Nitrate/Phosphate balance and their effect on nuisance algae/dinos?

[xRob]

I have a bit of a strange issue with the nitrate/phosphate levels in my tank. Currently my phosphate is sitting at 0.08 and nitrate 0.05 as shown by a recent ICP: http://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/a92b5e469a254c9a4349

Firstly I have higher phosphate than nitrate. From what I can tell this is almost never the case in other tanks. Yet despite the low nitrate level my chaeto is growing very fast and I harvest from my reactor every couple of weeks. Can the chaeto growth be causing lower than expected readings? I have a fairly bad dino outbreak going on in the DT which has irritated quite a few SPS frags to death. Oddly some LPS are struggling while others are thriving. I've heard that dinos are often caused by one of phosphate or nitrate bottoming out so I suppose the nitrate could be the issue here. There is a small amount of nuisance algae in the DT as well; some bubble algae and a little GHA here and there.

The main reason I'm concerned about these readings is obviously the dinos. If they're caused by low nitrates, or if nitrate that low is enough to cause corals problems then I need to find a way to increase that.

Tank info:

250l sumped
8 fish - 2 clowns, 4 wrasse, 1 cardinal and 1 goby
Relatively small amount of LR - ~15kg/33lb
Small amount of siporax
Nutrient export is just a skimmer and algae reactor
Small water changes approximately every 4-6 weeks
Dosing phyto daily along with pods each week to combat dinos

 

[KrisReef]

The ICP is showing some increases in elements Potassium, Strontium, Molybdenum, Manganese, and Vanadium which are interesting. Where did these elements come from? and what impacts are they having? Watching,..

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Imo. The ratio thing is total bunk.

It’s easier to have high no3 and when organics rot , it becomes ammonia.

Po4 can bind up on rock and sand. So you can have Po4 bound to an old rock and comes in to equilibrium with the water.
It’s not unusual to have happen.

Dinos are not always due to low nutrients.

 

[xRob]

Imo. The ratio thing is total bunk.

It’s easier to have high no3 and when organics rot , it becomes ammonia.

Po4 can bind up on rock and sand. So you can have Po4 bound to an old rock and comes in to equilibrium with the water.
It’s not unusual to have happen.

Dinos are not always due to low nutrients.

It's worth noting also that in a previous ICP from September Po4 was 0.02 and nitrate 0.01. The tank has been running for about 16 months by the way and was started with cured live rock.

 

[Land Shark]

"The main reason I'm concerned about these readings is obviously the dinos. If they're caused by low nitrates, or if nitrate that low is enough to cause corals problems then I need to find a way to increase that."

Obviously you can dose a little nitrate if that is what you are going after. Or is it something else?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's worth noting also that in a previous ICP from September Po4 was 0.02 and nitrate 0.01. The tank has been running for about 16 months by the way and was started with cured live rock.

How does that change anything?
It’s just what the tank is doing.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php

 

[hotashes]

@brandon429 get your hands on this. Any thoughts

A.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

To be more concise.
What I’m saying is, different species in the same family like different things.

We know that with corals do we not?
“Zoas like dirty water”

Nutrient dosing is used in cases of phosphate block. The nitritifing bacteria have died off from being out competed and also starved also likely allpothy as well.

So look at what your tank is doing and go from there.

One cure (besides the ones outlined by Randy ) is bio diversity additions like Fiji mud. And infusion of bacteria and diatoms and sponge and corralines. This my be direct nutrients or mineral competition or it’s also theories it may also be allepothy and other chemical markers.