High Alk with no detectable nitrate or phosphate

[Browner20]

I recently started dosing 2 part with the BRS dosers. All my SPS frags have covered my sloppy super glue and putty placements and were growing pretty fast. Now they have seemed to slow significantly, still look relatively happy but some of their PE has reduced.

I checked my parameters the past couple weeks and noticed my Alk was 10.36 and then 10.8 several weeks later when before it ran around 9.4-9.7. FWIW my calc was 529 @ 10.36 and now 446 at 10.8 Alk and my Mg is currently 1260.

I started really heavy feeding of reef frenzy and reef chili to see if I could up my nitrate level as both nitrate and phosphate are undetectable and I have heard that is bad coupled with high Alk.

Do you recommend dialing back the Alk dosers or trying to raise my nitrates?

 

[twilliard]

Dial back the dosing
The corals are unhappy with no nutrients being pushed with the elevated alkalinity

 

[Browner20]

Thanks @twilliard I dialed back the doser to about half the time and will test in a few days to see where I'm at.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Either one will work fine.

Depends on your goal: faster growth or more color.

 

[Browner20]

Thanks @Randy Holmes-Farley I think I might have started this thread to get you to comment on something I wrote! Just for clarification, higher Alk = more growth and higher nitrates/feeding = more color or vice versa?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks @Randy Holmes-Farley I think I might have started this thread to get you to comment on something I wrote! Just for clarification, higher Alk = more growth and higher nitrates/feeding = more color or vice versa?

Lower (or at least when very low) nutrients generally reduces zooxanthellae levels, and they are brownish, so brown is reduced and colors seem more vibrant (as long as the coral is still thriving and not "pale").

Higher alk often means faster calcification and faster growth (if adequate nutrients are available).

 

[Browner20]

@twilliard I have been reading your thread on potassium nitrate and think I may need to start dosing "stump remover". Thank you for your research on that topic and I will let you know how it goes. Did you know that another hobby has also found the "stump remover"? Apparently those into hobby rockets say it makes great rocket fuel! - Crazy how hobbyists will find uses for random products - I can honestly say I would have called you bat-s crazy if you told me we would be using off the shelf "stump remover" and Bayer insecticides to assist our pristine reef tanks when I originally got into this hobby almost 20 years ago.

 

[twilliard]

No3 is another element needed for Photosynthesis and yes also in rocket propellant

 

[In the sticks]

Lower (or at least when very low) nutrients generally reduces zooxanthellae levels, and they are brownish, so brown is reduced and colors seem more vibrant (as long as the coral is still thriving and not "pale").

Higher alk often means faster calcification and faster growth (if adequate nutrients are available).

Randy I think I am having this issue as well.I am running Red Sea no pox. My alk is somewhere between 8.7-9.5 I get 8.7 with trident and 9.5 with Hanna. My nitrate is is less than 1 but higher than 0. Should I stop the no pox and try and get my nitrates up