Need help with P04 and N03...

[Jesse571]

I have a mixed 75 gallon reef heavy with LPS and about 10 small fish. I have a refugium with chatoe a biopellets reactor a skimmer and has been up and running 2 years. My problem is I have a hard time getting my nitrates down (15ppm) and phosphate is sitting at 0. I use Hanna checkers. To deal with this I dose Nopox every day and just started today with Tropic Marin Plus-NP to try to bring my phosphate up. Is this the right direction to go? Corals are thriving but I can't get nitrates down. 30% weekly water change. Thank you for your time with this.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I have a mixed 75 gallon reef heavy with LPS and about 10 small fish. I have a refugium with chatoe a biopellets reactor a skimmer and has been up and running 2 years. My problem is I have a hard time getting my nitrates down (15ppm) and phosphate is sitting at 0. I use Hanna checkers. To deal with this I dose Nopox every day and just started today with Tropic Marin Plus-NP to try to bring my phosphate up. Is this the right direction to go? Corals are thriving but I can't get nitrates down. 30% weekly water change. Thank you for your time with this.

My suggestion...dose some Trisodium Phosphates. If you are truly reading zero...your chaeto is not uptaking nitrates because it doesnt have any phosphates to go with it. A small amount of phosphates will do wonders...just dose SMALL

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have a mixed 75 gallon reef heavy with LPS and about 10 small fish. I have a refugium with chatoe a biopellets reactor a skimmer and has been up and running 2 years. My problem is I have a hard time getting my nitrates down (15ppm) and phosphate is sitting at 0. I use Hanna checkers. To deal with this I dose Nopox every day and just started today with Tropic Marin Plus-NP to try to bring my phosphate up. Is this the right direction to go? Corals are thriving but I can't get nitrates down. 30% weekly water change. Thank you for your time with this.

I agree. I recommend dosing food grade sodium phosphate. You do not want phosphate bottomed out, and it may help with nitrate as well. It is cheap and easy.

 

[Jesse571]

I agree. I recommend dosing food grade sodium phosphate. You do not want phosphate bottomed out, and it may help with nitrate as well. It is cheap and easy.

Should I stop dosing Nopox while dosing the phosphate? Thank you.

 

[pghreeferteam]

I have a mixed 75 gallon reef heavy with LPS and about 10 small fish. I have a refugium with chatoe a biopellets reactor a skimmer and has been up and running 2 years. My problem is I have a hard time getting my nitrates down (15ppm) and phosphate is sitting at 0. I use Hanna checkers. To deal with this I dose Nopox every day and just started today with Tropic Marin Plus-NP to try to bring my phosphate up. Is this the right direction to go? Corals are thriving but I can't get nitrates down. 30% weekly water change. Thank you for your time with this.

What is the point of chasing a number if everything in the tank seems fine?

 

[Jesse571]

What is the point of chasing a number if everything in the tank seems fine?

I'm concerned because a couple of months ago both bottomed out and I lost some very expensive corals. Just looking for some advice and trying to get things out of control.

 

[Potatohead]

I have a really long thread about dosing TSP from a couple years ago. Best thing I have ever done for my tank. Not only better coral health but also the tank was cleaner, less cyano and what not. My tank has always had the same issue, nitrate tends to rise and phosphate tends to fall.

A solution made of 1.88 grams of TSP mixed into 1L of water will raise phosphate of 100L of tank water by .01

 

[nereefpat]

I use Hanna checkers.

The ULR one? Just making sure.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Should I stop dosing Nopox while dosing the phosphate? Thank you.

It’s probably beneficial to stop adding nopox until you have a stable residual phosphates, it may take you a wile to bring them up and the extra availability of carbon may be detrimental to the overall tank balance meanwhile.

 

[Jesse571]

The ULR one? Just making sure.

Yes

 

[Jesse571]

It’s probably beneficial to stop adding nopox until you have a stable residual phosphates, it may take you a wile to bring them up and the extra availability of carbon may be detrimental to the overall tank balance meanwhile.

Thank you as I was wondering if that would be a problem.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Should I stop dosing Nopox while dosing the phosphate? Thank you.

I don’t think it’s necessary, but watch nitrate carefully when you dose.

 

[GarrettT]

Just know, you’ll likely have to dose a good amount of Po4 before it’s reads >0ppm and fully stabilizes.

 

[Jesse571]

Just know, you’ll likely have to dose a good amount of Po4 before it’s reads >0ppm and fully stabilizes.

Thank you for info.

 

[Jesse571]

I don’t think it’s necessary, but watch nitrate carefully when you dose.

So continue to dose Nopox to bring nitrates down just keep an eye on my nitrate number and continue to dose phosphate slowly to bring up phosphate your saying? Thanks for the help!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So continue to dose Nopox to bring nitrates down just keep an eye on my nitrate number and continue to dose phosphate slowly to bring up phosphate your saying? Thanks for the help!

That's a fine plan, yes. If nitrate declines below where you want it, I'd slow or stop the NOPOX.