Question on Low Nutrient System

[AKL1950]

Got a question about my system. It’s only 10months along now, and I keep it fairly clean……maybe too clean. First Corals have been in since September. My NO3 and PO4 keep dropping to near zero. I have very little algae in the system and I feed twice daily and two medium algae clips a day for my 4 tangs and 2 Bellus angelfish. I am currently dosing 20 ml of NeoNitro and 20 ml of NeoPhos every other day. NO3 hovers around 4-6 and PO4 stays at 0.01. UV and skimmer run 24/7 and filter socks are changes every 2-3 days. Auto water change of 2.5 gal/day with IO Reef Crystals. DT plus sump is about 180 gallons of water And bare bottom. Other parameters are as follows:

Temp. 79-80.5
Salinity. 35.0
PH. 8.05-8.20
Alk. 8.0-8.1
Ca. 465
Mag. 1470

Everything is quite stable, but I seem to be needing more and more nutrient dosing each week to keep the nitrates and phosphates above zero. Corals are all growing well. Is this normal, that as the corals grow, I will need to continually increase my dosing to keep up with them? I’m also dosing 15ml Alk, 4ml Ca and 3ml Aminos everyday. Haven’t started dosing Mag yet since it’s just now dropping below the 1500 level.

Looking for Suggestions on things to consider or confirmation I’m doing okay with very low nutrients. Photos from this morning.

 

[SDchris]

Trust what your corals are telling you, not a pre defined nutrient level. There is no one size fits all.

Corals are all growing well. Is this normal, that as the corals grow, I will need to continually increase my dosing to keep up with them?

Your substrate will be taking up most of those nutrients. That will ebb and flow over time, so you will need to adjust your dosing as that happens.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd increase the neophos dose a bit to get phosphate up a little higher to maybe halp corals more but also to help prevent dinos. Othwerwise things seem good to me!

When the Neophos runs out, I'd switch to food grade sodium phosphate. It's cheaper and has a purity guarantee that Brightwell does not provide.

 

[AKL1950]

I'd increase the neophos dose a bit to get phosphate up a little higher to maybe halp corals more but also to help prevent dinos. Othwerwise things seem good to me!

When the Neophos runs out, I'd switch to food grade sodium phosphate. It's cheaper and has a purity guarantee that Brightwell does not provide.

Thanks Randy. Is there also a less expensive alternative to NeoNitro?

 

[Troylee]

Thanks Randy. Is there also a less expensive alternative to NeoNitro?

Stump remover.

 

[billyocean]

I'd increase the neophos dose a bit to get phosphate up a little higher to maybe halp corals more but also to help prevent dinos. Othwerwise things seem good to me!

When the Neophos runs out, I'd switch to food grade sodium phosphate. It's cheaper and has a purity guarantee that Brightwell does not provide.

Would that be monobasic or dibasic sodium phosphate?

 

[billyocean]

Thanks Randy. Is there also a less expensive alternative to NeoNitro?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would that be monobasic or dibasic sodium phosphate?

Any of mono, di or tribasic sodium phosphate is fine. Food grade.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Stump remover.

I’m not a fan of stump remover. It adds too much potassium unless you are carefully monitoring potassium, and has no purity guarantee.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Randy. Is there also a less expensive alternative to NeoNitro?

Food or ACS grade sodium or calcium nitrate.

 

[AKL1950]

Food or ACS grade sodium or calcium nitrate.

Layman’s question. When you use sodium or calcium nitrate, as it breaks down, does that affect your salinity or calcium content as well? I assume we are talking about small amounts, but over time will it have an affect on other things in the water? Just asking out of curiosity.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Layman’s question. When you use sodium or calcium nitrate, as it breaks down, does that affect your salinity or calcium content as well? I assume we are talking about small amounts, but over time will it have an affect on other things in the water? Just asking out of curiosity.

Any nitrate dosing boosts alkalinity a small amount as the nitrate is consumed. 2.3 dKH for each 50 ppm nitrate. consumed.

Using calcium nitrate adds a balanced amount of alk and calcium )like kalkwasser, equal parts of most two parts, or a CaCO3/CO2 reactor). 2.8 dKH for each 20 ppm of calcium.

The impact on salinity is VERY small. Seawater is about 35,000 ppm total salts. Boosting nitrate by 2 ppm adds less than 3 ppm of sodium nitrate, and more than half of that goes away when the nitrate is consumed.

 

[billyocean]

I'd increase the neophos dose a bit to get phosphate up a little higher to maybe halp corals more but also to help prevent dinos. Othwerwise things seem good to me!

When the Neophos runs out, I'd switch to food grade sodium phosphate. It's cheaper and has a purity guarantee that Brightwell does not provide.

Is there a rodi/gram mixing and dosing level of the sodium phosphate. Will probably order loudwolf.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Is there a rodi/gram mixing and dosing level of the sodium phosphate. Will probably order loudwolf.

I recommend using this calculator and the entry for "phosphate from potassium phosphate". It will be close enough.

James' Planted Tank - Dosing Calculator