Maximum nitrate levels

[breefrost]

What is the maximum nitrate reading you know of where corals were kept successfully?
What is the “breaking point” for the hardiest of corals?
What corals are the most tolerant to high nitrates?

Please input especially if you have large predatory fish!
Thanks!

 

[jccaclimber]

I’ve seen a large successful SPS reef with nitrate levels around 100 PPM, but would consider it an outlier.

 

[PatW]

For SPS, I see different figures. Vivid Aquariums says between 1 and 2. Many run nitrates and phosphate really low and feed fish lavishly figuring that the corals prefer fish poo anyway. Many people like 5 ppm. I sometimes see up to 10 ppm. I would consider anything over 20 ppm to be pretty problematic. But I have not done the requisite experimentation with multiple tanks run at different nitrate levels to have a really informed opinion.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree some very nice tanks have nitrate at 100 ppm.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Check out this tank video with 47 ppm nitrate and nearly 2 ppm phosphate:

reef2reef.com/threads/rich-ross-home-tank-guess-the-phosphate.296635/page-4#post-4167870

 

[breefrost]

Check out this tank video with 47 ppm nitrate and nearly 2 ppm phosphate:

reef2reef.com/threads/rich-ross-home-tank-guess-the-phosphate.296635/page-4#post-4167870

Thats amazing!
Goes to show theres exceptions to everything.
Thank you for sharing!

 

[hyeclass]

For SPS, I see different figures. Vivid Aquariums says between 1 and 2. Many run nitrates and phosphate really low and feed fish lavishly figuring that the corals prefer fish poo anyway. Many people like 5 ppm. I sometimes see up to 10 ppm. I would consider anything over 20 ppm to be pretty problematic. But I have not done the requisite experimentation with multiple tanks run at different nitrate levels to have a really informed opinion.

I tested with hanna checker my Nitrate is 4.84 so that's what 48 i am having issues keeping my Nitrate low i do a water change every week i am so tired

 

[LRT]

I tested with hanna checker my Nitrate is 4.84 so that's what 48 i am having issues keeping my Nitrate low i do a water change every week i am so tired

Do you have another test kit to confirm result? I'm not famikiar with the new hanna nitrate checker so not sure about the conversion.
That being said what are your phosphates running?
You can dose carbon- vodka to reduce nitrates ive had great results using it. Make sure you read up on dosing vodka though. Do your research. A little goes a long way and proper airation and skimming are neccessary dosing carbon.
48 is a little on the high side but not astronomical high and as said there are threads here running much higher nutrients.
I'm wondering if thats actually your issue.

 

[hyeclass]

Do you have another test kit to confirm result? I'm not famikiar with the new hanna nitrate checker so not sure about the conversion.
That being said what are your phosphates running?
You can dose carbon- vodka to reduce nitrates ive had great results using it. Make sure you read up on dosing vodka though. Do your research. A little goes a long way and proper airation and skimming are neccessary dosing carbon.
48 is a little on the high side but not astronomical high and as said there are threads here running much higher nutrients.
I'm wondering if thats actually your issue.

Today I tested my po and it was 0.19 I am using prosgaurd to keep it down at the same time I am running rowahos in the media before the water change my po was 0.08

I am running a aquemaxx q3 skimmer 140 gal system redsea refeer

I just have a lot a tangs

1 yellow tang
2 purple tang
1 gem tang
1 blue tang
1 salfin tang
1 powder blue

Rest are tiny fish clownfish so on

 

[Tdoan]

I tested with hanna checker my Nitrate is 4.84 so that's what 48 i am having issues keeping my Nitrate low i do a water change every week i am so tired

Are you multiplying by 10 because you are deluding.

I tested with hanna checker my Nitrate is 4.84 so that's what 48 i am having issues keeping my Nitrate low i do a water change every week i am so tired

I tested with hanna checker my Nitrate is 4.84 so that's what 48 i am having issues keeping my Nitrate low i do a water change every week i am so tired

are you deluding the sample? Is that why you are multiplying by 10

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Diluting. Deluding is a different activity.

 

[jsbzcmcdaniel]

With the new Hanna Nitrate checker do you need to convert anything while testing low range? I tested twice this week and got 0.13 and 0.15. I assumed this was the final reading and my nitrates were close to 0. Did I miss something or is the reading the actual reading?