Raising nitrate and phosphates when macros are present

[Fishbird]

Hi everybody,

I have live rock with hitchhiker macros and hitchhiker stony corals. My nitrates and phosphates are testing at 0 which I assume is not exactly true because the macros are visibly growing. From what I’ve read I should also be trying to raise my nitrates and phosphates so that they are measurable even with the macros, in order to make sure my coral isn’t starving. Is this correct?

thanks!

 

[SMSREEF]

I like to see 5 to 10 nitrate and 0.05 to 0.1 phosphate on my tank.

I’ll never do the 0 nitrate and phosphate thing ever again... it caused me to get Dino’s.
But it took me months to figure that out.

I can’t keep nutrients up with feeding corals and inverts, So I dose nitrate and phosphate.

my corals look much better now. Everything was dying at 0.

 

[Fishbird]

Ok that’s what I thought. Thanks. What specific brands do you use for dosing? My tank is the fluval 13.5 so, it’s pretty tiny.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok that’s what I thought. Thanks. What specific brands do you use for dosing? My tank is the fluval 13.5 so, it’s pretty tiny.

I recommend food grade DIY products as opposed to brands of unknown purity.

 

[Fishbird]

Ha well in that case my question still stands. What do I use to raise nitrates and phosphates? I didn’t see anything in the sticky threads or in your articles on nitrate and phosphates though admittedly it’s been a long day so I may have missed something.

 

[SMSREEF]

Ok that’s what I thought. Thanks. What specific brands do you use for dosing? My tank is the fluval 13.5 so, it’s pretty tiny.

I have an IM 10 gallon so I can relate!
I have some Potassium phosphate and potassium nitrate that I got on amazon (food grade).
This is the calculator I use...

James' Planted Tank - Dosing Calculator

1-2 drop of phosphate brings level up fast So be careful. I add the nitrate to my Kalk that is dosed every night. You cannot add the phosphate to Kalk.

 

[Fishbird]

Thanks that is super helpful!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ha well in that case my question still stands. What do I use to raise nitrates and phosphates? I didn’t see anything in the sticky threads or in your articles on nitrate and phosphates though admittedly it’s been a long day so I may have missed something.

There are dozens of threads on it.

Sodium and potassium nitrate, and sodium or potassium phosphate (prefer sodium for both). Food grade or ACR reagent grade. Loudwolf is one of several brands. Amazon sells them. Etsy too.