Nitrate at 0.2ppm - acting before Dino outbreak

[TastyScrants]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice regarding my filtration. I’m having an issue where my nitrates are gradually getting lower and lower.

Tank info:
150L tank/sump (less sand+rock)
Nitrate currently 0.2ppm!
Temp 26°C
Alk 11.3dKh
Ca 445ppm
Mg2 1350ppm
PO4 I don’t test
Skimmer - RedSea Reefskim 300
Filter floss in cup for debris removal
*90g Marine Pure balls in sump*
30g carbon changed monthly
10% water changes weekly


Stock:
1 maroon clown
1 Midas blenny
1 yellow wrasse
1 royal grammar
1 sunspot goby
1 yellow face rose goby
1 tiger pistol shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
1 sand sifting starfisg
6 snails
6 hermits
1 emerald crab
a variety of soft and LPS corals

My tank is looking great, I have no nuisance algae issues as such but I’m weary of an impending outbreak of dinos if I don’t get my nitrate level sorted. I don’t want to chase numbers; I’m aiming for the 2ppm region but I feel 0.2ppm is just too low.

I feed the fish as many pellets as they’ll eat every morning by sprinkling a small pinch at a time, and I feed 1 cube mysis and 1 cube of brine every night. There is usually leftover shrimp which is filtered. I supplement my corals with 6mL of RedSea reef energy plus each day.

I have been dosing NOPOX since day 1 of the tank. I was initially dosing the recommended 1.5mL and maintaining a nitrate level of 2.5ppm for several weeks.

When my nitrates started to decrease I reduced the NOPOX dosage accordingly until I was eventually dosing 0.25mL a day with a nitrate level of <1ppm.

In reaction to this I increased my fish stock from 3 fish to 6 fish and started feeding 2 cubes of frozen instead of 1. I also maintained the NOPOX dose at 0.25mL. After several weeks more my nitrate is still at <1ppm. I currently dose 0.125mL of NOPOX. I don’t want to stop this completely as I think it will lead to too large a change in my water chemistry.

Limited data:
nitrates and NOPOX dose over last week:
12/1 2.5ppm and 0.25mL dose
12/3 1ppm and 0.25ml
12/5 1-2.5ppm and 0.25mL
12/8 0.2ppm and 0.125mL dose

What would you recommend doing to bring my nitrates up to a more reasonable level?

1. Add more fish - can I? It’s a RedSea reefer 170 with 6 fish already.
2. Reduce skimmer on-time or get a smaller skimmer. RedSea rate the RSK300 as capable of filtering a 600L mixed reef. This is 4 times larger than my water volume.
3. Make up a stock solution of NOPOX and continue dosing this at a lower concentration.
4.Do nothing because the tank is looking good and all my corals look great.

What else could I try? I am reluctant to dose a nitrate source; I’d prefer to find a more long term solution to my problem.

Thanks

FTS

 

[Caseyoidae]

I would stop dosing nopox and if that doesn’t do it feed a bit more or more frequently

 

[ahiggins]

I would stop nopox. Reducing nitrate and phosphate is exactly what it’s supposed to do. and then wait longer before switching out pads/filter media that collect detritus. Reef roids always gives me a short bump of nitrates and phosphates.

 

[TastyScrants]

Thank you both for the advice.

Wouldn’t it be detrimental to just completely stop dosing NOPOX? Would it be better to gradually reduce the dose over a few weeks?

I forgot to add that I have 90g of Marine Pure balls in my sump. Should I remove these? From what I understand they mainly help remove ammonia and nitrite, as a result leading to nitrate reduction.

 

[ahiggins]

Thank you both for the advice.

Wouldn’t it be detrimental to just completely stop dosing NOPOX? Would it be better to gradually reduce the dose over a few weeks?

I forgot to add that I have 90g of Marine Pure balls in my sump. Should I remove these? From what I understand they mainly help remove ammonia and nitrite, as a result leading to nitrate reduction.

Marine pure doesn’t denitrify, it adds surface area to facilitate the nitrogen cycle but doesn’t get rid of nitrate, nitrate is the end goal for those spheres. You can keep them in, they don’t really affect much unless you don’t have enough rock or are planning on seeding.

 

[Billldg]

First thing, start testing P04. I just went thru a battle with Dino's, and, it cost me a bit to defeat it. I would start to dose NeoNitro, or something similar to get the N03 up. This is why you need to test P04, I can't tell you what to do on the P04. I agree with stopping NoPox with those above. It will strip out the P04 from your tank. You can stop NoPox now and it will not effect the tank.

I would start with not using NoPox, before, you start to use NeoNitro. This is why I always suggest testing N03 and P04.

What are you using to test N03?

 

[TastyScrants]

Marine pure doesn’t denitrify, it adds surface area to facilitate the nitrogen cycle but doesn’t get rid of nitrate, nitrate is the end goal for those spheres. You can keep them in, they don’t really affect much unless you don’t have enough rock or are planning on seeding.

Yes sorry that’s what I meant, I don’t know why I worded it incorrectly. I did see some information that they can denitrify in the deeper core of the material and in low flow. I doubt that’s my case as it’s in the sump chamber my display drains into, and the balls are small so unlikely to create anoxic areas.

 

[TastyScrants]

First thing, start testing P04. I just went thru a battle with Dino's, and, it cost me a bit to defeat it. I would start to dose NeoNitro, or something similar to get the N03 up. This is why you need to test P04, I can't tell you what to do on the P04. I agree with stopping NoPox with those above. It will strip out the P04 from your tank. You can stop NoPox now and it will not effect the tank.

I would start with not using NoPox, before, you start to use NeoNitro. This is why I always suggest testing N03 and P04.

What are you using to test N03?

I’ll order a PO4 test kit now. I’m using the salifert NO3 test kit and reading through the side of the tube for the low range reading; I’m aware it’s unlikely to be accurate enough at low levels. Perhaps I should pick up a different manufacturers NO3 kit for confirmation.

 

[Billldg]

I’ll order a PO4 test kit now. I’m using the salifert NO3 test kit and reading through the side of the tube for the low range reading; I’m aware it’s unlikely to be accurate enough at low levels. Perhaps I should pick up a different manufacturers NO3 kit for confirmation.

I use a Hanna N03 tester, and its margin of error is .25 ppm. I use Hanna for my P04 as well, but, Red Sea and Nyos also have good test kits for P04 and N03. Even with a Hanna tester, if I am within the margin of error, I say its 0. I try to keep my N03 at 10+ and my P04 at .06+.

 

[vetteguy53081]

NoPox is not helping and in fact if dino were present will fuel/feed dino.