Do I have too many fish? Skyrocket nitrate and zero phosphate.

[Felipe Ramos]

Definitely not.
I had a nice sps tank using this in the past measuring 0.03 and my nitrates were like 5 and 10ppm. Thats what I want for this one...

Thanks for all the answer, as soon as I receive my test I let u know how it goes.

 

[Felipe Ramos]

Hello All,

Finally my URL test arrived and I could test once again. I didn't add any more phosphate after the beginner dose for the first day and there is 3 days that Im not doing anything...

First the normal Phosphate test I thought that was perfect.

Then I tested twice on the new one and I got 0.17 on the first reading and 0.15 on the second... It is a big diference between the two tests or am I wrong?

And also my nitrates after 3 days

I really need help for my options because I really need to do something... If my phosphate is really 0.15 I need to lower it a lot and also I really want to lower my nitrate. How can I do that?

 

[nereefpat]

You definitely want to trust the new checker, since it is made for low range phosphate. 0.17 and 0.15 is basically the same number...call it 0.16 ppm.

Like I said, you aren't phosphate limited. I did mention twice to " get the ULR phosphorus one that reads phosphorus in parts per billion ". But the one you now have is still better than the old one.

Methods to drop both N and P would be water changes, algae scrubbing, carbon dosing.

 

[Felipe Ramos]

You definitely want to trust the new checker, since it is made for low range phosphate. 0.17 and 0.15 is basically the same number...call it 0.16 ppm.

Like I said, you aren't phosphate limited. I did mention twice to " get the ULR phosphorus one that reads phosphorus in parts per billion ". But the one you now have is still better than the old one.

Methods to drop both N and P would be water changes, algae scrubbing, carbon dosing.

My question about the big difference was between those two models but I will stick with the new one..

I had order it already when you told me the PPB thing and they didn't had the PPB in stock.

My fuge is on for 5 hours a day now. Should I increase it to 8 and see if it gets better or should I starting dosing vinegar? I appreciate your help! Thank you again

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I would not be dosing phosphate unless you are carbon dosing and phosphate limited. I don't see the point.

Regardless of refugiums and carbon dosing my understanding is that all tanks over time contain bacteria that performs denitrification. Isn't this denitrification process dependent on phosphate?

My params were very similar to the OP's. Almost exact numbers but a bigger tank (300G with 6 big tangs), people suggested I dosed phosphates (used brightwell's product) and every day I would dose to 0.03-06 and be back to 0 within 12-24 hours. I kept dosing daily and noticed my nitrates went from 50+ to 5-10 within 3 months and I don't carbon dose, my skimmer is basically an empty sump with a skimmer in it.

 

[nereefpat]

My fuge is on for 5 hours a day now. Should I increase it to 8 and see if it gets better or should I starting dosing vinegar? I appreciate your help! Thank you again

Yes, increase your fuge light duration. I would actually run it 12 hours on/off.

If you are running a skimmer, carbon dosing is a good option. I'm not an expert on that, so someone else will have to guide you through that.

 

[nereefpat]

Regardless of refugiums and carbon dosing my understanding is that all tanks over time contain bacteria that performs denitrification. Isn't this denitrification process dependent on phosphate?

My params were very similar to the OP's. Almost exact numbers but a bigger tank (300G with 6 big tangs), people suggested I dosed phosphates (used brightwell's product) and every day I would dose to 0.03-06 and be back to 0 within 12-24 hours. I kept dosing daily and noticed my nitrates went from 50+ to 5-10 within 3 months and I don't carbon dose, my skimmer is basically an empty sump with a skimmer in it.

Denitrification is just converting nitrate to nitrogen gas. Anaerobic bacteria do this with enzymes. Shouldn't be any phosphate involved. Carbon dosing decreases both N and P because bacteria are building cell mass with the carbon and nitrogen and phosphorus, and then your skimmer takes the extra bacteria out of the water.

OP has 0.16 ppm phosphate. He isn't phosphate limited. In fact, he has about 10 times too much.

In your tank, you had 0.16ppm phosphate, and you dosed more to bring down the nitrates? That doesn't make sense.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Denitrification is just converting nitrate to nitrogen gas. Anaerobic bacteria do this with enzymes. Shouldn't be any phosphate involved. Carbon dosing decreases both N and P because bacteria are building cell mass with the carbon and nitrogen and phosphorus, and then your skimmer takes the extra bacteria out of the water.

OP has 0.16 ppm phosphate. He isn't phosphate limited. In fact, he has about 10 times too much.

In your tank, you had 0.16ppm phosphate, and you dosed more to bring down the nitrates? That doesn't make sense.

Thanks for clarifying...the second page didn't load properly when he responded with his test using ULR so didn't see that before my first reply. Mine was reading 2 pbb on the ULR which was 0.006

 

[nereefpat]

Thanks for clarifying...the second page didn't load properly when he responded with his test using ULR so didn't see that before my first reply. Mine was reading 2 pbb on the ULR which was 0.006

Ah, that makes more sense

 

[Crustaceon]

This is the nature of refugiums and carbon dosing. It doesn’t matter if it’s chaeto or bacteria, both need a combination of nitrates and phosphates in order to consume one or the other. Chaeto and bacteria are masterful organisms when it comes to reducing nitrates....right until they get to the point where they bottom out phosphates, which translates to the chaeto or bacteria not being able to consume the ever rising nitrate level until more phosphates are added into the equation. It’s also not uncommon to have a bacterial bloom after adding phosphates to a phosphate-limited system, especially if carbon dosing is involved.

 

[nereefpat]

This is the nature of refugiums and carbon dosing. It doesn’t matter if it’s chaeto or bacteria, both need a combination of nitrates and phosphates in order to consume one or the other. Chaeto and bacteria are masterful organisms when it comes to reducing nitrates....right until they get to the point where they bottom out phosphates, which translates to the chaeto or bacteria not being able to consume the ever rising nitrate level until more phosphates are added into the equation. It’s also not uncommon to have a bacterial bloom after adding phosphates to a phosphate-limited system, especially if carbon dosing is involved.

Have you read the thread, or just the title?

 

[Crustaceon]

Have you read the thread, or just the title?

Actually I read both. My comment is in response to the OP and this line in particular:

“ I'm fighting with my nitrate and doesn't matter what I do, it never goes down. I just tested and I got Nitrate 80 - 100ppm (Salifert Test) and Phosphates at 0 (Hanna Checker not the ULR).”

And later this one:

“ Regardless of refugiums and carbon dosing my understanding is that all tanks over time contain bacteria that performs denitrification. Isn't this denitrification process dependent on phosphate?”

I wasn’t off topic.

 

[nereefpat]

Actually I read both. My comment is in response to the OP and this line in particular:

“ I'm fighting with my nitrate and doesn't matter what I do, it never goes down. I just tested and I got Nitrate 80 - 100ppm (Salifert Test) and Phosphates at 0 (Hanna Checker not the ULR).”

But phosphate isn't 0. He was using the wrong checker. Phosphate is 0.16.

 

[Crustaceon]

But phosphate isn't 0. He was using the wrong checker. Phosphate is 0.16.

The questions were still asked. Having the actual problem be the checker is irrelevant and doesn’t invalidate my answer.