Trimmed macros then BAM nitrate spike?

[yarddoctor123]

I am going to cross my fingers cause it is time to trim again. All these grow like weeds!
I will post my before no3 and post no3
Thank you Randy and have a wonderful Friday !

And, "survey says....?!" BTW, I did transfer some chaeto from another tank back into my display sump.

 

[veselym]

@twilliard, have you noticed any increase in phosphates when dosing potassium nitrate? still trying to figure out what caused a massive spike in algae/cyano and browning of sps

I only dosed up to .5ppm but it seems that the nitrate dosing was the cause

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I cannot really think of a scenario where adding nitrate causes phosphate to rise, but it certainly could cause an algae and cyano problem and the browning of corals by supplying a limited nutrient to the system (the nitrate).

 

[veselym]

so maybe go higher than .5? or up my lighting to burn off excess zoox?

 

[twilliard]

No po4 is not increased with no3 dosing.
I have not had a spike like that again so I am thinking testing error, although red sea pro kit is hard to mess up lol

 

[twilliard]

so maybe go higher than .5? or up my lighting to burn off excess zoox?

I am currently at 4ppm with my no3 and soon will document the changes

 

[veselym]

ok thanks twilliard...I have narrowed it down to lighting being low, only thing that makes sense with the browning

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

so maybe go higher than .5? or up my lighting to burn off excess zoox?

I wouldn't go higher if you already have signs of excess nutrients.

 

[veselym]

I am confused then...I am showing zero P04 and didn't dose any nitrate for 2 weeks (using red sea test kit)

so I have excess nutrients but showing zero on test kits? one birdsnest is browning but two acros are growing and getting more color

 

[Akida17th]

Can macros get stressed and expel nutrients back into the water column if you trim too much?

 

[Akida17th]

I am currently at 4ppm with my no3 and soon will document the changes

That's not bad at all 3 would be a nice spot but I'm not sure how impactful 1 ppm of nitrate could be low range.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am confused then...I am showing zero P04 and didn't dose any nitrate for 2 weeks (using red sea test kit)

so I have excess nutrients but showing zero on test kits? one birdsnest is browning but two acros are growing and getting more color

Brown corals, algae, and cyano are all signs of plentiful nutrients. Perhaps phosphate is not as low as you think. Fish food tends to bring in a lot, even if the value stays low while other creatures consume it.

 

[twilliard]

I wouldn't go higher if you already have signs of excess nutrients.

Wouldn't this be the case of excess po4?

 

[Akida17th]

Brown corals, algae, and cyano are all signs of plentiful nutrients. Perhaps phosphate is not as low as you think. Fish food tends to bring in a lot, even if the value stays low while other creatures consume it.

Quick question don't mean to barge in on this discussion, but let's say I feed 4 carpet anemones some fresh salmon, decent size pieces also, and they consume it within 10 minutes, would that release as much nutrients into the water even though they are target fed?

 

[twilliard]

Quick question don't mean to barge in on this discussion, but let's say I feed 4 carpet anemones some fresh salmon, decent size pieces also, and they consume it within 10 minutes, would that release as much nutrients into the water even though they are target fed?

Yes..
They may consume it but they will still release it

 

[veselym]

ugh, I have no idea what to do...don't know where the P04 came from, I feed LRS once a day and only have 5 fish in a 55G

my P04 did spike and I have since done 8 WC's with fresh RODI

only thing I did before the spike was dose small amounts of potassium nitrate and trim some chaeto(maybe trimmed to much and it released a crazy amount of P04)...my ALK, salinity, temp, PH, MAG and Calcium all stay stable (alk does not swing more than .3 ever)

could I combat the P04 by getting my nitrate up?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Quick question don't mean to barge in on this discussion, but let's say I feed 4 carpet anemones some fresh salmon, decent size pieces also, and they consume it within 10 minutes, would that release as much nutrients into the water even though they are target fed?

As twillard noted, the only nutrients not released back to the water are those that become part of the new tissue of a growing anemone. Usually that is only a small fraction of what is consumed.

 

[twilliard]

ugh, I have no idea what to do...don't know where the P04 came from, I feed LRS once a day and only have 5 fish in a 55G

my P04 did spike and I have since done 8 WC's with fresh RODI

only thing I did before the spike was dose small amounts of potassium nitrate and trim some chaeto(maybe trimmed to much and it released a crazy amount of P04)...my ALK, salinity, temp, PH, MAG and Calcium all stay stable (alk does not swing more than .3 ever)

could I combat the P04 by getting my nitrate up?

I personally would feed less.
If I remember increased no3 helps drop po4 but randy would know more on that.
In my tank I have a hard time keeping no3 and po4 up. I think its my skimming.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I personally would feed less.
If I remember increased no3 helps drop po4 but randy would know more on that.
In my tank I have a hard time keeping no3 and po4 up. I think its my skimming.

If it increases growth of something, whether corals, algae, cyano, etc, then adding nitrate will drop phosphate relative to what might have happened without it, but the growth of some of those may not be the optimal way to reduce nutrients unless you like those organisms.

 

[twilliard]

Thank you Randy !