Dosing all for reef and 0 nitrate and 0 phosphates

[plexx]

I'm not blaming All for reef for what's going on in my tank at all. Just trying to figure it out. I do have to say even though my nitrates are at 0 as well as my phosphates , my tank looks great , my lps are super fluffy looking and everything looks great. I am going to keep with the 2 part and trace and see how it goes. Just for the record , I use Tropic marin pro reef salt and I think they have some of the best products on the market . Thanks again for all the input.

 

[schuby]

I propose that your macroalgae starved to death, from lack of one (or all) of these: phosphate, nitrate, or iron.

Have you had the algae reactor running for the last year, too?

 

[Coral Euphoria]

No, they have been at that level for about a year. Also just checked my frag tank, same zero on both. nitrate and phosphate. Has me a little worried because I know running a reef tank at zero is a bad idea.

You should go by how your corals look instead of worrying about being at zero.

 

[plexx]

I get it it , but I keep alot of zoas and lps and when levels go to zero corals can get upset and dinos can start showing up. This thread was started more of a question as to why my nitrates and phosphates bottomed out , not to blame any product. Hey for all I know , maybe my tank does better on basic 2 part . I like to go based on how my tank looks but we test for a reason , and to ignore the results is not a good idea.

 

[kecked]

My reef looked great and zero p and n resulted in a Dino explosion that took me two years to tame. Be careful with zero. My tank ran that way for a long time before the dino’s and still don’t know what changed. That was when I ran gfo and carbon 24/7. I use none of it now. Just feed fish more and all Is well. I too had high nitrates that recently dropped again to zero so I am slowly dosing cal nitrate while I see if feeding brings levels back up. 0.7ml in 100g tank once a week spread into 0.1ml portions daily. It’s not for food but to just keep from bottoming. Also I noticed my iodine level came up too far just as this drop occured. Wonder if I killed the nitrification bacteria! above 0.6 iodine. So next I look for ammonia...that has to wait as I’m away. See I though my zoa and shrimp looked poor so I thought oh add some iodine...changes are dangerous. Every tank is different and while basics remain the complexity remains too. Humbling to find out how little you really know.

 

[Vwluv10338]

I came across this thread and feel like it’s similar to what happened to me. I struggled to keep nutrients in my system and because of it I had to beat dinos. I had recovered and lowered the time my fuge light was on once I bounced back. I switched from Kalc to All for reef and my numbers went back to zero and I got dinos again. I switched back to Kalc while beating dinos the second time and haven’t gone back to the All for reef yet. I want to but I want to make sure my tank is stable before making the switch. I just tested my nitrates and I’m at 3ppm so I am dosing to get that back up so that’s too low to take the chance of switching right now.

 

[stanlalee]

Posted by accident but since I'm here the all in one dosing products carbon dosing results are better than vodka dosing which I did for years. Faster (visual results the day after I started) no cyano and no cutting into my vodka stash. I use polyp lab one.

 

[plexx]

I switched to the BRS balling hybrid method minus the part C, soda ash and calcium chloride with Tropic marin part A trace and K trace minerals added in. My reef really came alive once I did this, I can now balance my calcium and alk to what I want and with the trace elements in the mix my growth has taken off , not to mention that the cost is a a lot less. I use tropic marin's bio mag. and I throw a scoop in the sump once and a while and I'm good to go. One other thing I did was to install a algae scrubber ( a small one) in my sump and it keeps my nitrate and phosphates in check as well as any algae in the display. There are different ways of keeping a reef you just got to find the one that works for you and your tank.

 

[Ross Petersen]

FWIW, when I started dosing TM CarboCalcium (the same Calcium Formate product as in AFR) I had to stop dosing my DIY NOPOX because my nitrates became undetectable. Now, with just the CarboCalcium, they are steady at 3 to 5

Old thread here but curious - do you use a skimmer on your system (to extract all the bacteria fed by the formate in all-for-reef/carbocalcium?)

