Nitrate and Phosphate Issue

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have to disagree to lower nitrates in tank you can take out the rocks or them bricks and nitrates will go down. Proven Fact so therefore nitrates are in bricks and rocks even reefdudes and chumminghamreef says it also. It was even said on there video on YouTube there not the only ones even BRS has a video out that's says it also called nutrients. no disrespect Mr. Randy. So why can't they release it back into aquarium they are in bricks and rocks soaked up nutrients and nitrates in there. rock today is not live rock it all man made not solid its little pieces put together to make look like a rock this stuff soaks up nitrates. Something else to think about 100% water change nitrates don't go down much why ? Because it's In the rocks, substrate ,bricks remove these things and nitrates will go down. My believe that's all and a few others also.

I think you are misunderstanding the processes involved and what I was stating. There is absolutely NO chance that nitrate binds directly to any rocks in a reef tank. NONE. Phosphate clearly does bind to calcium carbonate and that effect is shown in the scientific literature. Nitrate does not.

But if you do things that alter detritus collection and breakdown, sure, you may see changes in nitrate accumulation in the water. These may include removing rocks with dead and decaying organisms, collected detritus, etc.

 

[131696]

I think you are misunderstanding the processes involved and what I was stating. There is absolutely NO chance that nitrate binds directly to any rocks in a reef tank. NONE. Phosphate clearly does bind to calcium carbonate and that effect is shown in the scientific literature. Nitrate does not.

But if you do things that alter detritus collection and breakdown, sure, you may see changes in nitrate accumulation in the water. These may include removing rocks with dead and decaying organisms, collected detritus, etc

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Here's the problem with that what we use today is not rocks in a reef tanks it's put together with other materials + some parts of rock with cement,some just cement (rocks are solid) fake rocks in tank are not rocks just because they look like rocks they are not..so that material can release nitrates back in tank. Reef rock that are in stores man made stuff is not rocks. Just looks like it that's all.

I understand that, but there is no standard material used in reef tanks (that is, not a special academic exercise such as producing unnatural zeolites) that directly binds nitrate from seawater. Not cement, not organic polymers, and not any ceramics.

Nitrate is an extraordinarily difficult ion to bind. As a consequence, almost no nitrate compounds are insoluble.

 

[MrGisonni]

I opened up my big mouth about not understanding why people would ever dose nitrates and now... the combination of nitrates below two parts per million and alkalinity at 9.5 seems to be ticking off half of the corals in the reef tank. Now apropos of this conversation should I do a 15% water change with natural seawater that I have or try to let those nitrates rise forgo the water change? I'll probably leave my filter sock in and tune my skimmer down a tiny bit as well either way. What now?

 

[MrGisonni]

The alkalinity of my tank of natural seawater has been testing around 7.5? Do I deal with the alkalinity or let the nitrates rise?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I opened up my big mouth about not understanding why people would ever dose nitrates and now... the combination of nitrates below two parts per million and alkalinity at 9.5 seems to be ticking off half of the corals in the reef tank. Now apropos of this conversation should I do a 15% water change with natural seawater that I have or try to let those nitrates rise forgo the water change? I'll probably leave my filter sock in and tune my skimmer down a tiny bit as well either way. What now?

Feed more is the easy answer unless phosphate is too high.