Nitrate Dosing Reducing Alk (a lot)?

[CMO]

What exactly is causing alk to drop with nitrate dosing? Is it just due to a reduction in PO4 or are the nitrates spurring faster coral growth / consumption (SPS coloration has significantly improved with the dosing).

When I started dosing my PO4 was .04ppm with nitrates at .00 ppm. Nitrates are now .00-.25 ppm with PO4 somewhere in the .00-.01 ppm range.

Since I'm using Triton Core 7 to manage alk, I'm trying to figure out if I should be just dosing additional alk only in this situation or if I should dose all solutions equally (which would provide additional elements to support growth).

Thanks

 

[Diesel]

Where are your # sitting at on the moment?

 

[CMO]

NO3 .00-.025 ppm and PO4 .01 ppm

 

[Diesel]

NO3 .00-.025 ppm and PO4 .01 ppm

That’s very low nutrients.
I’ve seen tanks doing great with it as it’s a everyday ongoing dosing schedule like ZEO.
Not sure about triton though.
You running full triton?

 

[CMO]

That’s very low nutrients.
I’ve seen tanks doing great with it as it’s a everyday ongoing dosing schedule like ZEO.
Not sure about triton though.
You running full triton?

Yes, Full Triton Core 7. Try as I might I'm really struggling to get nutrients up even with heavy feeding 3x / day and nitrate dosing (I also feed phyto and reef chili every other day). I'm increasing my nitrate dosing but trying to do so slowing since it's really messing with my alk consumption and making maintaining a stable number challenging.

 

[Diesel]

Yes, Full Triton Core 7. Try as I might I'm really struggling to get nutrients up even with heavy feeding 3x / day and nitrate dosing (I also feed phyto and reef chili every other day). I'm increasing my nitrate dosing but trying to do so slowing since it's really messing with my alk consumption and making maintaining a stable number challenging.

Common problem that can happen with triton.
How’s your chaetoball doing in the fuge?
Two good friends that been years in the hobby of mine that tried triton with no success and bailed out.
@d2mini @Michael Paletta

 

[CMO]

Common problem that can happen with triton.
How’s your chaetoball doing in the fuge?
Two good friends that been years in the hobby of mine that tried triton with no success and bailed out.
@d2mini @Michael Paletta

Cheato was doing wonderfully for a long time but about half of it died off recently. I notice in my last ICP that Iodine and Nitrate were both literally 0.00. After starting to dose Nitrate and Iodine the cheato is coming back strong. I still have a good amount even after the die off. Also reduced my fuge light from 14 to 9 hours and skimming very dry.

 

[Diesel]

So what do you prefer?
Your chaeto is doing awesome or your corals flourish and pop out of your tank?

Nitrate is a life saver, you got to dosecthr heck out of it to be stable and your corals get some before you chaeto does.

 

[CMO]

Lol. Both?

Corals have been doing fine and growing but SPS had weak color which is why I started the nitrate dosing. That really improved coloration but now I need to get my alk stable again.

So any idea why exactly nitrate and alk have an inverse relationship? The answer to this will help me decide an appropriate way forward. Is it just a phosphate decline causing the alk decline or are the corals now growing more from the increased nitrate? Coral growth = increase core 7 dose in equal parts to maintain 8 dkh while a phosphate drop means I should just manage my alk with an alk only supplement so I don't throw everything out of wack.

 

[Diesel]

Corals are consuming nutrients again and for that growing which they use your alk, cal from the water column.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Dosing nitrate is actually adding alkalinity when the nitrate is used. So if your alk is getting low it is due to the increased growth. I would not dose an alk only additive as it will just speed up the rate you are getting out of balance. Your phosphate lowering is caused by the added nitrate and increased growth that it allowed. Again, only related to the lowered alkalinity by way of accelerating growth.

I would keep dosing your core 7 elements as you have been, and either add a bit of phosphate to go along with your added nitrate, or cut your cheato back some.

Dennis

 

[CMO]

Thank you both. I'll stick with increasing core 7 for now to maintain alk. I'm doing monthly icp until the tank matures so that will confirm.

 

[Mark Gray]

I am Having the same problem with NO3 and PO4 and Triton have started to dose I maybe need to add Iodine too. Have not checked. Tank is still sort of new the few test SPS I put in seem very happy and are growing my ALK is 9.3 CAL is 456

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There are two issues that can alter alk when dosing nitrate.

1. Consumption of nitrate by organisms necessarily raises alk, no matter what organism uses it. The alkalinity gain is 0.8 meq/L (2.3 dKH) for every 50 ppm of nitrate consumed.

2. If nitrate is limiting to coral growth and calcification, then boosting nitrate will boost calcification, and hence reduce alkalinity as corals consume it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am Having the same problem with NO3 and PO4 and Triton have started to dose I maybe need to add Iodine too. Have not checked. Tank is still sort of new the few test SPS I put in seem very happy and are growing my ALK is 9.3 CAL is 456

I did not find iodine dosing to be useful, but it is a fine experiment for any reef tank showing iodine to be low. I would dose it as iodide, not Lugols.

 

[CMO]

I did not find iodine dosing to be useful, but it is a fine experiment for any reef tank showing iodine to be low. I would dose it as iodide, not Lugols.

Not even for cheato health?