Nitrates at zero

[tinyfellows]

My reef tank is 4 months old and more often than not I am getting a nitrate reading of 0.0 with the Hanna high range checker the highest I have ever seen it is 2. I want to bump to somewhere between 5 to 10. I currently am doing a 20% water change weekly. I tried pushing my water change to two weeks but I noticed my corals wouldn’t look as happy before my water change. I feel like I’m feeding pretty heavy but I could be wrong. I feed twice a day one feeding is a full cube of mysis or calanus. Then the other is a healthy pinch of pellet food. My stocking is two clowns an orchid dottyback and possibly a Tailspot blenny (I haven’t seen him since I added him 2 weeks ago). I have thought about raising my skimmer up to just help with co2 scrubbing but my phosphates are between .1 and .15 usually so I don’t really want those to get higher just to raise my nitrates. Should I just try feeding even more or should I look into dosing nitrates to raise them. If you think I should dose what would you recommend. If there is any other information you need just let me know

 

[Jekyl]

My reef tank is 4 months old and more often than not I am getting a nitrate reading of 0.0 with the Hanna high range checker the highest I have ever seen it is 2. I want to bump to somewhere between 5 to 10. I currently am doing a 20% water change weekly. I tried pushing my water change to two weeks but I noticed my corals wouldn’t look as happy before my water change. I feel like I’m feeding pretty heavy but I could be wrong. I feed twice a day one feeding is a full cube of mysis or calanus. Then the other is a healthy pinch of pellet food. My stocking is two clowns an orchid dottyback and possibly a Tailspot blenny (I haven’t seen him since I added him 2 weeks ago). I have thought about raising my skimmer up to just help with co2 scrubbing but my phosphates are between .1 and .15 usually so I don’t really want those to get higher just to raise my nitrates. Should I just try feeding even more or should I look into dosing nitrates to raise them. If you think I should dose what would you recommend. If there is any other information you need just let me know

Bag of chemipure elite will help regulate phosphate. Current running a refugium? At 4 months how is the algae in your tank?

 

[Uncle99]

Water change will reduce nitrates.
You can easily dose that in your range with Neo-Nitro (or the like), phosphate looks fine.

Feeding will raise both and takes some time to happen.

My nitrate is 15ppm and phosphate .15ppm years now.
It’s a mixed system, mine seems to like higher nutrient levels.

 

[Gtinnel]

For no more fish than you have I’d agree you’re feeding heavily. I would just start dosing nitrate so that you can raise it without raising phosphates, plus your phosphates may actually decrease with the dosing.

 

[Jekyl]

For no more fish than you have I’d agree you’re feeding heavily. I would just start dosing nitrate so that you can raise it without raising phosphates, plus your phosphates may actually decrease with the dosing.

At 4 months I feel algae is going to be a part of this. Might be soaking up the nitrate.

 

[tinyfellows]

Bag of chemipure elite will help regulate phosphate. Current running a refugium? At 4 months how is the algae in your tank?

I am not running a fuge. As for algae I have the standard new tank bright green algae on some of my rock not sure what kind it is but it doesn’t brush off and is slowly getting replace with coralline. I did notice a tiny patch of turf algae on my power head today but I scrubbed it off out of the tank.

 

[tinyfellows]

For no more fish than you have I’d agree you’re feeding heavily. I would just start dosing nitrate so that you can raise it without raising phosphates, plus your phosphates may actually decrease with the dosing.

I figured with the feeding as a lot of the food is going un eaten and going into my filter floss when the return pump turns back on.

 

[Gtinnel]

At 4 months I feel algae is going to be a part of this. Might be soaking up the nitrate.

Very possible although the OP didn’t mention an algae issue, but you bring up a good point.

 

[tinyfellows]

Forgot to add the tank is a Waterbox 20

 

[Jekyl]

I would add the chemipure to get phosphates in check and switch to 10% water changes for a couple weeks and see the results.

 

[Gtinnel]

I figured with the feeding as a lot of the food is going un eaten and going into my filter floss when the return pump turns back on.

I’m sure it probably is, but if trying to raise nutrients it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I usually recommend feeding more to raise nutrients at least until your phosphate or nitrates hit the level you want them. Since your phosphates are already high enough then feeding more isn’t the solution IMO. Since it doesn’t appear your nutrients are being used by a huge algae outbreak then dosing is the way I’d go.