No Detectable Phosphate or Nitrates

[cmcimino]

I have had some issues with some LPS looking pale, or translucent since starting up my 75 gallon. Particularly chalices, and my frogspawn. I have had the tank up and running about a year now, run two part for dosing. My SPS does fine, although I feel like it could be more vibrant. I have had nutrient issues with the tank for a while now. I am not reading hardly any phosphate with my ULR checker around 1-3 ppb. My nitrates are undetectable unless I dose KNO3. With dosing nitrates I see an uptick in algae growth so I try not to dose too much. 1/6th tsp for 80 gallons of water volume per day.

Tank parameters are listed below:
Alk: 8.5-9.0 DKH (stays stable with little to 0 swings)
Calc: 420-430 ppm
Magnesium: 1320 ppm
Phosphates: 0-3 ppb
Nitrates: 0-2 ppm (if dosed)
Temp: 80 to 81 during warm months
pH: 8.03-8.1

I perform 5-10 gallon water changes once a week, using Red Sea Blue Bucket. I currently run a skimmer and a refugium.

Lighting is 2, Gen 3 XR30s and 1 Gen 4 XR15Pro. Par is about 180-160 at my SPS, and 100-80 at most of my LPS. Ramp from 12-4. 4-10 is full light. 10-1 is ram down.

Livestock is mixed corals, two clowns, and a line spot flasher wrasse, so I have a small bioload on the tank which is probably one reason I have 0 nutrients in the tank. I had two other wrasse in the tank but I lost them to jumping. I now have a lid and I am working on stocking the tank.

Bottom line is my corals grow, they don't look negatively affected in anyway, other than them being pale. I am considering getting an ICP test to get a good reading of all my parameters to maybe understand what else is going on.

Today I decided to take my skimmer offline to try and raise my nutrients. What other options can I do to help raise my phosphates and nitrates?

 

[P-Dub]

Turning off skimmer first is what I suggest. Trim your algae more often in your refugium as well. Other than that...dose.

 

[jda]

My N and P are in the same range - about 3-4 ppb of P and I need an IC test to find any N. Once you have a surplus if building blocks, then you have a surplus... more of a surplus does not do anything. N and P are not food where more can create more energy. In any case, if you want more, feed more since corals prefer to get nitrogen from Ammonia and Ammonium and not so much nitrate.

I don't keep any LPS, but my bounce mushrooms, jawbreaker mushrooms grow like crazy and the SPS love it. My normal stance is that coloration issues in corals is mostly due to lighting... are you running enough whites, reds and greens with your Radions? They really help to color corals up. These are under 14k:

 

[mshur]

My N and P are in the same range - about 3-4 ppb of P and I need an IC test to find any N. Once you have a surplus if building blocks, then you have a surplus... more of a surplus does not do anything. N and P are not food where more can create more energy. In any case, if you want more, feed more since corals prefer to get nitrogen from Ammonia and Ammonium and not so much nitrate.

I don't keep any LPS, but my bounce mushrooms, jawbreaker mushrooms grow like crazy and the SPS love it. My normal stance is that coloration issues in corals is mostly due to lighting... are you running enough whites, reds and greens with your Radions? They really help to color corals up. These are under 14k:

That Enchinata is sick!!! Is it original ice and Fire? Nice colors...

 

[User1]

My N and P are in the same range - about 3-4 ppb of P and I need an IC test to find any N. Once you have a surplus if building blocks, then you have a surplus... more of a surplus does not do anything. N and P are not food where more can create more energy. In any case, if you want more, feed more since corals prefer to get nitrogen from Ammonia and Ammonium and not so much nitrate.

I don't keep any LPS, but my bounce mushrooms, jawbreaker mushrooms grow like crazy and the SPS love it. My normal stance is that coloration issues in corals is mostly due to lighting... are you running enough whites, reds and greens with your Radions? They really help to color corals up. These are under 14k:

You have an excellent system there. Keep up the great work.

 

[cmcimino]

Okay, so after turning off my skimmer and not running it for a week I now have .1 ppm of phosphate and .5 ppm of nitrate. I would like to bring down my phosphates down because .1 ppm is a little high. Do you all suggest turning the skimmer back on, or running my refugium longer? Right now I am running it for 10.5 hours.

 

[GK3]

Okay, so after turning off my skimmer and not running it for a week I now have .1 ppm of phosphate and .5 ppm of nitrate. I would like to bring down my phosphates down because .1 ppm is a little high. Do you all suggest turning the skimmer back on, or running my refugium longer? Right now I am running it for 10.5 hours.

I had an issue with a tank a year or two ago where I could never detect a single nitrate or phosphate and this my corals weren’t growing super well. Guy at my LFS said to buy a piece of frozen shrimp and throw it in your sump. It will release nutrients above what your normal bioload does, it will raise your nitrates and phosphates, and if you added to big and piece and they get too high, just take it out and use a smaller piece. I wasn’t doing SPS at the time, but this seemed like a decent idea aside from not being able to exactly measure the nutrients added. Figured I’d share.

 

[Hallowhead]

I am currently in the same boat with my zoa's they're closing up and not as open as they were a week ago. I read that the zoa's don't do well with 0 nitrates so I tested my nitrates and sure in fact they were zero. I began dosing more food so that more ammonia was converted to nitrite and than to nitrate this in turn resulted in more open zoa's. I might add my protein skimmer to a timer so that it isn't on all day. I've ordered 2 more fish to produce more waste. It's weird I thought the name of the game was to filter all the "crap" out but it turns out you need some "crap"

 

[cmcimino]

I had an issue with a tank a year or two ago where I could never detect a single nitrate or phosphate and this my corals weren’t growing super well. Guy at my LFS said to buy a piece of frozen shrimp and throw it in your sump. It will release nutrients above what your normal bioload does, it will raise your nitrates and phosphates, and if you added to big and piece and they get too high, just take it out and use a smaller piece. I wasn’t doing SPS at the time, but this seemed like a decent idea aside from not being able to exactly measure the nutrients added. Figured I’d share.

Doesn't sound like a bad idea! I think my low bioload is killing me. I plan on adding more fish soon, so hopefully this will help.