Nitrates at Zero

[William Morris]

I keep a record of my weekly water tests and for the first time in months my nitrates read zero with a API test kit.
The readings have been consistently in the 3-5 ppm range.
Any reason to be concerned or adjustments to be made?
The rest of the parameters are fine.

Phosphate: .09
Calcium: 468
Alkalinity: 8.1 ( I dose with a PH buffer to bring this up if needed.)
PH: 8.08
Salinity: 1.025
I use Hanna checkers for the Phosphate, Calcium and Alkalinity.

 

[Larry L]

I wouldn't do anything for now, especially if things in the tank are looking ok - would not want to mess things up by making unnecessary changes. I'd wait and see if you continue to get a zero reading next week. Are you running anything that's intended to reduce nitrates, like algae in a fuge, carbon dosing, biopellets, etc? If so, and you continue to read zero, can always dial that back a bit or harvest some algae. But do it slowly and avoid anything drastic.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Not necessarily. It has become very popular to maintain measurable nitrates in reef aquaria, but it depends upon what types of livestock you have. Some SPS corals have been known to respond poorly to low dissolved nutrients if they cannot filter feed. Other corals appear to be more tolerant of lower dissolved nutrients. For what it's worth, I notice a distinct decrease in color in some of my corals (mostly my monti caps) when my nitrates get close to zero. My Ricordea fl. on the other hand show no signs of distress. But every tank is different.

I wouldn't do anything unless you see your corals responding negatively.

 

[William Morris]

The corals are all doing fine. Mostly Euphyllias with no SPS.
I don't do anything intended to reduce the nitrates.
Is there an additive to raise nitrates? And what level do we shoot for?

 

[Daniel92481]

The nitrate and phosphate levels are debatable. Like others have said, go with how the corals look. If it was me, I would say no more than 10-20 nitrates and <0.25 Phosphates.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’d consider feeding more or dosing nitrate. Even if corals appear fine, low nitrate can risk dinos.