High Nitrate and Phosphate

[Aquamann88]

Would i be able to reduce my nitrate and phosphate with carbon dosing? I can't get them under control with water changes, if so what would you guys suggest?

 

[Knucker]

Carbon dosing? Probably not, there is some bacteria that will eat the carbon out of the nitrates and phosphates. It's called substrate sauce. It stinks but that's normal, and it helps control the nitrates and phosphates.

 

[Aquamann88]

Carbon dosing? Probably not, there is some bacteria that will eat the carbon out of the nitrates and phosphates. It's called substrate sauce. It stinks but that's normal, and it helps control the nitrates and phosphates.

I did some research and they are all talking about carbon dosing.

 

[Tinnerito]

Would i be able to reduce my nitrate and phosphate with carbon dosing? I can't get them under control with water changes, if so what would you guys suggest?

If you want to reduce no3 and po4, I find not dosing anything, and simply doing small, but frequent water changes to do the trick. Does your filter have a carbon pad/filter by chance?
This is coming from someone who has never done carbon dosing, so others may disagree with my opinion.

 

[Knucker]

Yeah the whole vodka thing is new to me. Either way Substrate sauce is a beneficial bacteria that will eat the carbon out of the nitrates and phosphates, and even the vodka. As carbon dosing from what I can tell is meant to boost your bacteria.

 

[Aquamann88]

If you want to reduce no3 and po4, I find not dosing anything, and simply doing small, but frequent water changes to do the trick. Does your filter have a carbon pad/filter by chance?
This is coming from someone who has never done carbon dosing, so others may disagree with my opinion.

No i don't have a carbon pad

 

[Tinnerito]

No i don't have a carbon pad

That probably would explain the high nutrient content in your water. All of my aquariums have some sort of carbon filtration in the filter which significantly lowers the nitrate and phosphate. If you can't add a carbon pad to your filter, then I think you could start carbon dosing, or you could try adding macroalgae(especially caulerpa) as they are also expedient at lowering nutrients, and as a bonus, they look super cool!

 

[cngh]

I'm not an expert, but can share my personal experience. I used a diy NoPox recipe and together with regular water changes, I was able to knock my nitrates and phos down a lot. When I started my nitrates were over 100 (dark pink on salifert) and phos was 1.7 using Milwaukee tester.

I started with half the recommended NoPox dose for my tank size for the first couple weeks. Then gradually ramped up to full dose over the following couple weeks. Then full dose once a day for a few months. Combined with water changes I had nitrates into single digits and phos in the .4 range after a few months.

A word of caution, a relatively sudden sharp reduction of nitrate via carbon dosing spiked my alk. And, my nitrates and phos didn't reduce in proportion to each other. Rather, my phos, while significantly lower than when I started, was still high such that I had zeroed out nitrates but still had .3-.4ish phos readings (which I further reduced using phosguard). After 5-6 months I stopped carbon dosing.

The last month or so, now I have to dose nitrates to keep it between 2.5-5 (salifert). My phos is down to about .1.

 

[00W]

Would i be able to reduce my nitrate and phosphate with carbon dosing? I can't get them under control with water changes, if so what would you guys suggest?

What are your levels you didn't mention.
How are you testing and with what?
I'll give advice on carbon dosing but don't know what to tell you if I don't know your parameters.

 

[Aquamann88]

What are your levels you didn't mention.
How are you testing and with what?
I'll give advice on carbon dosing but don't know what to tell you if I don't know your parameters.

Nitrate are 25ppm and phosphates is 0.20 ,I'm testing with hanna testers

 

[00W]

Nitrate are 25ppm and phosphates is 0.20 ,I'm testing with hanna testers

What size tank?
Best thing to do when asking questions is make clear everything you got.
Phosphate is high, nitrate seems fine.
Give me some good info.
Fish, corals, age?
Good stuff like that
We'll go from there.
I wouldn't worry about nitrate just yet.

 

[Aquamann88]

90 Gallon
It's about 1.5 years old
On fish
3 tangs
5 Angels
1 Lion
4 Demsel
1 goby
1blenny
1 Cleaner wrasse
1shrimp

Corals
Some bubble tip
Some canya trees
One little rock of zoas
Some purple star polyps
Tub anemone
One Mushroom

 

[Merge_595]

Would i be able to reduce my nitrate and phosphate with carbon dosing? I can't get them under control with water changes, if so what would you guys suggest?

Nitrate - Daily bacteria dosing
Phosphate- Rowaphos in a reactor

 

[barrybaok]

I run GFO/CABON reactor on a daily schedule.
I'll dose red sea no3po4-x if they go beyond