Looking for some help with a nitrate and GHA problem. I've been battling GHA for a little over a month and after I immediately saw some I spot treated with some peroxide and kept it looking ok but at that time my nitrates were reading 0 on my API test kit. 2 weeks ago I got a salifert test kit and tested right after using my API and nitrates were 50ppm. Well now the GHA has gotten much worse but still controllable and I've been doing weekly 5g water changes ( its a 32g biocube) but after every water change and before I'm reading 100ppm for nitrates and 0 phosphate. Corals are looking ok and fish are fine. Any suggestions
Help GHA and nitrate problem
- Thread starter JCortez3
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brmreefer
Well-Known Member
I have a few thoughts:
1. Testing error (Has happened to me before, but not anymore, but something that needs to eliminated as a possibility)
2. Maybe something died, hidden, and is a high nitrate source rotting somewhere
3. My tank has low NO3, so I have to dose NO3 to prevent zeroing out, otherwise I start seeing algae growth...I think it is weird, but that is purely anecdotal (No two tanks are the same).
- I am assuming the tank is not new, since it was mentioned that there are corals in the tank.
I sure a few others will chime in on other things I have not considered. Good luck.
1. Testing error (Has happened to me before, but not anymore, but something that needs to eliminated as a possibility)
2. Maybe something died, hidden, and is a high nitrate source rotting somewhere
3. My tank has low NO3, so I have to dose NO3 to prevent zeroing out, otherwise I start seeing algae growth...I think it is weird, but that is purely anecdotal (No two tanks are the same).
- I am assuming the tank is not new, since it was mentioned that there are corals in the tank.
I sure a few others will chime in on other things I have not considered. Good luck.
JCortez3
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I have heard good things about salifert but yes I did think about that and also I should mention I have 6 fish and I am thinking about removing 2 chromis that I have to help and I also have a coral life skimmer v2
Uncle99
10K Club member
Actual zero on Nitrates and Phosphates is either a testing error, bad kit, or especially in the case o& phosphates, just not sensitive enough. If you have fish, you have some nitrate. If you feed, you have phosphates.
If you running high nitrates in a “newer” application, maybe your biological filtration is not keeping up with the nitrate load produced by the fish.
You can consider carbon dosing like a Nopox, this over a few months will increase your bacteria population and reduce nitrates.
When the tank below was about 6 months old, nitrates were 50ppm and daily Nopox dose reduced that to 6ppm over about 8-10 weeks. I
If your keeping corals, nitrates in the 2-10ppm and phosphate in the 0.03-.2 range is required.
If you running high nitrates in a “newer” application, maybe your biological filtration is not keeping up with the nitrate load produced by the fish.
You can consider carbon dosing like a Nopox, this over a few months will increase your bacteria population and reduce nitrates.
When the tank below was about 6 months old, nitrates were 50ppm and daily Nopox dose reduced that to 6ppm over about 8-10 weeks. I
If your keeping corals, nitrates in the 2-10ppm and phosphate in the 0.03-.2 range is required.
JCortez3
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Well I have plenty nitrates but I'm assuming the GHA is the reason for zero phosphates. The tank is 7 months and what is weird is I have hammers, frogspawn, gsp, Xenia, lots of ZOA's and they are all fine except I just got a new torch and hammer (first time having them shipped) and they both receded and the hammer is definitely gone but the torch is holding on a little but all other corals are fine...
brmreefer
Well-Known Member
IME as far as survivability goes for corals:
1. Hardy = Softies (Zoas, Xenias, GSP, etc...)
2. Medium = LPS (Hammers, Torches, Frogspawns, etc...with some exceptions)
3. Sensitive = SPS (Montis, Birdsnest, Stylos, etc...with some exceptions)
4. Acros = Should only be tried after experience and knowledge has been gained.
With the assumption that testing was done correctly, then I would work on getting nutrients reduced and *stable*. Given time and as the tank matures do changes over longer periods rather than sudden. Keep with it and the tank will get sorted. Wish you the best.
1. Hardy = Softies (Zoas, Xenias, GSP, etc...)
2. Medium = LPS (Hammers, Torches, Frogspawns, etc...with some exceptions)
3. Sensitive = SPS (Montis, Birdsnest, Stylos, etc...with some exceptions)
4. Acros = Should only be tried after experience and knowledge has been gained.
With the assumption that testing was done correctly, then I would work on getting nutrients reduced and *stable*. Given time and as the tank matures do changes over longer periods rather than sudden. Keep with it and the tank will get sorted. Wish you the best.
