High phosphate, high nitrate

[carp890]

100ltr redsea all in one, 9 month old all parameters stable hana checked. I put in 1 bag of metrix media and another can't remember name, could this affect my nitrate, phosphate levels??
I am also using rowa phos and dosing reef zlements carboplus 1ml daily, 25%water change and vacuum sand feed frozen shrimps etc no flakes
Just can't get levels down, any help appreciated

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

"all parameters stable"...can you elaborate?
What are your actual nitrate and phosphate levels?
Matrix will not raise N/P, and no idea about the one you can't remember...
How do your corals look?
Are you fighting any particular algae outbreak?
In other words, why are you trying to change your levels if everything is "stable"?

 

[carp890]

Hi thanks for your reply.
New to marines. Trying not to chase number's. At the moment phosphate. .62 ppm hana nitrate 43.8 ppm hana. I have a bit of algae on sand, coral doing fine, just thought they were very high, parameters stable no sudden changes in ph ammonia nitrite alkalinity 8.2dkh temp etc. Just thought extra media might influence things

 

[StatelineReefer]

Hi thanks for your reply.
New to marines. Trying not to chase number's. At the moment phosphate. .62 ppm hana nitrate 43.8 ppm hana. I have a bit of algae on sand, coral doing fine, just thought they were very high, parameters stable no sudden changes in ph ammonia nitrite alkalinity 8.2dkh temp etc. Just thought extra media might influence things

That's.... not that high... that's good... In a year you will WISH you had those numbers as your corals grow and consume the nutrients. Vacuum the sand bed to keep the algae at bay, a 3"x3" patch per maintenance cycle.

If your nitrates were like mine, and your phosphates for that matter, you might consider an active approach, but your current numbers are in balance, and as long as you keep them steady and in check, they will come down over time, as long as the tank inhabitants are thriving, I see no need for corrective action yet.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hi thanks for your reply.
New to marines. Trying not to chase number's. At the moment phosphate. .62 ppm hana nitrate 43.8 ppm hana. I have a bit of algae on sand, coral doing fine, just thought they were very high, parameters stable no sudden changes in ph ammonia nitrite alkalinity 8.2dkh temp etc. Just thought extra media might influence things

Tank looks amazing
Those numbers are fine and if they've been stable for a while, you're trying to fix something that's not broken. The extra media (Matrix, not rowaphos) is fine as that is "long term housing" for several types of bacteria and archea that will help your tank to mature.
Right now, just keep up with a good maintenance routine, test one or two times a month to track any trends, and make small adjustments when needed.
(No need to test ammo or nitrites at all anymore).

 

[Reef Psychology]

That's.... not that high... that's good... In a year you will WISH you had those numbers as your corals grow and consume the nutrients. Vacuum the sand bed to keep the algae at bay, a 3"x3" patch per maintenance cycle.

If your nitrates were like mine, and your phosphates for that matter, you might consider an active approach, but your current numbers are in balance, and as long as you keep them steady and in check, they will come down over time, as long as the tank inhabitants are thriving, I see no need for corrective action yet.

Phosphates of 0.68ppm and nitrates of 43.8ppm seem kinda high if this is a reef or am I wrong?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Phosphates of 0.68ppm and nitrates of 43.8ppm seem pretty high if this is a reef or am I wrong?

Very wrong. Many of us keep nutrients even higher and have thriving tanks. Stability is the key.

 

[Reef Psychology]

Like for softies, but not sps or lps? Have I been shooting for the wrong numbers in a mostly hard coral tank then?

 

[StatelineReefer]

Phosphates of 0.68ppm and nitrates of 43.8ppm seem kinda high if this is a reef or am I wrong?

So, i think the question is why do you percieve this as a high level?

If it is because you've 'heard' other people claim PO4 of 0.02 and Nitrates of 5-10 are 'Best for XXXXX' reason, then yes, you are wrong.

0.6 PO4 to 42 Nitrate is an absolutely acceptable level at a near optimal ratio for growth. Those levels will be consumed by coral and zooxanthellae growth, lowering them in a knee-jerk reaction is what leads to the imbalances that cause dinoflagellate blooms.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Like for softies, but not sps or lps? Have I been shooting for the wrong numbers in a mostly hard coral tank then?

Stop shooting for numbers and observe your coral. Correct if there's a major imbalance or health begins to decline.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Like for softies, but not sps or lps? Have I been shooting for the wrong numbers in a mostly hard coral tank then?

