Ideal no3 and po4

[NS Mike D]

fwiw. this is what Red Sea publishes as their recommended parameters. Note there is a correlation with Alkalinity which is consistent with many posts that suggest that run lower alk with lower NO3/PO4 for sps dominant tanks. Of course none of this is written in stone, but Red Sea says they came up with these with input from the community and their own observations


RECOMMENDED MAIN WATER PARAMETERS - Mixed Reed
Salinity 34 ppt 1.024@25°C
Calcium 450 ppm
Magnesium 350 ppm
Alkalinity 11.5 dKH
Nitrate 1-2 ppm
Phosphate 0.08-0.12 ppm

RECOMMENDED MAIN WATER PARAMETERS - SPS Dominant
Salinity 35 ppt 1.025@25°C
Calcium 430 ppm
Magnesium 1280 ppm
Alkalinity 8 dKH
Nitrate 0.25-0.5 ppm
Phosphate 0.01-0.02 ppm

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Read this.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-home-tank.296635/

^^^ This.

Full confession: there are several reefs I do that I haven’t tested in years...for anything, other than all/Ca/Mg. And even those I only check periodically once the tank is up to cruising speed.

Maybe once a year or so I get curious about total salinity, but it is almost always where it needs to be when I check.

I’m not advocating negligence on my level, but your eyes will probably tell you more about how your coral feels about the environment you're providing them than a test will.

 

[Ernie C]

So my gha and turf algae is vanishing steadily from the rocks. I've continued to dose po4 and no3 to keep some minor readings showing up on the test kits. Corals have started to show some color improvement. I still have cheato in the sump but am now seeing what I think are dinoflagellates. Extremely minor but don't want it to become a problem. Anything I should do differently or stay on this course?