red sea AB+ nitrate and phosphate

[M4sonic]

My 18 month old 25g waterbox has been struggling with low phosphate and nitrate since the start ( nitrate 1-4 phosphate 0.00 - 0.04).
Feeding more is not really an option since i already broadcast feed a full cube of mysis and extra flakes to my 5 fish.

So i wanted to try red sea AB+ to try and raise the values (and feed my coral) but all it does is drop phosphate and nitrate down to 0.0
I have found no info on why this would be happening, anyone with experience that could chime in on this?

 

[blaxsun]

AB+ will add phosphates. Reef Roids will add more phosphates.

 

[M4sonic]

AB+ will add phosphates. Reef Roids will add more phosphates.

It sure doesn't seem to in my tank

 

[blaxsun]

It sure doesn't seem to in my tank

You could try a different test kit. Nyos and Salifert are pretty good.

 

[M4sonic]

You could try a different test kit. Nyos and Salifert are pretty good.

I use a hanna and salifert for phosphate and nyos and salifert for nitrate.
Both tests come to the same conclusion for the respective element.

I also have a powdered coral food from aquaforest and that doesn't drop my nutrients but it doesn't raise them either.

 

[blaxsun]

If you have a skimmer, you could turn it off for a bit. If you're using filter floss or filter socks you could change them out less frequently. Beyond that, dosing might be your best option.

 

[M4sonic]

My working theory is that the addition of a powerful coral food like AB+ jumpstarts the corals making them drain the water of nutrients.
This would mean i need to keep dosing regardless if my nutrients test at 0.0
I'm just not comfortable doing this for fear of dinos and whatnot.

But i could be way off base here so im not sure what to do.

 

[M4sonic]

If you have a skimmer, you could turn it off for a bit. If you're using filter floss or filter socks you could change them out less frequently. Beyond that, dosing might be your best option.

No skimmer, and i leave the filterfloss till it starts to overfill the display.
I've been trying pretty much anything and everything for over a year and keep tiptoeing the 0.0

 

[LgTas]

Or its jumpstarting your bacteria and they're stripping your nutrients?

I dont have any mechanical filtration, just a fuge and I have to dose nutrients. I reckon that's your best bet.

 

[M4sonic]

Or its jumpstarting your bacteria and they're stripping your nutrients?

I dont have any mechanical filtration, just a fuge and I have to dose nutrients. I reckon that's your best bet.

I had this tought as well, and i do dose nutrients when i drop to 0.0 and i noticed it would raise nutrients for a day and then it would drop back down to the range i stated earlier. which took me off the idea, since the bacteria dont use the nutrients as far as i know.

I dont really want to dose nutrients manually long term if i can help it.
I'm figuring there must be a rhyme and reason to this but i can't seem to figure it out.

 

[nothing_fancy]

I don’t think ab+ should be used to move nutrient numbers. For moving number id dose neonitro, it’s measurable and works. Pellet food like the pE pellets will raise po4 and inverts love it especially shrimp which is also a bit macabre…

 

[Lavey29]

My working theory is that the addition of a powerful coral food like AB+ jumpstarts the corals making them drain the water of nutrients.
This would mean i need to keep dosing regardless if my nutrients test at 0.0
I'm just not comfortable doing this for fear of dinos and whatnot.

But i could be way off base here so im not sure what to do.

AB plus is designed to work with an ultra low nutrients system as is the whole Red Sea concept for reefing.

 

[M4sonic]

I don’t think ab+ should be used to move nutrient numbers. For moving number id dose neonitro, it’s measurable and works. Pellet food like the pE pellets will raise po4 and inverts love it especially shrimp which is also a bit macabre…

if i were to dose nutrients long term would i be able to mix a nitrate and phosphate additive together in 1 bottle? i have 1 spare doser i could use.
or could i only dose 1? (if im not mistaken phosphate was the most important for coral health?)

 

[M4sonic]

AB plus is designed to work with an ultra low nutrients system as is the whole Red Sea concept for reefing.

yeah i dont understand how AB+ fits into a ulns from judging the instructions, the regular dose is 4ml/100L but for a ulns they suggest 12ml/100L
If AB+ raises nutrients wouldn't it need to be dosed less in a ulns?

 

[Outlaw Corals]

My 18 month old 25g waterbox has been struggling with low phosphate and nitrate since the start ( nitrate 1-4 phosphate 0.00 - 0.04).
Feeding more is not really an option since i already broadcast feed a full cube of mysis and extra flakes to my 5 fish.

