Optimizing my (high) phosphate-to-nitrate ratio

[trapphd]

Hi all, I'd like to balance out my phosphate level for two main purposes: 1) to prevent issues growing easy SPS and 2) to marginally increase nitrates. My tank is a 20 gallon IM Peninsula AIO which has been running for two years and is quite stable in terms of parameters and water chemistry. However, for whatever reason, the phosphate level has consistently ran a bit high at 0.25 while nitrates have almost never exceeded 1-3. I feed generously (mostly LRS Reef Frenzy) but only have a pair of clowns and a YWG, so it isn't exactly a heavy bioload.

I'd like to reduce to 0.1 and raise to 5, respectively. I've always ran Chemi-Pure Blue but will swap one of the nano bags for a mini bag of Chemi-Pure Elite (only one, since it is a 10-gallon dose and I want to be careful with GFO). Will that be sufficient to reduce the phosphate level? (It seems the Blue does not effectively bind phosphate in saltwater applications.) I also recently began dosing a bit of NeoNitro daily. My hope is that, in tandem, those two strategies will gently shift each parameter in the direction I'm aiming for. Any insight or prior similar experience would be greatly appreciated!

 

[X-37B]

In my 20g I use 2 tablespoons of phosgaurd to keep levels below 0.1. Change when po4 gets 0.1.
I run no3 <5 & po4 at <0.1.
My no3 is typically around 1-2.

 

[Reef.]

Yeah blue doesn’t help with your phosphate in any meaningful way, elite would but is expensive for the amount you get, you might as well buy the product yourself separately, than get them to put it in a bag with other products then charge you many times more for it.

Don’t think you have a big issue here, you haven’t been using a po4 remover, use one and you should be fine.

 

[Timfish]

That seems fine. FWIW, average PO4 on reef systems can be as high as .21 and upwellin gcan expose corals to .3 mg/l. I would leave nitrate alone as urea, amino acids and ammonia are prefered by corals and not let PO4 drop below .05.

 

[Dan_P]

Hi all, I'd like to balance out my phosphate level for two main purposes: 1) to prevent issues growing easy SPS and 2) to marginally increase nitrates. My tank is a 20 gallon IM Peninsula AIO which has been running for two years and is quite stable in terms of parameters and water chemistry. However, for whatever reason, the phosphate level has consistently ran a bit high at 0.25 while nitrates have almost never exceeded 1-3. I feed generously (mostly LRS Reef Frenzy) but only have a pair of clowns and a YWG, so it isn't exactly a heavy bioload.

I'd like to reduce to 0.1 and raise to 5, respectively. I've always ran Chemi-Pure Blue but will swap one of the nano bags for a mini bag of Chemi-Pure Elite (only one, since it is a 10-gallon dose and I want to be careful with GFO). Will that be sufficient to reduce the phosphate level? (It seems the Blue does not effectively bind phosphate in saltwater applications.) I also recently began dosing a bit of NeoNitro daily. My hope is that, in tandem, those two strategies will gently shift each parameter in the direction I'm aiming for. Any insight or prior similar experience would be greatly appreciated!

Do you really have anything that needs fixing?

 

[trapphd]

Do you really have anything that needs fixing?

Honestly, this is a very valid question lol. I don’t necessarily want to chase numbers but it seems small enough that I’d like to hit an equilibrium, if possible. That’s why I’m only doing a minor filter media swap and minimal NeoNitro dosing. If they’re effective, it should only produce small changes and that’s what I’m chasing after! If nothing really happens, that’s fine too.

 

[Dan_P]

Honestly, this is a very valid question lol. I don’t necessarily want to chase numbers but it seems small enough that I’d like to hit an equilibrium, if possible. That’s why I’m only doing a minor filter media swap and minimal NeoNitro dosing. If they’re effective, it should only produce small changes and that’s what I’m chasing after! If nothing really happens, that’s fine too.

Happy hunting

 

[Acros]

IM makes a media rector for their AIO tanks. I run GFO in one of those when my phosphates get above 0.1 (rare occurrence).

It might be cheaper in the long term to buy the reactor and GFO, rather than spending money on chemipure.

 

[Reef.]

Double post.

 

[Reef.]

IM makes a media rector for their AIO tanks. I run GFO in one of those when my phosphates get above 0.1 (rare occurrence).

It might be cheaper in the long term to buy the reactor and GFO, rather than spending money on chemipure.

Aquamax do a reactor that will fit, you can’t even see it above the chamber line.

 

[Rmckoy]

Hi all, I'd like to balance out my phosphate level for two main purposes: 1) to prevent issues growing easy SPS and 2) to marginally increase nitrates. My tank is a 20 gallon IM Peninsula AIO which has been running for two years and is quite stable in terms of parameters and water chemistry. However, for whatever reason, the phosphate level has consistently ran a bit high at 0.25 while nitrates have almost never exceeded 1-3. I feed generously (mostly LRS Reef Frenzy) but only have a pair of clowns and a YWG, so it isn't exactly a heavy bioload.

I'd like to reduce to 0.1 and raise to 5, respectively. I've always ran Chemi-Pure Blue but will swap one of the nano bags for a mini bag of Chemi-Pure Elite (only one, since it is a 10-gallon dose and I want to be careful with GFO). Will that be sufficient to reduce the phosphate level? (It seems the Blue does not effectively bind phosphate in saltwater applications.) I also recently began dosing a bit of NeoNitro daily. My hope is that, in tandem, those two strategies will gently shift each parameter in the direction I'm aiming for. Any insight or prior similar experience would be greatly appreciated!

Once the system matures I have noticed phosphates are high in mine where I run rowaphos in the sump and also have to dose nitrates

 

[trapphd]

Thanks all for the super helpful input so far! Really appreciate it, even if it seems like I’m posing a fairly inconsequential question lol. I’m definitely going to keep the reactors in mind if this doesn’t materialize in a way that I’m looking for, I hadn’t even thought to approach it like that. I have my biweekly WC this weekend and will swap in the Elite. I’ll run tests periodically over the ensuing week and, based on any progress, will reassess if needed — likely to go the reactor route.

 

[Reef.]

Thanks all for the super helpful input so far! Really appreciate it, even if it seems like I’m posing a fairly inconsequential question lol. I’m definitely going to keep the reactors in mind if this doesn’t materialize in a way that I’m looking for, I hadn’t even thought to approach it like that. I have my biweekly WC this weekend and will swap in the Elite. I’ll run tests periodically over the ensuing week and, based on any progress, will reassess if needed — likely to go the reactor route.

You can always first try gfo in a bag, it’ll work but not as effectively as in a reactor, after all that is the way you are using chemipure.

 

[trapphd]

In case anyone is interested in an (unsolicited) follow-up, it's approximately two weeks later and my PO4 has been reading from 0.10 ppm through 0.25 ppm (Salifert test, so hard to pinpoint exactly) and NO3 has been reading 3-5 ppm. I added the Chemi-Pure Elite during my most recent WC as well.

So, the progress in both directions has been ... incremental, at best. I'm not dissatisfied but it is probably a signal to continue with the daily NeoNitro and just maintain these levels. After all, everything in the tank is still happy so I don't want to chase numbers without cause!