Nitrate undetectable in new reef--should I dose?

[Robert Binz]

I have a new 5g reef in it's 8th week of cycling. It has a Duncan, shrooms, Xenia, a RFA, and blue damsel (all permanent residents). It's still in the ugly phase so some small patches of cyan on the sand and diatoms on the rocks.

My nitrates are undetectable. However, the fish should be producing nitrates via poop and excretion from gills. I spot feed the fish mysis every other day and spot feed the corals reef roids twice a week.

Because there's algae I assume there's nitrates, I just can't see them via Red Sea test kit. My question is: should I dose the nitrates to keep them detectable? Or should I wait until the ugly phase is gone and reassess? I'm worried about (1) starving the corals; and (2) dinos


Filtration is a HOB filter with filter floss and a weekly 20% water change. Nothing else; not even carbon. I dose kalk with the ATO and dose 2ml of soda ash water by hand for alk.

 

[Little_Red_Ryan_Hood]

You could always try to feed your fish more. That would raise nitrates naturally. You could also add more fish.

You could increase your flow to get rid of red slime.

If you do want to use nitrates, check out Acroporium.com. They have nitrate and phosphate cheap.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

I would reduce the water changes to 10% and wait until the ugly phase is done. 8 weeks is still very early. Also, unless you are testing for calcium and alkalinity, I would stop the Kalk and soda ash water. You shouldn’t be supplementing anything that you aren’t testing for.

 

[Robert Binz]

I would reduce the water changes to 10% and wait until the ugly phase is done. 8 weeks is still very early. Also, unless you are testing for calcium and alkalinity, I would stop the Kalk and soda ash water. You shouldn’t be supplementing anything that you aren’t testing for.

I do test them several times per day. With the dosing I keep my alk at 7.5-8 dkh. Kalk alone had it fluctuating between 7-7.5 and I wanted it slightly higher for the PH

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree I'd just feed a bit more, if you have confidence in your kit.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You shouldn’t be supplementing anything that you aren’t testing for.

What about things one cannot usefully test for? lol

iron?
Amino acids?
vitamins?

 

[IslandLifeReef]

What about things one cannot usefully test for? lol

iron?
Amino acids?
vitamins?

So you think it is ok to add as much Kalk as you want and not test for calcium and alkalinity?

 

[Crustaceon]

I honestly wouldn’t dose a 5 gallon tank. No kalk, no 2-part, nothing. I’d just do a 5% weekly water change with a quality reef salt and if I started seeing a little hair algae pop up, i’d increase that number slightly. Your salt mix should keep your parameters in decent shape for such a smaller water volume. I can understand having to dose if you fill the tank with acro colonies, but not right now. And one thing’s for sure though, the 20% water changes are why you have no nitrates. Just ease up a bit on things and let it ride. The less you do to your tank, the better it’ll probably do and this includes how much water you swap out. There’s a point of diminishing returns.