Low Phosphate and Nitrate!

[Floyd-]

Is it normal to have to dose nitrate and phosphate? My tank is 175 gallons and about 8 months old. I only feed one large cube of frozen a day and maybe a sprinkle of pellets. Also some Nori as needed.

I run a filter sock and skimmer 24/7. Should I stop using the skimmer at the moment?

 

[Noxsolaris]

Is it normal to have to dose nitrate and phosphate? My tank is 175 gallons and about 8 months old. I only feed one large cube of frozen a day and maybe a sprinkle of pellets. Also some Nori as needed.

I run a filter sock and skimmer 24/7. Should I stop using the skimmer at the moment?

I’m a newbie myself so I won’t give you some regurgitated answer from something I read on the forum. However, it would probably be good to add more details to your post for the real experts to diagnose. Livestock, actual test values and what test kits used, frequency of water changes, etc. More info the better.

 

[MamaMolo]

Yes, It would help to know what your levels are currently at. I have a 55g with 20 gallon sump mixed reef. (Acros, monti, torch, birdsnest, mummy Eye, plate coral, clam, etc) I feed heavy and still have to dose nitrates. (Tip: watch alk when starting to dose as found it lowers & sometimes raises Alk)

I have found that keeping nitrates 5-10 ppm gives the best color with phosphates .05-.1ppm. I just use potassium nitrate from fish of hex but goal is to figure out how to make my own mix of potassium nitrate.

 

[Floyd-]

Livestock:
Hippo Tang
Sailfin tang
5 Chromis
6 line wrasse
two clowns
goby
random snails and hermits

Mostly LPS coral with some monipora caps

Tests are as such:
temp-77.4f
salinity-1.024
ph-8.2
Alk-8.7
Nitrate-0
Phosphate-.01
cal-450
Mag-1350

I have done only 2 water changes of maybe 20-30 gallons since the tank was setup. With low nutrients I was told to reduce the number of changes to get the numbers up.

 

[MamaMolo]

Livestock:
Hippo Tang
Sailfin tang
5 Chromis
6 line wrasse
two clowns
goby
random snails and hermits

Mostly LPS coral with some monipora caps

Tests are as such:
temp-77.4f
salinity-1.024
ph-8.2
Alk-8.7
Nitrate-0
Phosphate-.01
cal-450
Mag-1350

I have done only 2 water changes of maybe 20-30 gallons since the tank was setup. With low nutrients I was told to reduce the number of changes to get the numbers up.

Are you having any problems with your corals? From what others have said the higher alk needs more nutrients so you don't burn your corals. I made this mistake in the beginning chasing numbers with low nutirents. I'm now at 7.5-8ppm Alk. I've had more growth and less problems with lower alk.

 

[bamafied1220]

Just curious what test kits you are using for nitrates and phosphates? Also what methods of nutrient export are you using?

 

[Noxsolaris]

So I am a newb (as stated above) and I don’t test as much as I probably should (as per some of the reefheads on this forum). I will ask…are the livestock in your tank happy? Do your corals and fish look ok/act normal/grow? If they are happy, why mess with it? Obviously if your coral and fish are looking/acting out of the ordinary then take action. I think that you could probably bump up your feeding some. I feed a cube of mysis, some flake x2 per day; Reef roids once per week for my 65. My two cents for what it’s worth.

 

[Floyd-]

Are you having any problems with your corals? From what others have said the higher alk needs more nutrients so you don't burn your corals. I made this mistake in the beginning chasing numbers with low nutirents. I'm now at 7.5-8ppm Alk. I've had more growth and less problems with lower alk.

Actually the corals are opening better than ever before. The only ones that seem mildly ticked are the BTA's. Im dosing nitrate tonight and slowing my Alk dosing as well. I was only doing 10ml a day but it has been slowly trending up.

 

[Floyd-]

Just curious what test kits you are using for nitrates and phosphates? Also what methods of nutrient export are you using?

All Hanna testers minus cal and mag which are salifert.
I have a filter sock and skimmer running 24/7

 

[Floyd-]

I only noticed something was up because im getting red cyano all over the rocks. I just blast it off the rocks and its good for a day or so before they are covered again.

 

[MamaMolo]

I only noticed something was up because im getting red cyano all over the rocks. I just blast it off the rocks and its good for a day or so before they are covered again.

Ya just watch your alk for sure. I notice more algae when my nitrates drop below 5ppm but once I get it back up the algae slowly disappears. FYI For me, I noticed once it gets up above 5ppm I have to lower the nitrate dose to keep it from running away from me lol. Mine got up to 20-30ppm on accident before but corals still looked happy.

 

[Floyd-]

Im aiming to get the Nitrates to 10ppm and Phosphate to .1
I was getting Alk up because it was low 7's without dosing.

 

[townclown]

Definitely avoid dosing nutrients. Always try the natural route, and in this case try feeding more nutrient dense foods such as pellets or flakes. You may have to feed a couple times a day or so if you do not see the results you're looking for. Good luck!

 

[Floyd-]

I guess I can setup a autofeeder for pellets. What are some recommendations for pellets?
I leave for work at 5:30am and im not home till almost 5pm. I cannot hand feed throughout the day.

 

[MamaMolo]

I find the problem with over feeding is you are also adding phosphates which may lead to algae. In my experience and I'm not saying I'm an expert but I would not be able to get my nitrates up to 5-10 without increasing phosphates to an undesirable level.