Dosing all for reef and 0 nitrate and 0 phosphates

[plexx]

So I know this is going to sound weird but I have been dosing Tropic marin all for reef for about 2 weeks and today I tested my nitrates and phosphates and they were both 0. Now the weird part for about a year my phosphates were always 0.10 - 0.17 and my nitrates were always 20-25 ppm . Dose all for reef act like carbon dosing? Also don't want my levels at 0 , thinking of going back to BRS 2 part. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[Saltyreef]

Was your phoshate and nitrate elevated to those numbers 2 weeks ago?
Could it be a coencidence?
Any other nutrient export methods?

 

[plexx]

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.

 

[Saltyreef]

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.

Feed more. Frozen foods and or live phyto.

 

[Saltyreef]

the all for reef wouldnt zero your nitrates and phosphates. Youre just doing a good job keeping the tank clean but it needs certain things for the food chain to work properly.

 

[plexx]

I know I can bring the levels up but was wondering why All for reef would drop my levels to zero. Thanks for the input , just trying to figure this one out.

 

[plexx]

Your right , but I haven't changed anything but the all for reef , in fact I have been ramping up my feeding and still zero.

 

[rusgum]

Hello. All for reef will reduce nitrates / phosphates. Many do not take this into account and face problems. There is always a carbon atom in the decomposition chain of this product. Add more fish, feed more, remove other types of filtration.

 

[plexx]

Thanks, just don't like the fact that now my levels are at zero, I know bad things can happen like dinos so my just go back to brs 2 part. With the all for reef I had to keep upping the amount I dosed and soon it will get to expensive anyway. Thanks again for the info.

 

[ichthyoid]

As mentioned, the formate in AFR’s calcium formate is a carbon source.

Tropic Marin has a product which specifically raises N & P in proportion called Plus-NP.

200 mL Plus-NP

Supply critical nitrogen and phosporus to your reef tank for optimal growth and coloration. While we often think of keeping nitrate and phosphate down as the goal, in many modern reef aquariums we can run into a deficiency of these key nutrients. Due to the effectivess of mechanical, chemical...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dose all for reef act like carbon dosing? Also don't want my levels at 0 , thinking of going back to BRS 2 part. Any ideas? Thanks

Yes, the alk component is an organic compound.

 

[plexx]

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.

 

[Lowlandreef]

Yes, the alk component is an organic compound.

Are you sure that makes it act like carbon dosing? I use all-for-reef as well, and I haven't noticed it lowering my nutrients. I also couldn't find it on their website, you would say they mention it since it completes their product even more.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you sure that makes it act like carbon dosing? I use all-for-reef as well, and I haven't noticed it lowering my nutrients. I also couldn't find it on their website, you would say they mention it since it completes their product even more.

Certainly it does act like carbon dosing. Exactly which organisms use it may be unclear, but metabolism of it is the only way it can be converted into useful alkalinity. But the effect is fairly small since formate is almost useless as an energy source (it is very close chemically to the final product of organic metabolism : carbon dioxide). It carries much less energy per gram than organics like acetate in vinegar and ethanol in vodka.

 

[Lowlandreef]

Certainly it does act like carbon dosing. Exactly which organisms use it may be unclear, but metabolism of it is the only way it can be converted into useful alkalinity. But the effect is fairly small since formate is almost useless as an energy source (it is very close chemically to the final product of organic metabolism : carbon dioxide). It carries much less energy per gram than organics like acetate in vinegar and ethanol in vodka.

Okay, very interesting. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Rybren]

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

 

[Lou Ekus]

@plexx While it is true that the formate does have a very small carbon dosing effect. This effect is almost undectable, as Randy said. It is more likely that your decrease, in especially your phosphates, may be due to increased growth rate and metabolism from the introduction of the trace elements in the AFR. If you were using the BRS 2 Part method before, and were NOT using the TM Trace K and A, and you now go back to your 2 Part with the new addition of the Trace K and A, you might find that there is no change in the low phosphate level. You might consider that Plus NP product recommended above.

 

[plexx]

I went back to BRS 2-part along with the trace K&A and I'll test my phosphates and I'll let you know what my findings are. Lou, I appreciate your feedback, but I was only dosing the All for Reef for about a week and not only did it drop my levels to zero, my algae reactor is bright whie with no algae left alive.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I went back to BRS 2-part along with the trace K&A and I'll test my phosphates and I'll let you know what my findings are. Lou, I appreciate your feedback, but I was only dosing the All for Reef for about a week and not only did it drop my levels to zero, my algae reactor is bright whie with no algae left alive.

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.

 

[Lou Ekus]

I went back to BRS 2-part along with the trace K&A and I'll test my phosphates and I'll let you know what my findings are. Lou, I appreciate your feedback, but I was only dosing the All for Reef for about a week and not only did it drop my levels to zero, my algae reactor is bright whie with no algae left alive.

I have to agree with Randy on this one. While I never say anything is totally impossible....I would say it is unlikely that the algae die off was a direct result of the AFR or the lack of PO4, in that short a period of time.