Still no Nitrates?!

[BetterJake]

Tank is on day 16. Used LFS live rock and sand. And dosed MicroBacter7 from day 1 - day 14 accoriding to the new tank dosing instructions on the bottle.

Over the past week Nitrates are undetectable while phosphate is making a steady climb (today's reading was 0.15 PPM). Should I be doing anything here? I have one clownfish and two cardinalfish in the tank. I assumed I'd be seeing some nitrates by now?

What are my next steps here? Should I wait a couple more days, perhaps the MB7 bottomed out my Nitrates? I am starting to see some green algae as well.

Thanks!

 

[Goby Bryant]

I think MB7 bottomed it out. Should bounce back

 

[ABQ_CHRIS]

I don't believe that MB7 contains bacteria that take nitrate to nitrogen gas, but I am no expert. I would also think that that presence of algae means that you have SOME nitrates in the water. I had undetectable nitrates (and use MB7) for about a month.

I don't think that there is anything that you need to do. Carry on, keep testing, and happy reefing.

 

[OfficeReefer]

@BetterJake I'm going to agree with the consensus. It's likely the LR you have and other micro-biome organisms have already started processing your nitrates. Try a lights out for a day and measure between to determine if the algae is absorbing them. TBH, if there's not a massive break out and its not a very large tank that would be hard to change course, I too say carry on.

 

[neo1738]

If you don't have nitrates you either have alage or your tank isn't fully cycled and you shouldn't have fish in it.

 

[ScubaFish802]

When I started my new tank I added about 50% or so more rock, it took a few weeks where seemingly all nutrients would vanish (lacking large amounts of algae or any other export) then all of a sudden it seemed like the rocks had reached saturation and the real level hit and stuck. I went from dosing and having them keep getting sucked up to hitting 5-10ppm steady.
I wonder if your tank is still sucking everything up

 

[BetterJake]

@BetterJake I'm going to agree with the consensus. It's likely the LR you have and other micro-biome organisms have already started processing your nitrates. Try a lights out for a day and measure between to determine if the algae is absorbing them. TBH, if there's not a massive break out and its not a very large tank that would be hard to change course, I too say carry on.

Seems I'm on the verge of an algae breakout, noticing green patches on the sand bed. The tanks is a reefer 250 so 65 gallon total volume.

 

[Lavey29]

MB7 reduces nitrates. Says right on the bottle description so by dosing it you are bottoming out your nitrates.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Do you have fish in the tank? Feeding?

 

[BetterJake]

Do you have fish in the tank? Feeding?

One clownfish and two cardinalfish. Feeding some frozen mysis and chroma pellets twice per day

 

[ReefGeezer]

You just have a lot of nitrate reducing potential in the tank. Phosphate on the other hand is probably being leached from the used live rock and sand and be added by the pellets.

 

[BetterJake]

You just have a lot of nitrate reducing potential in the tank. Phosphate on the other hand is probably being leached from the used live rock and sand and be added by the pellets.

Thanks for the input. Going to stay put for the moment. Also I like that Hawkfish in your photo. I'm pretty set on getting a flame, they are so cool

 

[ReefGeezer]

Thanks for the input. Going to stay put for the moment. Also I like that Hawkfish in your photo. I'm pretty set on getting a flame, they are so cool

They can be a little aggressive. Make sure he's one of the last fish you stock.

 

[Goby Bryant]

MB7 reduces nitrates. Says right on the bottle description so by dosing it you are bottoming out your nitrates.

Thank you!