High nitrates and low phosphates

[shadow_k]

Hey all !

I’ve been battling some Dino/cyano in my tank I test and test and test and I keep getting extremely high nitrates and no phosphates. I would I be able to equalize them so I have a little of both ?
thank you

 

[Timfish]

I would be doing increased water changes to lower the nitrates. There are several products to increase phosphates. Just be sure to use a good test kit and carefully raise PO4. I like Elos or Nyos but a Hanna's a popular one also.

 

[Sparkee]

Hey all !

I’ve been battling some Dino/cyano in my tank I test and test and test and I keep getting extremely high nitrates and no phosphates. I would I be able to equalize them so I have a little of both ?
thank you

Ive been going through same things. Dino's have decreased tons but nitrous are 50 and phosphates are at .8 . I have a 210 g aquarium with 55 gal sump. Been doing 60 gal water changes for past 4 weeks. NO3 and PO4 remain the same. I don't get it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ive been going through same things. Dino's have decreased tons but nitrous are 50 and phosphates are at .8 . I have a 210 g aquarium with 55 gal sump. Been doing 60 gal water changes for past 4 weeks. NO3 and PO4 remain the same. I don't get it.

Are you sure the problem organisms are dinos and not cyanobacteria?

 

[shadow_k]

Ive been going through same things. Dino's have decreased tons but nitrous are 50 and phosphates are at .8 . I have a 210 g aquarium with 55 gal sump. Been doing 60 gal water changes for past 4 weeks. NO3 and PO4 remain the same. I don't get it.

As randy stated cyano and Dino can look very similar if your reading phosphates and nitrates you most likely have cyano, Dino is usually present in a tank that has 0 phosphate or nitrate. But I could be wrong

 

[reefz]

I recommend a bio pellet reactor. My tanks nitrate used to be around 50-60ppm, now it stays under 10ppm. It does take a few weeks for the bacteria to colonize but it’s well worth it.

 

[chipchipbro]

I seem to have the same issue atm.
I mean its not very bad, but no3 is around 20 id say…

If I dose Carbon, I will lower both right?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I seem to have the same issue atm.
I mean its not very bad, but no3 is around 20 id say…

If I dose Carbon, I will lower both right?

If you mean dosing organic carbon such as vinegar or vodka, that has a much bigger effect lowering nitrate than phosphate, typically.

 

[chipchipbro]

If you mean dosing organic carbon such as vinegar or vodka, that has a much bigger effect lowering nitrate than phosphate, typically.

I do have ATI Nutrition „C“ and I dont know what effect that would have to po4 and no3. Could you answer that?

Do you think I could just let my skimmer work harder, I mean put more power to skim more / more wet?

 

[moz71]

Just my experience with same issue. I had high nitrates of 40 and phosphate low to zero. I started dosing phosphate to get them up a little until stabilized. I then stopped dosing nitrate and then started dosing NOPOX watching /testing very carefully. The NOPOX decreased the nitrates over time down to 4ppm now and the phosphates never really decreased that much. So mission accomplished. Also FOR ME, biopellets never kicked off to work I just have no ideas why as it works for many others. Again just my experience

 

[moz71]

Just my experience with same issue. I had high nitrates of 40 and phosphate low to zero. I started dosing phosphate to get them up a little until stabilized. I then stopped dosing nitrate and then started dosing NOPOX watching /testing very carefully. The NOPOX decreased the nitrates over time down to 4ppm now and the phosphates never really decreased that much. So mission accomplished. Also FOR ME, biopellets never kicked off to work I just have no ideas why as it works for many others. Again just my experience

Sorry I meant to say above I stopped dosing the PHOSPHATE before I started the NOPOX.

 

[attiland]

Hey all !

I’ve been battling some Dino/cyano in my tank I test and test and test and I keep getting extremely high nitrates and no phosphates. I would I be able to equalize them so I have a little of both ?
thank you

This is a brand new tank. No3 and sometimes po4 go crazy high in these systems. Keep up with your water changes an it will settle eventually.
you likely will get cyano or Dinos or both if you let either of them being 0 for long.

I seem to have the same issue atm.
I mean its not very bad, but no3 is around 20 id say…

If I dose Carbon, I will lower both right?

If you mean dosing organic carbon such as vinegar or vodka, that has a much bigger effect lowering nitrate than phosphate, typically.

I would not do carbon dosing in a new tank.

 

[shadow_k]

This is a brand new tank. No3 and sometimes po4 go crazy high in these systems. Keep up with your water changes an it will settle eventually.
you likely will get cyano or Dinos or both if you let either of them being 0 for long.



I would not do carbon dosing in a new tank.

Oh I know, this thread is a month old I figured things out in the end here are up to date pi of tank and coral.

I do have high phosphates 1.08 working on stabilizing those. Won’t be long now

 

[attiland]

Oh I know, this thread is a month old I figured things out in the end here are up to date pi of tank and coral.

I do have high phosphates 1.08 working on stabilizing those. Won’t be long now

Nice selection of corals.
get an algae scrubber. That will sort your issue.

 

[shadow_k]

Nice selection of corals.
get an algae scrubber. That will sort your issue.

Thank you !
Would you believe me if I told you I have no algae growing in the system ? My nitrates are 5ppm I do wanna raise them up too 10 that’s the goal.

 

[old salt reefer]

Oh I know, this thread is a month old I figured things out in the end he tank and coral.

I do have high phosphates 1.08 working on stabilizing those. Won’t be long now

I don't have high No3 or Po4 in any of my tanks so I've mastered that. Now if I could only master taking pictures that turn out as good as yours-------
Beautiful tank.

 

[shadow_k]

I don't have high No3 or Po4 in any of my tanks so I've mastered that. Now if I could only master taking pictures that turn out as good as yours-------
Beautiful tank.

Thanks ! I use an iPhone 11 with orange lens and macro lens

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I do have ATI Nutrition „C“ and I dont know what effect that would have to po4 and no3. Could you answer that?

Do you think I could just let my skimmer work harder, I mean put more power to skim more / more wet?

ATI nutrition C sounds like organic forms of N and P. Those can be useful to organisms, but whether it results in an increase in detectable nitrate and phosphate depends on what happens to it. I expect in most cases it will, but even if it doesn't, the organisms may be getting enough N nd P.

I do not expect it is going to contribute to lowering of nitrate.

 

[xjjettx]

I recommend a bio pellet reactor. My tanks nitrate used to be around 50-60ppm, now it stays under 10ppm. It does take a few weeks for the bacteria to colonize but it’s well worth it.

Hi, quick question, I have a 100gal mixed reef tank with high Nitrates 60ppm and added a BR-70 reactor with 150ml of bio-pellets with the out-put flow of the reactor adjacent to the skimmers inflow. after just a few days my protein skimmer stopped skimming and looked like it was running lean "boiling water effect" ran reactor for a month and no skimmate from protein skimmer. So I stopped the bio-pellet reactor and protein skimmer working normal again. Any thoughts on why my protein skimmer stopped skimming with the bio-pellet reactor? Ive read its important to run both together for effectiveness...