Low nutrients.

XNavyDiver · Jul 18, 2017

For weeks now I can't detect NO3. I've been feeding regularly. I even fortify with Selcon and also mix in reef roids for the sps.
I'm not even sure this is something I should be terribly concerned about but as I've read so much about the risks of running an ULNS with corals that need some nitrate and PO4. I do have detectable levels of PO4. Screen shots of fusion charts below. NO3 tested with RS pro and PO4 with Hanna.
I'm aware that NO3 should be slightly higher in ratio to PO4. But my testing is telling me my water is currently backwards in that ratio. Should I take steps to correct or just let it balance out natually?

Brew12 · Jul 18, 2017

I would only worry about it if you are running high Alk.

XNavyDiver · Jul 18, 2017

Brew12 said:
I would only worry about it if you are running high Alk.

saltyfilmfolks · Jul 18, 2017

I'm getting good at it too

saltyfilmfolks · Jul 18, 2017

Double posts are a new hobby I'm trying out.

netdawg · Jul 18, 2017

curious but didn't dive into your profile... what corals do you have in the tank? I sometimes run into this very problem in my cube that has Goni's and I have to make sure my water gets "a little more dirty" if you know what I mean

mckinney0171 · Jul 18, 2017

Speaking of Goniopora (sorry to hijack the thread but I wanted to talk to someone who knows more about them than me!).. I have a goni that started out red and over the years has turned a bright pink color (really light pink). Have you ever seen that happen and do you know the cause?

XNavyDiver · Jul 18, 2017

netdawg said:
curious but didn't dive into your profile... what corals do you have in the tank? I sometimes run into this very problem in my cube that has Goni's and I have to make sure my water gets "a little more dirty" if you know what I mean

Currently only about 8. Acros, monti' s, 1 staghorn, a milli. It's a fairly new set up.

XNavyDiver · Jul 18, 2017

mckinney0171 said:
Speaking of Goniopora (sorry to hijack the thread but I wanted to talk to someone who knows more about them than me!).. I have a goni that started out red and over the years has turned a bright pink color (really light pink). Have you ever seen that happen and do you know the cause?

I'm sorry but I have no experience with goniopora.

mckinney0171 · Jul 18, 2017

XNavyDiver said:
I'm sorry but I have no experience with goniopora.

no problem. again sorry for the hijack. interesting thread though as I have the same issue. I have been overfeeding trying to get my phosphates up which read 0.006ppm.

netdawg · Jul 18, 2017

mckinney0171 said:
Speaking of Goniopora (sorry to hijack the thread but I wanted to talk to someone who knows more about them than me!).. I have a goni that started out red and over the years has turned a bright pink color (really light pink). Have you ever seen that happen and do you know the cause?

While all Goni's are not the same, the color change is probably due is part to something she might be missing in diet and its subsequent location in your light placement. Goni's are by far my favorite coral and the one article I found years ago, book marked, and still go back and read probably twice a year is as follows

The Successful Aquarium Culture of Goniopora Species

Give this one a read and try the feeding options provided.

netdawg · Jul 18, 2017

XNavyDiver said:
Currently only about 8. Acros, monti' s, 1 staghorn, a milli. It's a fairly new set up.

So with all SPS like this I'm on the other end of the spectrum since I have basically monti-cap and Digi with a tiny frag of Stylo. I run Acans and the Goni I mentioned to round it out... If you feed a bunch already and cant get the nutrient to rise like you want, have you thought about adding more fish or dialing down your skimming? If you run macro in a sump or a scrubber, maybe dial that back or pair down your crop to see how that gives you a bit more up-tick in the balance?

My $.02 might only be worth that when it comes to the impact it might make on your SPS colonies, but a tinker to get the rise in NO3 is something I'm going to watch your post on. Please keep us updated with coral reaction too

XNavyDiver · Jul 18, 2017

netdawg said:
If you feed a bunch already and cant get the nutrient to rise like you want, have you thought about adding more fish or dialing down your skimming? If you run macro in a sump or a scrubber, maybe dial that back or pair down your crop to see how that gives you a bit more up-tick in the balance?

This was suggested to me by a manager of my lfs who I trust. It makes sense. My skimmer is oversized for my water volume of approximately 130 gallons. I'm gonna par down my cheato first. After that I'll see about taking the skimmer off for a few days and re-test. Thanks.

Catchemall · Jul 18, 2017

Spectracide stump remover is 100% potassium nitrate. That'll help you out big time with growth and coloration. I would absolutely take action to get nitrate up though. I had the same problem and got some kind of nasty algae bloom. I added my algae scrubber got my nitrate to 2.5ppm and phosphate undetectable it balanced out and no more algae. I couldn't be more pleased. Currently I don't dose the nitrate because it seemed to jumpstart it and has held solid for months at this low reading. As added perk when you dose the nitrate it'll lower your phosphate levels.

XNavyDiver · Jul 18, 2017

Catchemall said:
Spectracide stump remover is 100% potassium nitrate. That'll help you out big time with growth and coloration. I would absolutely take action to get nitrate up though. I had the same problem and got some kind of nasty algae bloom. I added my algae scrubber got my nitrate to 2.5ppm and phosphate undetectable it balanced out and no more algae. I couldn't be more pleased. Currently I don't dose the nitrate because it seemed to jumpstart it and has held solid for months at this low reading.

Dosing reccomendation/amount?

Catchemall · Jul 18, 2017

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/potassium-nitrate-spectracide-stump-remover-dosing-steps.215730/

Catchemall · Jul 18, 2017

Check this thread out. It's what I went by. Just play it safe and test a lot at first.

XNavyDiver · Jul 18, 2017

Catchemall said:
Check this thread out. It's what I went by. Just play it safe and test a lot at first.

Thank you. From reading through it, it looks like for my volume of h2O, I'm looking at about 20ml dose to raise NO3 to 3ppm? Does my math look correct?