Difference in aminos vs nitrates?
- Thread starter bubbaque
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twilliard
Tank pests..
This will help to understand
https://mecoral.com/understanding-aminoacids/
https://mecoral.com/understanding-aminoacids/
OP
OP
bubbaque
Follow me on Instagram @ Bubbaquecorals
I have watched that video before but I don't really understand the difference. If my tank has undetectable nitrates, would I get the same result if I started dosing amino acids, as I would if I dosed stump remover to raise nitrates?
When you dose nitrates like potassium nitrate, you are very specifically adding "nitrate" and potassium. When you add amino acid (and there are a variety)--you are adding both carbons and nitrate. So with an amino acid you may be feeding bacteria with the "carbon" and they may have an impact on your total nitrates.
Bottom line, adding nitrates adds directly to total nitrates and it is a more direct way to specifically increase nitrates. Adding amino acids effects more than just nitrates because of the additional carbon introduced. I guess simply put, amino acids is more than adding just nitrates and may stimulate other biological activities that may be harder to understand or control.
Bottom line, adding nitrates adds directly to total nitrates and it is a more direct way to specifically increase nitrates. Adding amino acids effects more than just nitrates because of the additional carbon introduced. I guess simply put, amino acids is more than adding just nitrates and may stimulate other biological activities that may be harder to understand or control.
OP
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bubbaque
Follow me on Instagram @ Bubbaquecorals
Okay that helps some. I just was not sure which option I should go to improve colors. I went went dosing potassium nitrate a couple of weeks ago and raised my nitrates to 5ppm and I am already see a difference in some pale sps. I was just wondering if aminos, such as Acropower, would of done the same exact thing.
When you dose anything containing nitrogen like food, amino it will be degraded first as ammonia followed by nitrite and then nitrate. Also corals can use that amino to metabolise it and use it for growth as nitrogen source. So, when you dose nitrate you are actually dosing the last part or most simplified part of that whole nitrogen cycle and the coral can absorb it and use it faster to maintain the redfield ratio.
twilliard
Tank pests..
Amino acids will add carbons that bacteria will feed off of.
Now these bacteria are also benificial to corals.
IMO it all depends on the tank setup.
Yes acropower possibly will do the same thing but I will say if you already had success with potassium nitrate just keep doing it.
srad750c
Well-Known Member
Be careful with aminos, I had an ULNS system, NO3 and PO4 undetectable with Red Sea test kits, even after concentrating x4. My polyps started closing up, SPS started fading, LPS were shrinking, I started using a very popular amino and energy supplement as well as colors supplements. All I got was a very large bryopsis bloom. 2 months later, it has almost taken over my tank. I ran across one of the KNO3 threads and said, oh well what the heck! I tried it and my corals are coming back, only has been about three weeks so far, been maintaining my NO3 at 5-10 ppm. Just as a test I added small amount of amino and energy supplement, and the bryopsis started going wild.