Maybe not for ULNS SPS, but for most lps and encrusting SPS, the numbers the OP posted can be fine.
Every tank is different and, again, stability is the key. Let your tank tell you what it needs - if things are stable and the coral is doing well, don't worry about what levels you "should" have (within reason of course)

 

[Reef Psychology]

So, i think the question is why do you percieve this as a high level?

If it is because you've 'heard' other people claim PO4 of 0.02 and Nitrates of 5-10 are 'Best for XXXXX' reason, then yes, you are wrong.

0.6 PO4 to 42 Nitrate is an absolutely acceptable level at a near optimal ratio for growth. Those levels will be consumed by coral and zooxanthellae growth, lowering them in a knee-jerk reaction is what leads to the imbalances that cause dinoflagellate blooms.

Stop shooting for numbers and observe your coral. Correct if there's a major imbalance or health begins to decline.

Twenty years ago I pretty much did things this way. Most people probably did. Tank looked great, but I didn't do much SPS either and there was always something popping up that ruined the mood. Now the philosophy seems to lean in the low-nutrients and so far I haven't had any of the problems that I used to. I don't doubt you guys at all, but keeping my phosphates at or under 0.1ppm and nitrates under 20 seems to keep algae, diatoms, cyano, etc away.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Twenty years ago I pretty much did things this way. Most people probably did. Tank looked great, but I didn't do much SPS either and there was always something popping up that ruined the mood. Now the philosophy seems to lean in the low-nutrients and so far I haven't had any of the problems that I used to. I don't doubt you guys at all, but keeping my phosphates at or under 0.1ppm and nitrates under 20 seems to keep algae, diatoms, cyano, etc away.

And that's fine for your tank.
Once more for those in the back, aim for stability

 

[Reef Psychology]

And that's fine for your tank.
Once more for those in the back, aim for stability

Don't disagree, but I remind myself the tank I see today was the tank I was working on a week or month ago.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Twenty years ago I pretty much did things this way. Most people probably did. Tank looked great, but I didn't do much SPS either and there was always something popping up that ruined the mood. Now the philosophy seems to lean in the low-nutrients and so far I haven't had any of the problems that I used to. I don't doubt you guys at all, but keeping my phosphates at or under 0.1ppm and nitrates under 20 seems to keep algae, diatoms, cyano, etc away.

Those are perfectly reasonable numbers for SPS as well. I prefer to keep my phosphates at 0.08 or higher and nitrates at 30-35, but I have a lot of flow and a lot of light in my tank and dosing aminos to keep tissue growth up.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Don't disagree, but I remind myself the tank I see today was the tank I was working on a week or month ago.

Did you see the photo of the OP's tank? It's clearly not full of acros, etc that might require ulns.

 

[Reef Psychology]

Did you see the photo of the OP's tank? It's clearly not full of acros, etc that might require unls.

Oh sorry, I must have skimmed right past it. Happens. TBH whenever I see nitrates nearing 50's I get flashbacks.

 

[carp890]

That's.... not that high... that's good... In a year you will WISH you had those numbers as your corals grow and consume the nutrients. Vacuum the sand bed to keep the algae at bay, a 3"x3" patch per maintenance cycle.

If your nitrates were like mine, and your phosphates for that matter, you might consider an active approach, but your current numbers are in balance, and as long as you keep them steady and in check, they will come down over time, as long as the tank inhabitants are thriving, I see no need for corrective action yet.

Thanks for your reply pal. I have heard about this balance but what does it mean?,also why 3"×3" patch not all of it ?

 

[carp890]

Phosphates of 0.68ppm and nitrates of 43.8ppm seem kinda high if this is a reef or am I wrong?

Mixed tank

 

[StatelineReefer]

Thanks for your reply pal. I have heard about this balance but what does it mean?,also why 3"×3" patch not all of it ?

So, the balance everyone talks about is the Redfield Ratio, C160/N16/P1. Although there is a lot of disagreement on the exact ratio in our artificial environments as opposed to natural seawater. I personally go by a variable ratio ranging from 200-120/30-12/1-3 with sweet spots in each to strive for, but not exact numbers to hit.

And the 3x3 patch is so you don't stir up too much detritus at once while cleaning the sand. It allows for anything you kick up to settle, avoiding large nutrient spikes.