Need help balancing nutrients

[Ippyroy]

My tank is still new. Been up for about 4 months. I have 5 small fish and around 20 corals, mostly zoas and a few lps and a Bird's nest. I dose BRS 2 part manually in the mornings. My ALK goes down about .4 Dkh every day and I am currently trying to figure out my calcium now that Alk is steady. I will set up a DOS for these after I have them figured out, which will hopefully be in a week or two.
My NO3 has fallen to 3 I think on NYOS kit. My PO4 is .07 to .09 on Hanna Checker. I am nervous about my NO3 because it was at 5 until 3 weeks ago. It seems to be falling. I feed frozen food, 4 cubes over a week. I use San Francisco Bay marine mix food. I also have a fuge with mostly chaeto in it, which runs for 8 hours a day.
I don't add anything else to my tank other than 1ox of phyto nightly. I don't use mechanical filters, just the chaeto, then a skimmer. My nutrients are the only thing I am having issues with. No algae issues in DT. Hard green algae is starting to leave, but no coraline that I can see. How would you increase NO3, but leave PO4 alone without dosing, if that is even possible. Would using Selcon help? Thanks

 

[SteveEreef]

Your numbers look fine. If your corals are doing good, and you don’t have dinos or Cyanobacteria I would just monitor it. You could cut back the time your skimmer is on to increase Nitrates or dose NO3

 

[Ippyroy]

Your numbers look fine. If your corals are doing good, and you don’t have dinos or Cyanobacteria I would just monitor it. You could cut back the time your skimmer is on to increase Nitrates or dose NO3

I'm to not dose if I don't have to. I'm not worried yet, just trying to be a little proactive. I am trying to stay away from cyano and Dinos if I can, so I don't want to bottom out. Does turning off the skimmer affect anything else? Could it lower the PH by chance?

 

[SteveEreef]

I'm to not dose if I don't have to. I'm not worried yet, just trying to be a little proactive. I am trying to stay away from cyano and Dinos if I can, so I don't want to bottom out. Does turning off the skimmer affect anything else? Could it lower the PH by chance?

Turning off the skimmer could effect the oxygen and ph a bit. May not matter. Depending on the flow from your wavemakers. The ph may be okay from dosing the soda ash.

 

[Ippyroy]

Turning off the skimmer could effect the oxygen and ph a bit. May not matter. Depending on the flow from your wavemakers. The ph may be okay from dosing the soda ash.

I will try that. Thanks for the help!

 

[schuby]

Your hard green algae might be green coraline. There are many colors.

If you don't want to dose phosphate or nitrate (I don't), then you may need to feed more and/or get more fish. Fish poop is what many corals feed on.

Things in reef tanks almost never stay steady. Increasing consumption is good because it means things are growing.

 

[Ippyroy]

Your hard green algae might be green coraline. There are many colors.

If you don't want to dose phosphate or nitrate (I don't), then you may need to feed more and/or get more fish. Fish poop is what many corals feed on.

Things in reef tanks almost never stay steady. Increasing consumption is good because it means things are growing.

Not green coraline, at least not most of it. It is just part of the ugly stage. Finally going away. I will get another fish, a small wrasse probably, but that is all I want in my tank. Don't want to over populate it. I only have about 6 more weeks to order anything alive before winter hits and everything will freeze during shipment. Hopefully I can get everything settled in before then. I am thinking to start adding selcon to the food once a week and see if that will help boost NO3 but I don't want to up PO4.

 

[Biglew11]

You can also decrease the light period of your fuge a little.

 

[Ippyroy]

You can also decrease the light period of your fuge a little.

I am thinking on that one, but I already a PH drop from over 8.3 to under 8.2 in the 2 hours that I don't have it on. I am thinking about having it turn off and on throughout the night to try and level it out. Or I am going to get a dimmable light for it and try that method.

 

[ddrueckh]

To increase nutrients, feed more or trim your fuge algae. I don’t think 4 cubes a week is enough. I would feed at least 1 a day. I find I get less algae when I feed more and my fish are much healthier and less stressed. I feed my 230 gallon tank 6-8 cubes a day plus 2 large sheets of nori. I have 22 fish including 4 tangs. I like leaving my skimmer on 24/7 to keep the water oxygenated.

 

[Biglew11]

I am thinking on that one, but I already a PH drop from over 8.3 to under 8.2 in the 2 hours that I don't have it on. I am thinking about having it turn off and on throughout the night to try and level it out. Or I am going to get a dimmable light for it and try that method.

A dimmable light can help.

 

[Pistondog]

Unfortunately, more nitrates are used per unit phosphate by the chaeto in photosynthesis.
Your numbers look good.

 

[Ippyroy]

To increase nutrients, feed more or trim your fuge algae. I don’t think 4 cubes a week is enough. I would feed at least 1 a day. I find I get less algae when I feed more and my fish are much healthier and less stressed. I feed my 230 gallon tank 6-8 cubes a day plus 2 large sheets of nori. I have 22 fish including 4 tangs. I like leaving my skimmer on 24/7 to keep the water oxygenated.

My total water is around 50 gallons, only 28 or so in DT. 32 Fiji Cube. 1 small clown, cherub angel, bicolor blenny, and a vanderbuilt chromis. I might have a yellow watchman, but haven't seen him in a couple of weeks.
I feed twice a day and three times the next. They are all out and about during the day and seem fat and happy. I add one of each cube at the beginning of the week and add enough for everything to be eaten inside of about 2 minutes. Should I increase the amount fed?

 

[Ippyroy]

Unfortunately, more nitrates are used per unit phosphate by the chaeto in photosynthesis.
Your numbers look good.

I am happy with them now, not chasing. I harvest a large handful weekly and the fuge area is about 70% full of chaeto. Should I harvest more maybe? I do rely on the CUC of snails and bristle worms to act as my first stage of mechanicl filtration.

 

[schuby]

My $.02... I don't understand people dosing phosphate while running gfo or macro-algae. Reduce or stop exporting phosphate and you probably won't need to dose it.

 

[Biglew11]

OP never said he was dosing for phosphate or nitrates.

 

[schuby]

Trying to convey the concept that when something you're removing is too low, you can stop/reduce removing it (instead of adding more) and it will get higher.

 

[Ippyroy]

Trying to convey the concept that when something you're removing is too low, you can stop/reduce removing it (instead of adding more) and it will get higher.

My PO4 is great. My NO3 is something I need to watch. If both were low then answer is to simply slow down the fuge. Lights on less time. I’ve done that. PO4 is where I am happy. NO3 only is a little low. If I was to remove the fuge or shorten the lighting schedule then I am fighting high PO4. I am trying to figure out the balance without dosing.

 

[Biglew11]

Nitrates are usually used at a much faster rate than phosphates so slowing down the fuge may have the effect you want.

 

[Ippyroy]

Nitrates are usually used at a much faster rate than phosphates so slowing down the fuge may have the effect you want.

Thanks. I am just now learning this.