Nitrate bottomed out, Need help stabilizing

[MtrSkllz]

I originally posted a thread in the algae forum, because I have what i think is a small outbreak of dinos, But at this point I know i need to fix this problem first.


Tank is a reefer 170 and has been up for about 6 months, and i was using n0p0x up until a few weeks ago. The nopox was keeping ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate all at 0. I don't really think that was healthy from what i have read. I had some Dictyota nuisance macro in the tank, Also i could not even get chaeto to grow in the algae reactor. Brushed off the dictyota but chaeto still does not seem to be growing.

So i started lowering the nopox a little every week for two weeks, and all of a sudden the algae i believe to be dinos popped up in the display.
At that point i stopped nopox completely, and i also stopped dosing reef energy (aminos)

All tank params here are current as of right now.

Calcium - 430
Mag - 1360
Alk - 8.7
salinity - 1.025
Ph - 8.6 - This might be a little higher, its at the top end of the red sea kit i have.
nitrate - 0
phosphate .08
ammonia - 0

Here is a link to my logs
http://www.aquaticlog.com/aquariums/mtrskllz/1/parameters

Link to my build thread
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mtrskllz-first-mixed-reef-reefer-170.310007/

At this point i have been off nopox and aminos for about 4 days, and i have been feeding double for two days, with no change at all in nitrate and phosphate.

Also my PH is really high, should i be concerned? I know a high ph is desirable but mine is like 8.6 - 8.8. Testing with a red sea kit and it is off the edge of the color chart by just a little bit with their max being 8.6. I have no explanation for why it is so high.

I am currently running a small chaeto reactor as an experiment, but i ordered some gfo yesterday in case i need to convert the reactor back and get the phosphate down.

There is about 1lb per gallon live rock and sand from tampa bay saltwater, and no other biological filtration. I do have a carbon reactor with brs rox carbon, calculated using their instructions.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Is there any visual indication of distress in the coral or is it just the the algaes and test results.

 

[MtrSkllz]

Is there any visual indication of distress in the coral or is it just the the algaes and test results.

Everything looks good, the algae is bothering the zoas, but nothing else seems to be having any issues. (except for one piece of acro i got about a week ago that still has not shown any polyp extension, but the rest of the things i got in that shipment look great)

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Everything looks good, the algae is bothering the zoas, but nothing else seems to be having any issues. (except for one piece of acro i got about a week ago that still has not shown any polyp extension, but the rest of the things i got in that shipment look great)

The I'd say you don't have a problem.

Don't let tests freak you out too much.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

pH is never too high in a case like yours (reef tank with no limewater dosing and not excessively high alkalinity), and the 8.6+ is likely just test error.

I think dosing sodium or potassium nitrate is a fine plan.

 

[MtrSkllz]

pH is never too high in a case like yours (reef tank with no limewater dosing and not excessively high alkalinity), and the 8.6+ is likely just test error.

I think dosing sodium or potassium nitrate is a fine plan.

I will have to get a different test kit to try it.

Is spectacide stump remover your preferred method? I will have to do some research on on how to do it.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My preference is to dose food grade or reagent sodium nitrate. Second best is food or reagent grade potassium nitrate.

Don't get any brand of pH kit. if you want to measure pH, you should use a meter.