Dosing KNO3 How fast?

Ert · May 9, 2018

Hi all

I'm trying to raise my nitrates to a target of 5ppm and have been dosing potassium nitrates. I started yesterday with a 10 ml dose which rose it to roughly 1.25ppm. This morning I checked again and it dropped to zero which means the tank is chewing through the nitrates. I again dosed and brought it back up to 1ppm.

It's an 85g SPS dominated tank so stability is essential.

My question is how quickly can I increase nitrates by safely? 1ppm per week or faster?

Pls chime in on your thoughts and experience.

Dr. Reef · May 9, 2018

1-3ppm daily increase is not going to hurt anything with final stable point of 5ppm in few days.
Beef up your algae eaters you will see a rise in green algae and also cyano

Ert · May 9, 2018

Thanks

I’m trying to boaster my biodiversity with the nitrates.

My chaeto looks happier while I’m battling a case of Dino as well. Thinking my zero no3 and po4 is the cause. Got my UV running as well now too.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 9, 2018

I agree that a couple of ppm per day addition is fine, but don’t expect much of it to remain 24 h later.

Ert · May 9, 2018

I'll be monitoring NO3 for a while to make sure I continue to hit my targets.

I got a bit of DinoFlagellates going on in my tank so I dosed a vial of Biodigest to add biodiversity. I had one left sitting around so what the heck.

All the corals are looking happier with the addition of nitrates. In addition, I'm hoping the nitrates will add biodiversity to out compete the dinos! Fingers crossed

Stigigemla · May 10, 2018

It is appearent that corals and/or algae can build up a supply of nitrate. I added 1 mg/l per day with a dosing pump to a tank with zero nitrate and the corals looked happier but nothing happened to the value. I raised the dose to 2 mg/l and checked after a few days and still zero.
I let it go so for about a month until it was time to fill up the 3part and do the usual 6 testings. (KH, Ca, Mg, K, NO3 and PO4). Now NO3 was about 30. It took 2 months without dosing to get the value down again just without dosing.