Yeah I'm testing daily for now and stopped dosing Plus NP. Gone back to bactor7 at a cap a day for a few more days. I said heck with it and added 2ml of flourish nitrogen. Just going to wait till this evening and test for nitrates. I think someone doubled my dose of plus NP and didn't tell me. Anyways I can't point fingers at ahem cough co(wife)ugh.

See my small Fluval tank was always high in nitrates like 15 and had issues of low phosphate at .02 or lower then just like overnight it flipped. Nitrates went down to around 3-4 and phosphate jumped up to .08-.09

So all that rock is in the WB that I'm dealing with. Oh well like they say nothing good happens fast so I'm just letting the system find where it wants to go. I think I'll leave the 10% wc for a few weeks or longer. Depending on what the levels are like. I just noticed a small dark patch beside my frag plug and thinking it's bacteria from bottoming out. So I'm going mad chemist now!

Plan is no more plus np, no more weekly wc's, will keep dosing bactor7 a cap a day. Sunday start dosing ESV nitrate till po3 and po4 are where I want it. Then I'll attack the NP balance and go from there.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

How old was the other tank?

5 months old.

 

[jabberwock]

5 months old.

Ok, so both tanks are basically brand new and you reset the whole timeline by starting another with the new/old rocks. No judgement from me, but your expectations are not realistic. In my opinion, don't dose anything. Don't add any livestock to the tank. Wait. Let this tank mature naturally. Slow down.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Ok, so both tanks are basically brand new and you reset the whole timeline by starting another with the new/old rocks. No judgement from me, but your expectations are not realistic. In my opinion, don't dose anything. Don't add any livestock to the tank. Wait. Let this tank mature naturally. Slow down.

Umm I don't have the room for both systems. I understand the tank is immature but at least it's seeded. I asked in another thread I created months ago and everyone was in agreement to my plan. And no I wouldn't ever judge you, I wouldn't judge anyone on R2R. I'm always open for suggestions. I've done this over 20 years ago. And I think the problem is technology! We never had technology like this back when who's reefing.

Remember this Salt I'm using is carbon dosing without all the hassle. That was my understanding, and that's why I'm being a little aggressive with things, But yes, I am only dosing what is needed. I can't have zero nitrates or phosphate and we know that. I'm dosing nitrate and once I have anything but a big fat 0.0 then I can let things settle in.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Well got some good numbers this evening. Nitrates 0.9 and phosphate. 08

 

[btackerman]

What is your live stock like, I am having a similar issue with over 90 different frags/colonies of corals and a few filter feeders with only 8 small fish to feed them. I was told to add more high calorie fish to the tank but interested to hear other ideas

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

What is your live stock like, I am having a similar issue with over 90 different frags/colonies of corals and a few filter feeders with only 8 small fish to feed them. I was told to add more high calorie fish to the tank but interested to hear other ideas

I would def add more fish personallly, only reason I don't have more is the oones I want that will work in a 75G haven't popped up locally yet.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

What is your live stock like, I am having a similar issue with over 90 different frags/colonies of corals and a few filter feeders with only 8 small fish to feed them. I was told to add more high calorie fish to the tank but interested to hear other ideas

This is only a waterbox 35.2 so waay smaller then yours.

I only have 4 small fish, orchard dottyback, 2 small clowns and a new 6 line wrasse. Some trochus, astria, bumblebee, nassarius snails. Scarlett crabs and blue legged crabs. Corals are a mix of zoas and pallys, gsps, xenias, Kenya trees and some forest fire month's. Blue mushroom frag and green hairy mushroom. Not much right now compared to what I've been used to but it's a start compared to what I had 20 years ago. The place I live have nadda for Corals and fish are few and far between. I've been saving to head to the city to buy some nice larger colonies of hammers, frog spawn and 20-30 polyp frags of some high valued zoas from a guy that sells out of his home. He used to have a shop but rent was stupid high so he has a small client base that keeps him running and not gouging on prices. It'll be a few months till I head in to see him. I'm just waiting to have this system settle out.

