A few days ago I posted Need help what am I doing wrong? And every one hit the nail on the head. I was starving my corals. I did not have a good test kit for Nitrates so I ordered the Red Sea nitrate pro. My Nitrates are undetectable. Phosphate are .0153 ppm. Should I let the nitrate rise naturally? My corals are still alive but do not look good. Should I dose something or let Mother Nature take over.
Nitrates are undetectable
- Thread starter Willy43
- Start date
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I would start dosing. You will most likely need a big dose at first then smaller if any depending on you feeding and quantity of fish. If you decide to, here is a current R2R thread.
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/215730/
Good luck.
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/215730/
Good luck.
cracker
5000 Club Member
Hello willy, I had/still do the same issue. I started dosing Stump remover. Per malira's link. If Ya don't over do it it works ! Corals are getting color back. I over did it at 1st and saw Ha starting. So take Your time if You decide to try this. Standard way is to feed more. But if Ya feed more You get Phosphates also and that will promote algae growth.
Willy43
If I remember correctly you were running biopellets, and gfo. You couldn't keep corals.
Nitrates are important but so are phosphates. If you read the thread, twillard and Russ both concur, a healthy reef tank needs phosphates. We aren't talking 2 or 3 ppm but more like .01 to .2. This is a whole different discussion.
Do not put gfo back. Water changes are a good way to export waste and excessive nutrients. It also replenishes trace elements.
You are at the beginning stages of figuring out your tanks ratio of nitrates to phosphates. I wouldn't worry too much about excess nutrients right now. Get your nutrients up and get a birds nest type coral. They are hardy, pretty and inexpensive.
Also an inexpensive acan and/or blasto. Like $5 a head. Blastos are pretty hardy.
Keep and grow those. Read, read, read.
If I remember correctly you were running biopellets, and gfo. You couldn't keep corals.
Nitrates are important but so are phosphates. If you read the thread, twillard and Russ both concur, a healthy reef tank needs phosphates. We aren't talking 2 or 3 ppm but more like .01 to .2. This is a whole different discussion.
Do not put gfo back. Water changes are a good way to export waste and excessive nutrients. It also replenishes trace elements.
You are at the beginning stages of figuring out your tanks ratio of nitrates to phosphates. I wouldn't worry too much about excess nutrients right now. Get your nutrients up and get a birds nest type coral. They are hardy, pretty and inexpensive.
Also an inexpensive acan and/or blasto. Like $5 a head. Blastos are pretty hardy.
Keep and grow those. Read, read, read.
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I have a very low bio load for the tank size 120gl
I have around 13 frags they where growing great doubled there size in a short time.
My Phosphate are .015 ppm I have a small amount of gfo I was running bio pellets I removed them. Six small fish and a cleanup cure. I would like to save what I have. I only lost one coral so far. 120gl
I have around 13 frags they where growing great doubled there size in a short time.
My Phosphate are .015 ppm I have a small amount of gfo I was running bio pellets I removed them. Six small fish and a cleanup cure. I would like to save what I have. I only lost one coral so far. 120gl
I'm in the same boat. Nitrates are undetectable with a cheap api test and phosphates are 0.00 with standard Hannah checker. No gfo just skimmer and some cheato. I can grow corals but in my opinion my colors aren't what they should be. I finally did a 5 gallon water change tonight after waiting for almost a month. My sand was turning brown and it was killing me. Any advice to get my colors back is greatly appreciated.
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Dosed Kno3 (stump remover) at first to get 10ppm and it's stayed there since. Been two months. Like many have said, go slow with it till you reach your target. My corals have been doing very well since.
Here is a very long thread about paling sps but with these threads, the first few pages are where most of the info is.I'm in the same boat. Nitrates are undetectable with a cheap api test and phosphates are 0.00 with standard Hannah checker. No gfo just skimmer and some cheato. I can grow corals but in my opinion my colors aren't what they should be. I finally did a 5 gallon water change tonight after waiting for almost a month. My sand was turning brown and it was killing me. Any advice to get my colors back is greatly appreciated.
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/210035/
That's what I shoot for.
I am having to dose phosphates right now.
I'm dealing with an algae/cyano problem.
Don't take your eye off the ball and neglect good tank maintenance. Recovery is a b**ch. It's a lot easier to maintain.
Remember "nothing good ever happens fast in a saltwater aquarium."
I'm in the same boat. Nitrates are undetectable with a cheap api test and phosphates are 0.00 with standard Hannah checker. No gfo just skimmer and some cheato. I can grow corals but in my opinion my colors aren't what they should be. I finally did a 5 gallon water change tonight after waiting for almost a month. My sand was turning brown and it was killing me. Any advice to get my colors back is greatly appreciated.
I found out get a good test kit. I had everything except one for nitrates.