 

[Ross Petersen]

I'm surprised that could be due to the All for Reef, especially so fast. maybe nutrients were knife edge low to begin with.

i dosed huge amounts of organics into my system (vinegar mostly, at high doses) and it never killed my macroalgae.

Hey @Randy Holmes-Farley - chemistry question related to this thread. I've got a 40 gallon AIO to which I'm starting to add SPS. I'm hoping to go skimmerless with twice/month 25% water changes. If I dose formate, would it be prudent to run a skimmer to extract the heavy bacterial population? Or is this not great scientific logic? Alternatively, I'm considering just dosing calcium hydroxide - small tank, pH boost, no skimmer (so pH boost is good), etc. Thx!

 

[Acros]

My phosphates were at 0.009 before I started dosing any kind of alk additive. I started all for reef and my phosphates went to 0 and stayed there for a week. It has finally climbed up to 0.006 after heavy feeding. I plan on monitoring it closely.

I like that I can feed heavy without worrying too much about nitrates and phosphates building up. My corals are doing great.

 

[Ross Petersen]

My phosphates were at 0.009 before I started dosing any kind of alk additive. I started all for reef and my phosphates went to 0 and stayed there for a week. It has finally climbed up to 0.006 after heavy feeding. I plan on monitoring it closely.

I like that I can feed heavy without worrying too much about nitrates and phosphates building up. My corals are doing great.

Did you find your skimmer produced more gunk after dosing tropic marine? This would add up and account for the loss of N and P (through bacterial skimming)

 

[arking_mark]

I am going back to my old 2 part , it just works. I like to try different things when it comes to my tank but I guess the old saying , (if it an't broke don't fix it) comes into play.I am thinking that if I dose brs 2 part and mag as well as tropic marin k and a elements, I should be set. I also have an algae scrubber thats been running for 1 month so in time that should keep my nutrients in line as well.

If you've been running an algae scrubber, this is most likely the main culprit that is reducing your nutrients.

 

[Acros]

Did you find your skimmer produced more gunk after dosing tropic marine? This would add up and account for the loss of N and P (through bacterial skimming)

I do not have a skimmer. I have been struggling to keep my nutrients up anyway.

 

[LeftyReefer]

.006 or .009 phosphates?? that's pretty low.
What test are you using to get those results?
I have the Hanna Ultra Low Range checker and it only measures between .00 - .90 ppm.

 

[Acros]

.006 or .009 phosphates?? that's pretty low.
What test are you using to get those results?
I have the Hanna Ultra Low Range checker and it only measures between .00 - .90 ppm.

I use Hanna phosphorus ulr.

 

[Rybren]

Old thread here but curious - do you use a skimmer on your system (to extract all the bacteria fed by the formate in all-for-reef/carbocalcium?)

I do run a skimmer, but I always have.

 

[Acros]

I am feeding rather heavily (only frozen) but my phosphates are stuck at 0.006.

I hope it moves up to 0.04 in the coming weeks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hey @Randy Holmes-Farley - chemistry question related to this thread. I've got a 40 gallon AIO to which I'm starting to add SPS. I'm hoping to go skimmerless with twice/month 25% water changes. If I dose formate, would it be prudent to run a skimmer to extract the heavy bacterial population? Or is this not great scientific logic? Alternatively, I'm considering just dosing calcium hydroxide - small tank, pH boost, no skimmer (so pH boost is good), etc. Thx!

TM seems to think that a lot of the formate metabolism happens in the corals rather than by bacteria. I do not know if that is true or not, but skimming out bacteria isn't always necessary even when you have a lot of them. They are can be food for filter feeders.

 

[Lou Ekus]

TM seems to think that a lot of the formate metabolism happens in the corals rather than by bacteria. I do not know if that is true or not, but skimming out bacteria isn't always necessary even when you have a lot of them. They are can be food for filter feeders.

Just a small "clarification"... It is currently theorized, that much (not all) of the metabolization of the formate is done by bacteria located within the coral polyps. While other amounts happen in the substrate, coral structure and other areas within the tank system. Not to imply that the metabolization is done by the coral polyp itself.