No nitrates, low phosphates..... next step?

[Reefahholic]

For these products how much do you dose?


is there a chart somewhere?

This calculator is the one I use, but it’s not pulling up for some reason.

 

[BayouReefer]

@Reefahholic thanks I will look it up.

 

[Ashley Kekua]

why not just feed more?

 

[Ashley Kekua]

forgiv my question

 

[nickkohrn]

For these products how much do you dose?


is there a chart somewhere?

This thread of mine may help you. I used the referenced calculator and the same Loudwolf sodium nitrate to make a stock solution with a concentration of 5ppm. I didn't dose the single ~51mL that they calculator suggested. Instead, I took the approach of dividing that over a couple of weeks, which ended up to ~3mL/day. I let my doser add that amount each day, and it eventually rose to a steady ~5ppm. A month ago, I stopped dosing and started feeding 4x/day. I tested yesterday, and my nitrates are back to 0ppm. So, I will be going back to the dosing method.

I hope this helps!

 

[afuel]

I have the same issue on a 60g cube. I run a refugium, mostly to help with pods for a mandarin (not sure if this really helps, but I feel like it does). My phosphates run a little higher, or have been, so it's also helped with that. However, I can't get my nitrates up no matter how much I feed. I have some NeoNitro, haven't started dosing yet but I think I'm going to give it a shot.

For those of you that do dose it, do you start off testing and dosing daily, every other day, once a week?

I’ve had good luck using the NeoNitro and the calculator it has on its back label. I don’t like resorting to dosing but I had zero detectable nitrates using the low range Red Sea teat kit for 1 1/2 yrs and but had high phosphates up around 2.3. After a yr of using small amounts of GFO and bringing it down slowly one weekend it finally hit 0.8 and I took the GFO reactor off line. The next week I hit 0.4 then the next I was at 0. Then came the Dino’s and 4 months of hell. So I now dose nitrates to keep them around 5 I’m not going down that long black road again.

 

[SeaDweller]

why not just feed more?

Heavy import, heavy export. He's probably achieved feeding nirvana.

How much are you feeding per feeding? It may be too little.

If nothing is dying, losing color, losing tissue, going downhill, I'd be inclined not to worry. You said it yourself OP: time for more fish. I'd do this over dosing, tbh.

 

[link81]

Heavy import, heavy export. He's probably achieved feeding nirvana.

How much are you feeding per feeding? It may be too little.

If nothing is dying, losing color, losing tissue, going downhill, I'd be inclined not to worry. You said it yourself OP: time for more fish. I'd do this over dosing, tbh.

I like the way you think, I wish i could fit a tang lol, they're fun to look at and messy. maybe a jawfish or 2 and something that swims like crazy.

 

[SeaDweller]

I like the way you think, I wish i could fit a tang lol, they're fun to look at and messy. maybe a jawfish or 2 and something that swims like crazy.

chromis, anthias, damsels (I know they get a bad rap); but these small(er) fish, if you add a few can help with increasing the bioload, movement, and help add nutrients into the water. Your water is clean, so maybe up how much you feed per feeding?

 

[malacoda]

For these products how much do you dose?


is there a chart somewhere?

I use the dosing calculator spreadsheet created by Stratos. The article and link is posted mcarroll's blog in the article 'A Nitrate Dosing Calculator for Better Tank Health'.

 

[drblakjak55]

let the ecosystem in the rocks, sand and refugium take care of everything.
Dosing doesn’t make sense if everything is doing well. But you are the only judge.

 

[PlasmaBoy]

I have a small bioload, 4 clowns and a tang in my 130g. I found it hard to get nitrate to read on any kit. Pale corals , low growth etc. so I dose potassium nitrate. But phosphate I believe is always present unless using GFO etc finding a balance is hard with phosphate, I have found phosphate Rx won't drop phosphate too low, but enough to keep coral happy. So with no phosphate readings in my tank I dose phosphate Rx, crazy as it sounds it keeps phosphate low but existent. Nitrate you can dial in based on your lighting ( there is a correlation I believe) . A little bit of GAC and consistent small water changes to keep all trace sorted. And BIG light and flow! for big bioload tanks fish poop works