Phyto and nitrates?

[OutsideBrian]

Does dosing phyto raise nitrate?
Newbie question of the day

 

[NY_Caveman]

Live Phytoplankton can actually photosynthesize in the tank and cause Nitrate to decrease. In my experience anyway.

 

[sghera64]

Does dosing phyto raise nitrate?
Newbie question of the day

Yes. If you fertilize the phyto heavily and it does not consume that, then you are dumping nitrate and phosphate into your tank with the phyto. Also, the phyto (contents) eventually works it’s way through food chain and ends up in the water. If something does not bind/incorporate it or remove it (skimmer) then it ends up accumulating as nitrate and phosphate in the water.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Yes in short. Heavy phyto feeding will increase no3 and po4.

 

[OutsideBrian]

Ok then do I NEED to dose it?
My tank is a few months old.
I was putting in 3ml into a 57 gallon / 20 sump system every few days because it’s “good for pods” - I added pods to seed the system.
My nitrates are a little high at 25, which I just started running a skimmer so I am hoping they start coming down.

 

[Gareth elliott]

When dosing phyto best would be to test your parameters often especially on a new setup.

Also in a system with few filter feeders phyto maybe working against you as there is a lot of variation in the microbial population for the first year or 2.

1 month the phyto may help the next your tank could end up green.

My advice would be test your nitrate and phosphate daily for a week and watch the ups and downs. Will let you know if phytoplankton is justified for your tank.

Also by phyto we mean the living like algaebarn or the dead ones like kent marine? If dead, dont dose that at all [emoji23]

Unless to a strictly culture tank. Will quickly add nutrients to a tank without added benefit.

 

[OutsideBrian]

Ok guess I will quit using it

 

[sghera64]

Ok guess I will quit using it

For now. Once you have a pod population that is necessary (like if you keep mandarins), you might want to resume. Start with small doses and build up slowly.

 

[OutsideBrian]

For now. Once you have a pod population that is necessary (like if you keep mandarins), you might want to resume. Start with small doses and build up slowly.

Well I do have pods all over the substrate and the rubble pit in my sump, is the phyto going to be necessary for their survival?
What would a small dose be considered?

 

[sghera64]

Well I do have pods all over the substrate and the rubble pit in my sump, is the phyto going to be necessary for their survival?
What would a small dose be considered?

No single right answer here. If it were me, I’d just leave the pods feast on what they may (detritus, micro algae from your natural fauna). But, if you had a benthic eater (like a Mandarin, or other pod eating Blenny), then I’d add a small amount of amount of green water to ensure the pods have enough food to reproduce faster than the pod-consumers can eat them. But it is a balance, you don’t want to add more micro algae than pods will consume, as evident by a steadily increase in phosphates and nitrates.

I believe your system is still relatively young (like < 1 yr). So, it is still building its biotope foundation.

 

[Cory]

I had the greenwater once lol. Entire tank was cloudy green. A uv light cleared it in 48 hours.

 

[Rick Fite]

This is the kind of thread I've been looking for. Always had a lingering concern over dosing phyto. I mean, the stuff is grown with nitrates, for Pete's sake. Stands to reason some amount of unconsumed growth media is introduced to the system upon dosing. Is it possible to somehow purify the phyto prior to dosing? Or perhaps time the phyto production very carefully, such that the growth media is mostly consumed by the time the phyto is introduced? Or is there a way to neutralize it, have it bind to something prior to dosing?