Struggling to keep nutrients up.

NewbsReef · Mar 10, 2020

Hello all, im struggling to keep No3 & Po4 up. 6am this morning No3 was 0 and Po4 was .60, this evening No3 was 3 and Po4 was 0. Im manually dosing No3 & Po4 usually testing 2-3 time a day now. All my sps have browned out. Its a struggle. My tank is a 40 breeder loaded with sps, system is about 3 years old. Have 3 blue chromis, 1 yellow tang and a small snowflake eel. I was bare bottom for awhile and about 5 months ago i decided to add sand, Aragonite dry sand to be exact. I did recently go through a small dino and algae bloom a few weeks ago.

Thinking as i type this. By me adding this dry sand kick start a mini cycle and create enough biological filtration to suck up all my nutrients?

Pic of one of my colonies before it went brown. taken 1/20. Notice all the cyano before it all went down hill.

Quietman · Mar 11, 2020

Do you dose consistent amounts or do you change based on your 2-3x daily test results?

Adding sand will cause issues as the tank adjusts to the new environment but 5 months should be enough time to achieve stability.

NewbsReef · Mar 11, 2020

Quietman said:
Do you dose consistent amounts or do you change based on your 2-3x daily test results?

Adding sand will cause issues as the tank adjusts to the new environment but 5 months should be enough time to achieve stability.

Thats whatci figured. Im only dosing when Po4 or No3 hit 0.

Neoalchemist · Mar 11, 2020

What does the algea situation in the tank look like now?

Quietman · Mar 11, 2020

Hmmm....so if it was me (and it's not because it's you

) I would figure out a routine dosing regimen. Same amount, same periodicity and monitor that once a week (maybe twice a week or more initially). I would get away from 2-3 x day testing as soon as I could. Stability wins every time.

Miller535 · Mar 11, 2020

NewbsReef said:
Thats whatci figured. Im only dosing when Po4 or No3 hit 0.

What level are you dosing to? So when you hit zero you dose it up to, 5ppm?

Also what are you using to test N an P?

NewbsReef · Mar 11, 2020

Neoalchemist said:
What does the algea situation in the tank look like now?

Had a crazy amount of green algae on the glass week but that gone now and the tanks clean.

NewbsReef · Mar 11, 2020

Quietman said:
Hmmm....so if it was me (and it's not because it's you ) I would figure out a routine dosing regimen. Same amount, same periodicity and monitor that once a week (maybe twice a week or more initially). I would get away from 2-3 x day testing as soon as I could. Stability wins every time.

Ill have to do that, I'm probably killing myself testing that many times a day and possibly making the situation worst.

NewbsReef · Mar 11, 2020

Miller535 said:
What level are you dosing to? So when you hit zero you dose it up to, 5ppm?

Also what are you using to test N an P?

I try to keep my No3 between 5-10ppm and Po4 0.4 - 1.0
Im using the Nyos for No3 and Hanna LR for Po4

Miller535 · Mar 11, 2020

NewbsReef said:
I try to keep my No3 between 5-10ppm and Po4 0.4 - 1.0
Im using the Nyos for No3 and Hanna LR for Po4

I would definitely cut down to testing once a day as others have said.

What are you running filtration wise? Bio pellets or anything like that?

NewbsReef · Mar 11, 2020

Miller535 said:
I would definitely cut down to testing once a day as others have said.

What are you running filtration wise? Bio pellets or anything like that?

Yeah I'm going to cut down on the testing. Filtration wise i only have 3 small rocks in my sump, bubble magus curve 5 skimmer and i use brs felt filter socks. (kinda thinking about ditching filter socks in general)

Miller535 · Mar 11, 2020

NewbsReef said:
Yeah I'm going to cut down on the testing. Filtration wise i only have 3 small rocks in my sump, bubble magus curve 5 skimmer and i use brs felt filter socks. (kinda thinking about ditching filter socks in general)

O.k. I was wondering if you were carbon dosing in some way. I stripped mine too low with bio pellets. But that's not your issue.

Do you have any dosers you could use? And dose slowly throughout the day, and just keep tweaking the dosers until they stay at your desired levels. Even if it's just like a cheap Jaebo doser. Like this:

NewbsReef · Mar 11, 2020

Miller535 said:
O.k. I was wondering if you were carbon dosing in some way. I stripped mine too low with bio pellets. But that's not your issue.

Do you have any dosers you could use? And dose slowly throughout the day, and just keep tweaking the dosers until they stay at your desired levels. Even if it's just like a cheap Jaebo doser. Like this:

No bio pellets, im trying to keep it simple. Im running a Kamoer doser for my Alk & Ca and i have no extra dosers laying around. I did my 1 test today at noon which is my lunch break and Po4 was @ 1.06. Its all over the place.

Miller535 · Mar 11, 2020

NewbsReef said:
No bio pellets, im trying to keep it simple. Im running a Kamoer doser for my Alk & Ca and i have no extra dosers laying around. I did my 1 test today at noon which is my lunch break and Po4 was @ 1.06. Its all over the place.

I do not claim to understand it. But I know there is a push-pull to Nitrate and phosphates.

NewbsReef · Mar 11, 2020

Miller535 said:
I do not claim to understand it. But I know there is a push-pull to Nitrate and phosphates.

I need a lab coat and to more research lol

Miller535 · Mar 11, 2020

NewbsReef said:
I need a lab coat and to more research lol

I hear you. You have to be half chemist to understand a lot of this stuff.

Don't quote me on this, but I BELIEVE that Nitrates and Phosphates both consume each other, to some extent. And many people like myself have overfiltered one of them out. I am currently in the boat of 0 Nitrates, .03 phosphates (phosphates are only that low due to GFO) and have ugly dinos. There needs to be a balance of Nitrates and phosphates.

NewbsReef · Mar 12, 2020

Miller535 said:
I hear you. You have to be half chemist to understand a lot of this stuff.

Don't quote me on this, but I BELIEVE that Nitrates and Phosphates both consume each other, to some extent. And many people like myself have overfiltered one of them out. I am currently in the boat of 0 Nitrates, .03 phosphates (phosphates are only that low due to GFO) and have ugly dinos. There needs to be a balance of Nitrates and phosphates.

Yeah i read something lastnight about the relationship of N and P amd the 16-1 ratio. So i gotta figure that out in my system.

Noon update since this will be my test time for a bit. No3 was 1ppm and Po4 0.0 and look who showed its ugly face all over my sandbed...

Miller535 · Mar 12, 2020

NewbsReef said:
Yeah i read something lastnight about the relationship of N and P amd the 16-1 ratio. So i gotta figure that out in my system.

Noon update since this will be my test time for a bit. No3 was 1ppm and Po4 0.0 and look who showed its ugly face all over my sandbed...

Even though it looks bad, I'd say you are moving in the right direction.