Dosing no3. Po4 falling?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Don’t Bactria, and other organisms, require phosphate?

yes, they need N and P to multiply, but the processes of denitrification that some use to attain chemical energy consumes only nitrate and no P source.

 

[Michael Gray]

ill test again tomorrow. and if its above 9.3 im going to cut my alk dose for next couple days by a few ml a day to prevent a climb as i continue to raise nitrate. and then a drop after. to keep it steady at 9dkh and hopefully keep 420-430CA

 

[Michael Gray]

Well dont think dosing is doing a super positive for me right now. No3 is ar 4ppm. Po4 when dosing. In 24 hours just hits 0 on hanna checker again. I kept dosing and seems to just fuel algae on top of my sand.

Rock work is still finally clean which I'm happy. But its fueling sand to get covered and glass that is getting dirty every 2 days. So I think im going to stop the po4 dosing and just keep no3 at 4ppm??

 

[Michael Gray]

Did a water change just 20g to help lower my alk. Working in getting it to 7.8dkh from 8.6. During water change I sucked up a good chunk of the green sand layer.

Do I just stop dosing po4 since no matter how much I dose, it is 0ppb exactly 24 hours after dosing. And green algae will just take over the sand. And a slight red or brown algae on sand. Seems I'm just creating algae instead of keeping a po4 of .03 or so. nitrate is finally 4ppm with dosing potassium nitrate. But I have a feeling if I continue to dose po4 it will just be 0 next day. Day after day and Juat feeding algae growth.

Its killing me.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Did a water change just 20g to help lower my alk. Working in getting it to 7.8dkh from 8.6. During water change I sucked up a good chunk of the green sand layer.

Do I just stop dosing po4 since no matter how much I dose, it is 0ppb exactly 24 hours after dosing. And green algae will just take over the sand. And a slight red or brown algae on sand. Seems I'm just creating algae instead of keeping a po4 of .03 or so. nitrate is finally 4ppm with dosing potassium nitrate. But I have a feeling if I continue to dose po4 it will just be 0 next day. Day after day and Juat feeding algae growth.

Its killing me.

This is a good question! Once you have an algae outbreak, how best to attack it when you also have corals, assuming that manual removal of algae isn’t an option.

Maybe bacteria? They might outcompete the algae and get consumed by the corals?

 

[Michael Gray]

This is a good question! Once you have an algae outbreak, how best to attack it when you also have corals, assuming that manual removal of algae isn’t an option.

Maybe bacteria? They might outcompete the algae and get consumed by the corals?

I dont know. But is it safe to say if I have a small amount of algae. I have po4 and ignitus undetectable. Count it it as having po4 levels and just worry about no3?

Hopefully randy jumps in.

Like I said my rocks have never been this clean. They are nice. Its algae growing on the sand as I dose. And of course glass is dirty every 2 days.

Since my nutrients are low. No3 5ppm or lower. And po4 undetectable. I'm slowly lowering my dkh to 8 or under I'm probably going to shoot for 7.8dkh.