Nitrates have left town...

[Salty_Northerner]

Calcium carbonate binds phosphate to its surface just like GFO and aluminum oxide do. There is a fixed amount of surface area so the binding is limited by that area.

Ok good to know thank you. So isn't our sand beds calcium carbonate (crushed corals) do would that cause sand bet to harden up? I know we had this discussion in another thread but like I said I'm a sponge and want to soak up everything possible!

 

[LOVEROCK]

That statement is just lunacy. IMO, it is good advice to NOT believe anything Brightwell claims without independent verification.

ALL reef tanks and ALL parts of the ocean are organic carbon limited for bacterial growth. All that means is that if you add organic carbon, there will be more bacterial growth. If that were not the case, such as in a reef tank that was totally stripped of something the bacteria needed, corals would also not get what they need and would already be dead.

If one did have a carbon limited situation (say, bacteria in seawater lacking any dissolved organics), how does that cause dosed nitrate to be consumed extra fast?

Just ignore that statement and dose more or feed more, and when the Neonitro runs out, switch to sodium or calcium nitrate, food grade from amazon or elsewhere. It is cheaper and comes with a purity assurance that Brightwell does not provide.

Is potassium nitrate okay ?

 

[Troylee]

You and me both, heck we always tried to keep nutrients down but now so many posts people can't keep nutrients in the system! I know equipment is better but also back in the day we all or most all used real live Rock. I wonder if that coincides now to back then perhaps, or food just has gotten less nutrients in it then before?

I think it’s because most people start with a sterile system and then use roller mats which remove everything in the water column before it can break down or serve its purpose.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

I think it’s because most people start with a sterile system and then use roller mats which remove everything in the water column before it can break down or serve its purpose.

Yup that's for sure, I spoke to BRS about this and was told I basically need to let nature take its course. Don't be cleaning the filter socks and let them get dirty. That's the natural way. I removed the socks last night and tossed them into the washing machine with hot water and javex bleach in heavy duty wash with extra rinse cycle. Then turned them inside out, well I had them inside out on the first wash them flipped them back for just a hot water wash. Came out clean and popped them back in after they air dried. Now I'm leaving them. Adding flake food, and small amounts of small pellets. The fish really are little pigs but they still get there Mysis shrimp. Going to leave the nitrate factory going and skip this week's 10% WC and see in 7 days what the system does.

Hopefully I can find a trend and stop dosing nitrates and phosphate. I'm sure for myself I'll find a trend and what works and what doesn't and what keeps things stable without a negative way. I want balance and stability then lean towards TM balance NP on a dosing regiment. Something the system can adapt to and use for nutrients all without over feeding wish me luck!

 

[Salty_Northerner]

@Troylee

I'm hoping that in time the use of NP balance works alone and if not at least I can experiment using the 100g box of TM bio actif salt which carbon doses. Maybe it'll keep harmony with just small water changes one a week or longer but only time will tell if I stay slow and not rush as usual and find the pattern the system likes the best.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

It is interesting, I will admit how many posts there are now with "lack of nutrients". Maybe I am just noticing them (posts) because this is happening to me now. It wasn’t always like this, my other tanks it is the usual battle with too much.
This is my theoretical observation. My fast growing SPS are sucking up all my Nutrients, leaving the slow growing ones to suffer. If I add more nutrients the fast ones grow even faster and it becomes a viscous cycle.
Just a theory... Maybe if I did some pruning and my nutrients went up I would be able to form some sort of hypothesis as to whats going on.

 

[52728299]

Calcium nitrate as Randy has been posting in all these threads lately.

@Randy Holmes-Farley what's the deal with so many posts recently on low nutrients? Is this a time of the year issue?

I'm having this issue at the moment too. My system is about the same age as the op's too. It's curious because I've always had 10+ no3 it once even spiked way up but now its at zero and I'm getting growth in the sand bed and its spreading to the rockwork.. Didn't know it was a rampant issue as of late. It is weird.

 

[52728299]

Calcium carbonate binds phosphate to its surface just like GFO and aluminum oxide do. There is a fixed amount of surface area so the binding is limited by that area.

I've been dosing calcium carbonate mixed with mb7 and rodi water 2 to 3 times a week. I also run gfo in a reactor. My last reading of po4 was 0.2 a couple days ago but my nitrates were bottomed out. Anything that im doing causing that? I also feed 3 types of food 3 times a day plus nori 1 to 2 times and a little bit of freeze dried blackworms. 100g tank with about 14 fish these days

 

[Pod_01]

Rock does bind phosphate and that certainly may play a role.

Randy, just so I understand. This statement applies to all types of Phosphate or is this only applicable to Ortho-phospate PO4?
I had probably incorrect understanding that orthodox-phosphate (the one we measure with titration kits) did bind to rock, other types might not.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok good to know thank you. So isn't our sand beds calcium carbonate (crushed corals) do would that cause sand bet to harden up? I know we had this discussion in another thread but like I said I'm a sponge and want to soak up everything possible!

Binding phosphate doesn’t cause hardening. Ongoing precipitation of calcium carbonate does.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Binding phosphate doesn’t cause hardening. Ongoing precipitation of calcium carbonate does.

Quick question, I believe we found the can't keep nutrients in the system. We just received a new online order today and my wife took a good look at the bactor7. She believes we've been overdosing it by 8x the amount where we should only be dosing 0.7ml

It that a big possibility we've been having nothing positive for raising the nutrients?