High Nitrate and Phosphate swap

[Jimmyneptune]

I have to tanks with problems. The First has high nitrate and high phosphate and the second has low nitrates and low phosphates.

The first tank has 117 gallons total volume and the second 100 gallons. The 117 gallon has a nitrate between 50 and 80 and a phosphate between 1 and 1.25. The 100 gallon has a nitrate of 0-10 and a phosphate of zero.

I was thinking of doing a water change to bring down the phosphate and nitrate on the first and using that water on the second tank to bring up the nitrate and phosphate.
Looking for thoughts, opinions, and suggestions.

 

[Dragon52]

Not sure if this would work or not but you could end up adding something from one tank to the other that you don't know about or don't want.

 

[Dan_P]

When the water of the two systems is mixed, the nitrate and phosphate levels will only be halved. Isn’t that still high?

And might the tank with the high nutrient levels just bounce back up after mixing? You didn’t say what you have in the two systems or their ages or why the nutrient levels are what they are.

Are you thinking that the low nutrient system might actually consume the nutrients? If so, you could run an experiment. Exchange some water and observe what happens to the NO3 and PO4 over some time, say a week. Then decide if you want to do another exchange.

 

[Jimmyneptune]

When the water of the two systems is mixed, the nitrate and phosphate levels will only be halved. Isn’t that still high?

And might the tank with the high nutrient levels just bounce back up after mixing? You didn’t say what you have in the two systems or their ages or why the nutrient levels are what they are.

Are you thinking that the low nutrient system might actually consume the nutrients? If so, you could run an experiment. Exchange some water and observe what happens to the NO3 and PO4 over some time, say a week. Then decide if you want to do another exchange.

The high nutrient system is about 5 years old and the low nutrient system is 2 years old.
I think the nutrient level is high in hte one tank for a few reasons:
using dry rock when I started, BRS reef saver, which I think is a nutrient trap.
intermittent water changes and use of GFO
Chaeto growing really well and then having inhibited growth
ATS growing really well and then having inhibited growth
Skimmer not working as well as I would like (started new skimmer recently Tunze 9410)

I have started using Matrix and siporax for NO3 and I have used Lanthanum chloride for PO4.
The NO3 will take some time to come down with media and for the PO4 I could bring down really fast but I want to bring it down gradually, with the idea that rapid change may be a change I don't want as well as the one I am trying to acheive.

 

[Dan_P]

The high nutrient system is about 5 years old and the low nutrient system is 2 years old.
I think the nutrient level is high in hte one tank for a few reasons:
using dry rock when I started, BRS reef saver, which I think is a nutrient trap.
intermittent water changes and use of GFO
Chaeto growing really well and then having inhibited growth
ATS growing really well and then having inhibited growth
Skimmer not working as well as I would like (started new skimmer recently Tunze 9410)

I have started using Matrix and siporax for NO3 and I have used Lanthanum chloride for PO4.
The NO3 will take some time to come down with media and for the PO4 I could bring down really fast but I want to bring it down gradually, with the idea that rapid change may be a change I don't want as well as the one I am trying to acheive.

Thanks. Interesting history.

Any ideas about the inhibited algae growth? Miy Caulerpa grows well and then quits periodically. Then the GHA takes over and then that quits and the Caulerpa comes back.

 

[Jimmyneptune]

Thanks. Interesting history.

Any ideas about the inhibited algae growth? Miy Caulerpa grows well and then quits periodically. Then the GHA takes over and then that quits and the Caulerpa comes back.

I'm guessing in part its the theory behind Triton to have a variety of macro algae where one will do better than the other depending upon chemistry and bacteria population. I have started chaetogro, which has not caused explosive growth but chaeto seems healthy.