So i wanted to try red sea AB+ to try and raise the values (and feed my coral) but all it does is drop phosphate and nitrate down to 0.0
I have found no info on why this would be happening, anyone with experience that could chime in on this?

When you dose the AB+ do you shut all the pumps down for a little while

 

[M4sonic]

When you dose the AB+ do you shut all the pumps down for a little while

I do, pretty cool watching a nuclear cloud slowly take over the tank

 

[sushiboss]

My 18 month old 25g waterbox has been struggling with low phosphate and nitrate since the start ( nitrate 1-4 phosphate 0.00 - 0.04).
Feeding more is not really an option since i already broadcast feed a full cube of mysis and extra flakes to my 5 fish.

So i wanted to try red sea AB+ to try and raise the values (and feed my coral) but all it does is drop phosphate and nitrate down to 0.0
I have found no info on why this would be happening, anyone with experience that could chime in on this?

Hey there fellow reefer

I’ve been dosing ab+ for about 4 months in my nano reef 15g and my 40b and here’s my .02$.

It absolutely raises phosphates and it’s my opinion that it actually raises nitrates a bit as well.

It’s anecdotal as I’m not testing every single day but rather once a week.

I’ve since stopped dosing coral nutrition ab+ as I’ve been having some gha issues. And I strongly believe the coral food is the culprit.

In the last 4 months my 40b went from consistently bottoming out on phosphates to increasing to .12. There have been no new changes to environment no new corals fish etc. thus the algae problem.

In my 15g nano (it’s been 2 weeks since I’ve dosed ab+ daily) still dose but irregular maybe 1-2 times a week I test my nitrate and phosphate every single Sunday at the exact same time every week. My nitrates remain pretty steady at or near 22. This past Sunday my nitrates tested at 9.

All tests done using Hanna nitrate and ulr checker.

It’s obviously anecdotal and not extremely scientific but it’s my firm belief that these will increase nutrients of both phosphate and nitrates.

I dosed every single day in that 4 months span and I’ve gotten great growth but the adverse effects I’m seeing have me conflicted. I will continue to use this product due to its ease of use and results but I need to change something about my nutrient export.

I have no thoughts on why it would decrease youre nutrients as I did not experience that whatsoever but every tank is different.

 

[nothing_fancy]

if i were to dose nutrients long term would i be able to mix a nitrate and phosphate additive together in 1 bottle? i have 1 spare doser i could use.
or could i only dose 1? (if im not mistaken phosphate was the most important for coral health?)

Well, hopefully you won't have to dose long term as at some point you should have nutrients if you're feeding fish etc. If you're looking for a mixed no3 po4 solution you could look into tropic Marin Plus NP. The thing about dosing nitrates or phos is that it can be tricky because it takes a while to become noticeable on a test, could take 24 hours so its possible for you to overdose and you would have to hand check daily. Plus NP comes in a pump bottle and is easy to add by hand daily If needed. As far as coral health, nutrient levels are somewhat of an opinion with most people agreeing that some no3 and po4 is good for corals. This is true IMO having tried running a ULNS system for some time and found no benefit to doing this. I shoot for under .05-.1 po4 and around 8-10 no3.

 

[M4sonic]

Well, hopefully you won't have to dose long term as at some point you should have nutrients if you're feeding fish etc. If you're looking for a mixed no3 po4 solution you could look into tropic Marin Plus NP. The thing about dosing nitrates or phos is that it can be tricky because it takes a while to become noticeable on a test, could take 24 hours so its possible for you to overdose and you would have to hand check daily. Plus NP comes in a pump bottle and is easy to add by hand daily If needed. As far as coral health, nutrient levels are somewhat of an opinion with most people agreeing that some no3 and po4 is good for corals. This is true IMO having tried running a ULNS system for some time and found no benefit to doing this. I shoot for under .05-.1 po4 and around 8-10 no3.

Thanks for the insight!
i read about TM plus np but was made to believe a skimmer was required since it is a form of carbon dosing?

 

[vetteguy53081]

My 18 month old 25g waterbox has been struggling with low phosphate and nitrate since the start ( nitrate 1-4 phosphate 0.00 - 0.04).
Feeding more is not really an option since i already broadcast feed a full cube of mysis and extra flakes to my 5 fish.

So i wanted to try red sea AB+ to try and raise the values (and feed my coral) but all it does is drop phosphate and nitrate down to 0.0
I have found no info on why this would be happening, anyone with experience that could chime in on this?

It raises Phos and nitrate for me which is why I use it sparingly.