Dosed Sodium Nitrate, how should I manage Phosphate?

[Clownfish2]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

I am currently dosing Loudwolf Sodium Nitrate via dosing pump on a timer to raise my nitrate from 0 to 3-5ppm.

How will an increase in nitrate from 0 to 3-5ppm affect the phosphate level?

What is a desirable phosphate level?

What phosphate test kit or tester would you recommend?

I use the API phosphate test kit for now to test phosphate but the result is always 0 yet tufts of green hair algae sprout up in various places throughout the tank and a greater amount in the refugium under a Kessil H380 light.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It won't necessarily impact phosphate at all, but if raising the nitrate increases the growth rate of something (corals, algae, etc), then it may decline.

The Hanna ULR is a good choice (736).