Finally have phosphates but still 0 nitates

[Karen00]

Hello fellow saltines,

My tank is still young (8 months now) and until about 6 weeks ago I had 0 phosphate and 5ppm nitrate. I started to get some hair algae and instead of just adding some snails I panicked and started doing manual removal by doing daily pulling and siphoning which of course meant putting in new saltwater. Doing this daily bottomed out my nitrates and then I started to get diatoms (or maybe it was dinos) but not a horrendous amount however in a 5g even a little is nasty looking. I've been working to get these levels up by feeding more and doing no water changes and I added snails. I retested my water today and I'm so happy to see my phosphate level is now about .02 using Salifert but my nitrate level is still 0 according to API. I am definitely seeing a reduction of all algae but it could be the algae that is left is consuming the nitrate.

My question is should I dose nitrate or just leave everything alone and hope they go up as the algae recedes? All fish/corals are doing great but I don't know if 0 nitrate might lead to something else or inhibit coral growth.

 

[damsels are not mean]

All fish/corals are doing great

there is your answer

Keep the fish fed and the corals will be fine. Fish poop is the best food for most corals.

 

[Karen00]

there is your answer

Keep the fish fed and the corals will be fine. Fish poop is the best food for most corals.

Thanks for this!! Can 0 nitrates spawn other algae types or should I assume that receding algae means I'm fairly safe that no others will generate in the wake of these disappearing? I have worked so hard to eradicate these using just elbow grease that I'm paranoid that something else will rear it's ugly head if nitrates stay at 0 for any length of time.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Thanks for this!! Can 0 nitrates spawn other algae types or should I assume that receding algae means I'm fairly safe that no others will generate in the wake of these disappearing? I have worked so hard to eradicate these using just elbow grease that I'm paranoid that something else will rear it's ugly head if nitrates stay at 0 for any length of time.

Well all algaes and all corals require some nutrients, and nutrients are almost never really 0 in a tank. The factors that contribute to one algae over another are complicated so it's hard to really say. But algae tends to not be as much of a problem the longer a system is up.

 

[Karen00]

Well all algaes and all corals require some nutrients, and nutrients are almost never really 0 in a tank. The factors that contribute to one algae over another are complicated so it's hard to really say. But algae tends to not be as much of a problem the longer a system is up.

Thanks. I will ride it out and see what comes of my my nitrates once the algae dies out.

 

[Reefbuds]

If everything looks good id ride it. If dinos start to show up I would consider dosing to increase your nitrates and phoshates

 

[t5Nitro]

Anecdotal here but mine has been running 0.15 phos and undetectable nitrate. Nutrients certainly are plentiful as I've got GHA. I feed a lot and the coral seem to like it.

 

[Idech]

If you’re testing with APi, chances are you have a few ppm of nitrates. This test is very imprecise for nitrates. Get a Hanna HR nitrate checker if you want to know your true levels.

 

[damsels are not mean]

My nutrients are off the charts yet I can't see any GHA in the display. In the area where I grow chaeto there is some GHA on the walls so I have to conclude that something in the display eats it.

 

[131696]

Feed fish that's all you got to do they will come up.

 

[Karen00]

If you’re testing with APi, chances are you have a few ppm of nitrates. This test is very imprecise for nitrates. Get a Hanna HR nitrate checker if you want to know your true levels.

Thanks. I was wondering if there might be some nitrates. I was hoping to finish the API bottle before switching but I might abandon it regardless.

 

[Karen00]

My nutrients are off the charts yet I can't see any GHA in the display. In the area where I grow chaeto there is some GHA on the walls so I have to conclude that something in the display eats it.

I want to try and beef up the pod population in my tank. I read they feed on everything. Even cyano. Having said that I think I my might have to get a hang on back fuge because pods don't have time to reproduce in my tank before they are consumed. I'm also going to get some more snails. I have two but they seem to stick to certain parts of the tank so some parts don't get touched. Lazy snails.

 

[Karen00]

Anecdotal here but mine has been running 0.15 phos and undetectable nitrate. Nutrients certainly are plentiful as I've got GHA. I feed a lot and the coral seem to like it.

Thanks for this. I have managed to get my phos up so that's good and could be contributing to the die off but I think the gha is using the nitrates so it's hanging on but is definitely diminishing probably with the help of the snails. One thing I noticed is that the gha has gone from a lush green to an ugly brown and isn't as hairy anymore. Does the mean it's dying? The brown is uglier than the thick, lush green but I will be very happy is brown means death. LOL

 

[Karen00]

If everything looks good id ride it. If dinos start to show up I would consider dosing to increase your nitrates and phoshates

Thanks for this. Right now I'm at about .02 with phos so I'm happy with that for now but I might start dosing nitrates if they don't budge. I will probably try feeding my fish three times a day (currently two times now) before I attempt dosing. You'd think this would be easy in a 5g.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I want to try and beef up the pod population in my tank. I read they feed on everything. Even cyano. Having said that I think I my might have to get a hang on back fuge because pods don't have time to reproduce in my tank before they are consumed. I'm also going to get some more snails. I have two but they seem to stick to certain parts of the tank so some parts don't get touched. Lazy snails.

If you are planning to buy pods, be sure to look into the different types... Some, like tigger pods, don't reproduce well in the majority of reef tanks as they are cooler water pods. Also, consider using phytoplankton at first.

 

[Karen00]

If you are planning to buy pods, be sure to look into the different types... Some, like tigger pods, don't reproduce well in the majority of reef tanks as they are cooler water pods. Also, consider using phytoplankton at first.

Thanks for this. Ya, I tried Tigger pods and that was a bust. Now I'm looking at apex and tisbe pods. I currently feed dead phyto to the tank. I have no room at the moment to culture my own phyto (I'm already doing BBS and was attempting Tigger pods but that bucket will be used for other pods and rotifers. I might try bottled live phyto. I'm probably spending more time tending to the live food cultures than I do my tank and if I didn't have so many live food cultures going I would probably have room for a larger tank. LOL

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Thanks for this. Ya, I tried Tigger pods and that was a bust. Now I'm looking at apex and tisbe pods. I currently feed dead phyto to the tank. I have no room at the moment to culture my own phyto (I'm already doing BBS and was attempting Tigger pods but that bucket will be used for other pods and rotifers. I might try bottled live phyto. I'm probably spending more time tending to the live food cultures than I do my tank and if I didn't have so many live food cultures going I would probably have room for a larger tank. LOL

I like tisbe the best

 

[Sean Clark]

I was chasing this for a little bit. Everything was doing fine but testing was always 0/0. I started to dose NeoNitro and NeoPhos... Huge mistake. I should have just let nature take care of itself.

 

[Karen00]

I was chasing this for a little bit. Everything was doing fine but testing was always 0/0. I started to dose NeoNitro and NeoPhos... Huge mistake. I should have just let nature take care of itself.

Thanks for this! I read another thread where the OP did pretty much the same thing as you and had pretty much the same response which is why I have been reluctant. I am going to heed your words of wisdom and ride it out. Chasing numbers never seems to work out well and balancing a pico is already difficult enough. Time to get the pod squad ramped up to deal with the algae.

 

[Reefbuds]

Heavy feeding. Or just dose nitrates slowly every day until it gets where you want. Dosing is the cleanest way. Only reason I dose is if dinos start to show up and I need my nutes to come up