Help with nitrates/phosphates

[Scottrshoe]

I can not seem to get my nitrates/phosphates to come up, no matter what I do. I over feed the fish and corals. I have been dosing Neonitrate/phos. I have even stopped doing water changes for the last month... what else can I do to bring them up?

Tank is 20 gal. - 6 months old.

Corals: I have mostly softies with a few LPS

inhabitants: Three fish (diamond goby and pair of clowns) assorted snails and crabs, three shrimp

water parameters (I am also now doseing All-For-Reef)
Salinity - 35
pH - 7.97
Nitrates - 3
Phosphates - <0.03
Ca - 450
Mg - 1200
KH - 8.9
Temp - 77F

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I can not seem to get my nitrates/phosphates to come up, no matter what I do. I over feed the fish and corals. I have been dosing Neonitrate/phos. I have even stopped doing water changes for the last month... what else can I do to bring them up?

Tank is 20 gal. - 6 months old.

Corals: I have mostly softies with a few LPS

inhabitants: Three fish (diamond goby and pair of clowns) assorted snails and crabs, three shrimp

water parameters (I am also now doseing All-For-Reef)
Salinity - 35
pH - 7.97
Nitrates - 3
Phosphates - <0.03
Ca - 450
Mg - 1200
KH - 8.9
Temp - 77F

Have you tried dosing trisodium phosphates and sodium / calcium nitrate? That is the way I have to keep my nutrients from bottoming out. Costs a few pumps, but my fertilizer numbers are the steadiest possible.

 

[Miami Reef]

Phosphates can be dosed, but you will need to dose a lot because the rocks and sand adsorb a substantial amount until they reach a higher equilibrium.

I think you simply need to dose more. The solutions you have are fine.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Phosphates can be dosed, but you will need to dose a lot because the rocks and sand adsorb a substantial amount until they reach a higher equilibrium.

I think you simply need to dose more. The solutions you have are fine.

Agree. Takes a while. I tried the feed more method...was inconsistent for me..plus was a lot more maintenance on the skimmer and filters.

 

[Scottrshoe]

Thank you all for your input. I will up my dosing of NeoNitrate and NeoPhosphate. I was nervous to keep dosing more when my numbers were not budging at all.

 

[TheBear78]

Tank age is likely the issue. I went through exactly the same thing (as do many with new tanks) and it took months to start climbing, not that yours needs to much.
I bottomed out so increased feeding, no change.
Bought more fish, initially this helped but then 0, 0 again.
I tentatively started dosing and after a few weeks it started to register but as my rocks are now full I have the opposite problem...