Reef phosphate level

[Jgill70]

I tested my phosphate on a Hanna ulr phosphate test and it’s .22, my nitrate is 6.4. Is my phosphate to high and nitrate to low?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Those are ok. Nitrate is not too low. Phosphate is marginal.

 

[exnisstech]

Very similar to one of my tank. Nitrates 8-10ppm phosphate 0.25-0.45 tank looks happy so don't intervene.

 

[Jgill70]

Those are ok. Nitrate is not too low. Phosphate is marginal.

What level should I have for nitrates. Im trying to have great color in my corals

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What level should I have for nitrates. Im trying to have great color in my corals

I recommend 2-10 ppm nitrate, with higher better than lower if outside that range.

 

[rishma]

I prefer to keep phosphate around 0.06-0.12 ppm. In my tank I would try to bring down phosphate from 0.22 because I get hair algae issues when it’s that high.
Nitrate I shoot for >5 but in my tank it naturally tends to be lower so I don’t worry about an upper limit. I use 5 ppm because it gives me a cushion from hitting zero. I see no issues when it hits 1-2 ppm but I tend to raise because I don’t want it at zero.

All that said, I don’t think there are absolutes with these nutrients. There are many amazing rankings that run higher levels. If your tank is happy, I recommend you take note, monitor, and take action when you see the values coincident with issues in the tank.

 

[Pod_01]

What level should I have for nitrates. Im trying to have great color in my corals

Colour is such a subjective thing,

For example here are my NO3 and PO4 values:

And here are some corals:

Maybe that helps,

As an aside, I don’t try to reduce my PO4 these days, it never ended well for me.


Good luck,