0 nitrate, 0 phosphate, 0 problems. Anybody else has the same experience?

[sixty_reefer]

Having very low nitrate and phosphate is usually not a problem as long as you know you have some in the tank.
Having true zero phosphate will affected the dinitrification process were dinitrification bacteria can’t reproduce, having true zero nitrate can affect the same by starving them from oxygen.
Having this low nutrient in a small volume of water could potentially be more detrimental V a large volume of water as they can be depleted much faster just as any other parameter.
IMO the only real danger of ultra low nutrient it’s that is in a boarder line that could affect the balance between nitrification and dinitrification.

 

[Reefbase1]

What do you feed the coral?

I feed reef Roy and RedSea AB+. It works good so far. Reef Roid add phosphate. You need to control the dosing.

 

[rishma]

I feed reef Roy and RedSea AB+. It works good so far. Reef Roid add phosphate. You need to control the dosing.

Reef roids is my favorite phosphate supplement

 

[Dan_P]

I feed reef Roy and RedSea AB+. It works good so far. Reef Roid add phosphate. You need to control the dosing.

Does this mean that water nutrient level is irrelevant to coral health if they are fed?

 

[rishma]

Does this mean that water nutrient level is irrelevant to coral health if they are fed?

That would be a bold claim.

I would say that very well fed systems with very low residual nutrients can be successful, but probably not true zero phosphate. That said, I don’t think I’ve seen a healthy, well fed tank with persistently ultra low phosphate.

Ultra low/zero nitrate? Yes, I’ve seen it though I’d personally never try to achieve it. I think the probability of success is lower.

 

[Pod_01]

Does this mean that water nutrient level is irrelevant to coral health if they are fed?

Just my opinion, but I believe the fish population is important.
In my main tank where I have sufficient fish population my corals tend to look good/great.
Fluffy and what I think is nice colour:

I have another 10gal tank, no fish for now. The N and P is there, coral food is provided. But corals are really struggling, pale colour some brown out etc…
In my opinion the N and P provided by fish may be important. Maybe the trace elements from the fish byproducts are the in the right form as well.

Again just my opinion, no study to support it etc…

 

[Miami Reef]

Just my opinion, but I believe the fish population is important.
In my main tank where I have sufficient fish population my corals tend to look good/great.
Fluffy and what I think is nice colour:

I have another 10gal tank, no fish for now. The N and P is there, coral food is provided. But corals are really struggling, pale colour some brown out etc…
In my opinion the N and P provided by fish may be important. Maybe the trace elements from the fish byproducts are the in the right form as well.

Again just my opinion, no study to support it etc…

I love these pictures. The corals look so fluffy. I get happy when I see them.

 

[CHSUB]

Does this mean that water nutrient level is irrelevant to coral health if they are fed?

Technically and imo yes. NPS corals, I think, do not require inorganic N and P, relying completely on food capture. Also corals that have expelled their zooxanthellae can survive, also relying on food capture for 100% of their nutritional needs.

 

[Peair]

I know every tank is different, but I read so often how reefers have thriving tanks at all nitrate and phosphate levels. For years now Salifert and API show 0 nitrates and phosphates in my tank and softies, LPS, and SPS are doing well. I had some algae problems, but with patients, manual removal, a fluconazole treatment and adding macroalgae they are now gone. I do not purposefully run an ULNS, but am wondering who else has a similar experience? Are nitrates and phosphate levels even relevant?

I think it is amazing that you have 0 Nitraits and 0 phosphats and your tank is doing well, I always had some detection, I have a full tank, and my Nitrates and Phosphates are almost always a little high, I don't like to use chemicals, I prefer the natural way, but I do dose Po3-Po4 at 2ml a day, I really do not want to go over that.

 

[rishma]

Just my opinion, but I believe the fish population is important.
In my main tank where I have sufficient fish population my corals tend to look good/great.
Fluffy and what I think is nice colour:

I have another 10gal tank, no fish for now. The N and P is there, coral food is provided. But corals are really struggling, pale colour some brown out etc…
In my opinion the N and P provided by fish may be important. Maybe the trace elements from the fish byproducts are the in the right form as well.

Again just my opinion, no study to support it etc…

Sorry if I missed it, what is the phosphate level and test method? Beautiful corals

 

[Pod_01]

Sorry if I missed it, what is the phosphate level and test method? Beautiful corals

Thank you, that is a good question, I check PO4 sparingly these days (maybe once a month). But generally I run 0.1-0.2 ppm, sometimes more.
Method is either Hanna ULR test, titration test or ICP.
Here is ICP lab result:

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I know every tank is different, but I read so often how reefers have thriving tanks at all nitrate and phosphate levels. For years now Salifert and API show 0 nitrates and phosphates in my tank and softies, LPS, and SPS are doing well. I had some algae problems, but with patients, manual removal, a fluconazole treatment and adding macroalgae they are now gone. I do not purposefully run an ULNS, but am wondering who else has a similar experience? Are nitrates and phosphate levels even relevant?

you are asking for disaster with 0 nutes

 

[Mels_Reef]

Reef roids is my favorite phosphate supplement

Ditto. Works great and feeds the coral as well

 

[Mels_Reef]

Just my opinion, but I believe the fish population is important.
In my main tank where I have sufficient fish population my corals tend to look good/great.
Fluffy and what I think is nice colour:

I have another 10gal tank, no fish for now. The N and P is there, coral food is provided. But corals are really struggling, pale colour some brown out etc…
In my opinion the N and P provided by fish may be important. Maybe the trace elements from the fish byproducts are the in the right form as well.

Again just my opinion, no study to support it etc…

I have noticed this as well. Whenever I start a new system (with cultured media from my other systems), no matter what the test numbers show, it seems the corals just aren’t as healthy as when I have a healthy amount of fish in the system as well.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Whenever I start a new system (with cultured media from my other systems), no matter what the test numbers show, it seems the corals just aren’t as healthy as when I have a healthy amount of fish in the system as well.

Few folks measure ammonia in their established reef tanks, and that may be the difference. Folks dosing it see benefits.