Nitrate 0, Phosphate 0- Started dosing and need insight

[kevin_e]

Long story short, I am raising my nitrates using potassium nitrate to bring me within a preferred range (3-5 ppm) to combat chrysophytes, but also to provide nutrients to my coral.

What I am curious about is that while dosing nitrates over the day to a now 4 ppm concentration, my phosphates have naturally gone up as well. From 0, to 0.04 to 0.14. Can someone provide insight as to what may be occurring or provide a link that might explain the relationship? I am NOT dosing phosphate.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

Are your chrysophytes dying g off and releasing nutrients?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There’s no direct reason I can think of that dosing nitrate causes phosphate to rise.

 

[kevin_e]

Are your chrysophytes dying g off and releasing nutrients?

The rise was in less than 24 hours. Before I started dosing nitrates I did a massive clean up on my tank. Vaccumed sump, scrubbed rock with tooth brush and rinsed, scrubbed glass. I caught most of everything with a rollermat and siphoned on the stuff that settled in the sump. So possibly? But I tried to export most everything I could.

 

[kevin_e]

There’s no direct reason I can think of that dosing nitrate causes phosphate to rise.

I did two water changes overt he weekend. 5 gallons each in a 50 gallon tank in subsequent days. I was reading 0 phosphates before, mind you, but maybe it's leaching from the rocks? I'll continue to monitor both and see if I can get a pulse on what's happening. The goal was to raise both.

How quickly would feeding result in phosphate? I ran out of food in my feeder and didn't notice for a week. Finally filled it yesterday.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I did two water changes overt he weekend. 5 gallons each in a 50 gallon tank in subsequent days. I was reading 0 phosphates before, mind you, but maybe it's leaching from the rocks? I'll continue to monitor both and see if I can get a pulse on what's happening. The goal was to raise both.

How quickly would feeding result in phosphate? I ran out of food in my feeder and didn't notice for a week. Finally filled it yesterday.

Feeding will boost phosphate in hours or less.

 

[kevin_e]

Feeding will boost phosphate in hours or less.

That may be it then. Thanks!

 

[kevin_e]

I tested again and it is now 0.003 (yes, 0.003), so IDK. I am not running GFO. Maybe the 0.14 reading was a bad reading. I have a new box of reagent that I may try even the one I am using isn't expired.

 

[biom]

Yes, actually dosing nitrates always is resulting lowering of phosphate, which is also not good for corals. But dosing phosphate should be done very carefully because could cause algae issues, that is why increasing number of inhabitants and corresponding increasing feeding with balanced foods is the best solution for undesirable low nutrient tanks.