Low nutrients and coral health

[JKDMan]

Some of my corals are seemingly unhappy, primarily the soft coral..a toadstool, a ricordia , but also a hammer and a favia. They aren't opening all the way. Could low nutrients be the cause? 0.00 no3 and 0.14 po4 on the hannas. So other parameters are stable and in acceptable ranges.

Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If accurate, there is plenty of phosphate but the nitrate is low and I'd definitely raise it to avoid dinos and help corals.

 

[JKDMan]

If accurate, there is plenty of phosphate but the nitrate is low and I'd definitely raise it to avoid dinos and help corals.

Yes. I've been having small dino outbreaks when the nitrates drop that low.. my plan is to increase feeding. Possibly with the addition of a auto feeder for a consistent addition, for better monitoring. Unless there is a better way, especially one that won't increase phosphate as well

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes. I've been having small dino outbreaks when the nitrates drop that low.. my plan is to increase feeding. Possibly with the addition of a auto feeder for a consistent addition, for better monitoring. Unless there is a better way, especially one that won't increase phosphate as well

Dosing food grade sodium nitrate is cheap and easy, but feeding is also a fine plan.

 

[blasterman]

I just ordered some food grade sodium nitrate from Amazon for $7.00.

My nitrate levels have been slowly dropping to the single digits and while feeding helps I don't want it to keep dropping because if it gets too low softies will start protesting. Plus, feeding more has a lag.

 

[JKDMan]

I have some sodium nitrate for curing meats.. pink salt... it's that what your using.... ya my softies are protesting lol... so are the hammer coral.. I put a good dose of fuel in along with some plankton and frozen mysis for fish. And turned off my filtration for the day.. gonna leave it off till tomorrow night and test again