Dosing nitrate and phosphate in top off

[Fourstars]

I have a thirty gallon top off container and I’m thinking of adding my phosphate and nitrate to this container. My evaporation rate stays pretty steady. I’m trying to keep the system simple and not have to add anymore dosing equipment. is anyone doing this? Any ideas on calculating the amount for a large volume of water?

 

[Vwluv10338]

What have you tried to attempt to eliminate the need to dose? I have dosed to try and get my nitrates up but now I keep cutting back the time my fuge light is on so hopefully I can find a balance and stop dosing nitrates.

 

[User1]

What have you tried to attempt to eliminate the need to dose? I have dosed to try and get my nitrates up but now I keep cutting back the time my fuge light is on so hopefully I can find a balance and stop dosing nitrates.

That is a good question. I'm not the OP but to your point it is one way to try and get that balance. Along with feeding. I'm in a similar situation whereas I'm going to start dosing Nitrates but first tried to feed a bit more. Fun fun.

 

[SPR1968]

You don’t state the numbers, but it’s important to keep phosphate locked down very low at around 0.03ppm or less, so I’m not sure why you would want to add it as most people struggle to keep it down.

A good number for nitrate is 5-10ppm as a guide and the easiest way is to just add a few more fish and feed them, then you can enjoy them as well. Thats why we have fish tanks.

I wouldn’t advise adding any additives to increase nutrient levels really.

 

[Fourstars]

I run a tight ship so struggle to keep nitrates and phosphates up. Today’s test nitrate was 2ppm and phosphate was zero again. Dose by hand to try to keep them up. I don’t buy into the idea to just overfeed or overstock the tank. I believe running a tank close to stoichiometric efficiency produces better long term results.

 

[Biglew11]

what kind of nutrient export do you use? just water changes? fuge? Brs ended up running there fuge light something like 3 days a week with heavy feeding.

 

[Fourstars]

what kind of nutrient export do you use? just water changes? fuge? Brs ended up running there fuge light something like 3 days a week with heavy feeding.

I use an undersized skimmer and AWC about 2 gallons a day on a 200 gallon system. I also run a diatomaceous earth filter once a month.

 

[burningstarIV]

Huh, I'm the opposite, I can get phosphate at 0.04 all day, but nitrates are always zero. I personally find nitrates and phosphates difficult to dose together. You mess with one, the other moves. What are you testing phosphate with? I've found kits like Salifert don't do well picking up the low end. Hanna phosphate checkers will read the low <0.10 but do have a margin of error of somewhere around 0.04-0.06, so even if you are at an ok level of 0.05, it could still read zero with the built in tolerance. I recommend the Hanna Phosphorous checker and convert from ppb.

Anyways, besides getting phosphate accurately checked, I'd recommend going by how your corals look. If things are looking good, don't chase numbers unless you need to to avoid a crash or dinos or multiple corals aren't looking so good.

 

[Fourstars]

I use Hanna and Salifert. I agree about not chasing numbers just trying to keep them off zero and not over dose causing algae bloom. I’m past the Dino phase but notice the corals look better with phosphate and nitrate present. Just monitoring how often I have to clean the glass is as good as testing all the time. Think I’ll experiment with dosing my top off.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have a thirty gallon top off container and I’m thinking of adding my phosphate and nitrate to this container. My evaporation rate stays pretty steady. I’m trying to keep the system simple and not have to add anymore dosing equipment. is anyone doing this? Any ideas on calculating the amount for a large volume of water?

Algae may grow in the top off container.

This calculator will help with amounts:

James' Planted Tank - Dosing Calculator

 

[Fourstars]

Algae may grow in the top off container.

This calculator will help with amounts:

James' Planted Tank - Dosing Calculator

Thankyou for the link. It’s in a brute trash can in a blacked out basement room, so I think I’ll be good.

 

[Smarkow]

Rather than algae since light exposure will he minimal, I might also be concerned re bacterial films growing in the storage container

 

[Fourstars]

Rather than algae since light exposure will he minimal, I might also be concerned re bacterial films growing in the storage container

good point, I’ll have to keep an eye on it. Of course they would probably die off once they are in salt.

 

[Smarkow]

good point, I’ll have to keep an eye on it. Of course they would probably die off once they are in salt.

In thinking further on this... any bacteria would need a carbon source as well, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad

 

[SMSREEF]

The only problem with adding both to top off water is that the tank probably does not use both in the same relationship.
I did add nitrate to my top off water though, which only leaves hand dosing to phosphate

 

[Fourstars]

I’ll just use the same ratio I’ve been hand dosing and see where I land after a few weeks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

good point, I’ll have to keep an eye on it. Of course they would probably die off once they are in salt.

it might happen, but there is not really any food (organic material) to drive the growth of non-photosynthetic bacteria.

 

[User1]

Using the calculator - does it matter how much of it you make? I mean obviously I do not want to make a gallon

Using the Loudwolf sodium nitrate and the calculator it seems pretty straight forward (amazing what reading the "how to use" did for me ). 170 gallons, select nitrate from potassium nitrate, amount to add 10 grams, amount of water to mix with 236 ml (1 cup I think), and for calculation it says each 20 ml of the solution will raise it by .81 ppm Nitrate.

Seems pretty easy assuming the mixing water is standard ro/di top off water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Using the calculator - does it matter how much of it you make? I mean obviously I do not want to make a gallon

Using the Loudwolf sodium nitrate and the calculator it seems pretty straight forward (amazing what reading the "how to use" did for me ). 170 gallons, select nitrate from potassium nitrate, amount to add 10 grams, amount of water to mix with 236 ml (1 cup I think), and for calculation it says each 20 ml of the solution will raise it by .81 ppm Nitrate.

Seems pretty easy assuming the mixing water is standard ro/di top off water.

It makes no difference what volume you use as long as it can dissolve.

 

[User1]

It makes no difference what volume you use as long as it can dissolve.

Thanks much. Over thinking it I guess and forgot the basics. Hope all is well.