I just been feeding heavily the past few days and broadcast feeding reef roids along with the AB+ from red sea.

What issues are you facing? Low nitrates and phosphate like myself?

 

[jabberwock]

Umm I don't have the room for both systems. I understand the tank is immature but at least it's seeded. I asked in another thread I created months ago and everyone was in agreement to my plan. And no I wouldn't ever judge you, I wouldn't judge anyone on R2R. I'm always open for suggestions. I've done this over 20 years ago. And I think the problem is technology! We never had technology like this back when who's reefing.

Remember this Salt I'm using is carbon dosing without all the hassle. That was my understanding, and that's why I'm being a little aggressive with things, But yes, I am only dosing what is needed. I can't have zero nitrates or phosphate and we know that. I'm dosing nitrate and once I have anything but a big fat 0.0 then I can let things settle in.

Thanks for that. When I said "no judgement" I meant I was not judging you, just making an observation.

 

[jabberwock]

This is only a waterbox 35.2 so waay smaller then yours.

I only have 4 small fish, orchard dottyback, 2 small clowns and a new 6 line wrasse. Some trochus, astria, bumblebee, nassarius snails. Scarlett crabs and blue legged crabs. Corals are a mix of zoas and pallys, gsps, xenias, Kenya trees and some forest fire month's. Blue mushroom frag and green hairy mushroom. Not much right now compared to what I've been used to but it's a start compared to what I had 20 years ago. The place I live have nadda for Corals and fish are few and far between. I've been saving to head to the city to buy some nice larger colonies of hammers, frog spawn and 20-30 polyp frags of some high valued zoas from a guy that sells out of his home. He used to have a shop but rent was stupid high so he has a small client base that keeps him running and not gouging on prices. It'll be a few months till I head in to see him. I'm just waiting to have this system settle out.

I just been feeding heavily the past few days and broadcast feeding reef roids along with the AB+ from red sea.

What issues are you facing? Low nitrates and phosphate like myself?

That sounds like a huge stock list for a 6 month old tank. I bet all your nitrate is being consumed. At least it is not green hair algae eating it...

 

[Salty_Northerner]

That sounds like a huge stock list for a 6 month old tank. I bet all your nitrate is being consumed. At least it is not green hair algae eating it...

Thanks for that. When I said "no judgement" I meant I was not judging you, just making an observation.

Of course and I thank you for that. I'm here to learn. I know a bit of things on reefing but that was years ago. I had more success 20 years ago when we hardly ever tested water believe it or not lol. Any advice except don't put anything in the tank as in livestock is a no go unfortunately.

I can't place blame on switching to tropic marin salt mix or using plus np till I get a call from Lou himself to help me understand what I'm doing wrong with this salt mix and how their additives work.

Now to go and test levels again and see where this is going.

As for your comment about GHA, I had that problem a few weeks before I did the swap tank thing. Only had it growing on the sand bed and the rock was fine.

 

[jabberwock]

My best advice to ANY reefer is start with real ocean live rock.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

My best advice to ANY reefer is start with real ocean live rock.

I wish! But that'll be on my list when I head into the city. I used to have the most beautiful Fiji live rock 20 years ago. Man the life that came with it was amazing. Luckily had nothing unwanted which I was lucky but today it's impossible to get.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Did a full water test at noon.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Ph 7.93
SG 1.026 TM hydrometer
Nitrate 0.9 unchanged from yesterday
Phosphate. 046 down from yesterday's .080
Mag 1360
Dkh 9.1
Calcium- didn't bother checking

Did a light chopping of the sand bed checking the aragonite to be sure it's not clumping and was fine.
Removed GAC bag.

Raised mag to 1400
Added 1ml of plus-NP since I now have a readable level of nitrate and phosphate in the system.

Lifted the right filter sock up to allow the skimmer to collect the remaining milky haze from the snails love juice. Going to leave the one sock out till I get back home Wednesday evening. Wife will be testing starting tomorrow till I'm back.

Hopefully, things will start to settle out now that I have measurable readings.