0 Nitrate

[dvgyfresh]

IME low nitrate / higher phosphate leads to slow growth of calcium skeletons for corals and results in verrrry slow coraline growth. So it’s important to have some nitrate to atleast be higher than phosphate.

Also , anecdotal, high phosphate/no nitrate promotes brown ugly growth.

For example in my tank I am battling high phosphate and no nitrate , the sand dollar in my tank was white but turned brown , it should have turned green if my levels were better

 

[CHSUB]

higher phosphate leads to slow growth of calcium skeletons

It is well documented science that phosphates inhibits calcification. IIRC, Sprung calls phosphate “crystal poison”.

 

[jadedog]

And tank at 3 months too young, imo, to do anything differently.

I will be dosing nitrates starting tomorrow and dropping over feeding. Also my phoshate checker comes in so I'll be able to monitor that too.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I have Neo nitro and now

 

[CHSUB]

I will be dosing nitrates starting tomorrow and dropping over feeding. Also my phoshate checker comes in so I'll be able to monitor that too.

It is a common practice today. Keep us updated on changes…

 

[jadedog]

It is a common practice today. Keep us updated on changes…

Will do. I only wanted to try over feeding to see if I would see a change which I haven't at all. Its definitely not viable in my scenario.

 

[Subsea]

In seaweed grow out tank, I dose ammonia to keep up with nitrogen demand. I consistently show zero nitrate.

 

[BryanM]

There seems to be so much evidence that zero'd out either nutrients generally causes issues that ignoring that situation is NOT good advice IMO.

NeoNitro is fine IMO, if it ends up being a temporary solution.... otherwise yes, it is expensive.

I've never had good luck over feeding to raise nutrients in a meaningful fashion.

 

[CHSUB]

There seems to be so much evidence that zero'd out either nutrients generally causes issues that ignoring that situation is NOT good advice IMO

0.000 is death, ask a farmer. However the hobby is confused at what 0 is. Zero on a hobby test kit including most Hanna Checkers is not 0.000, in fact it might be magnitudes higher than “ideal “…

 

[oldreefer1968]

There seems to be so much evidence that zero'd out either nutrients generally causes issues that ignoring that situation is NOT good advice IMO

0.000 is death, ask a farmer. However the hobby is confused at what 0 is. Zero on a hobby test kit including most Hanna Checkers is not 0.000, in fact it might be magnitudes higher than “ideal “…

Can you elaborate on that a little more please?

 

[BryanM]

Can you elaborate on that a little more please?

Probably want a response from CHSUB - I'm not in his camp of beliefs here. 0 nitrates is never good, and a test result of 0 on a hanna checker, assuming not a test error, will never be magnitudes higher than ideal. IMO.

 

[oldreefer1968]

Probably want a response from CHSUB - I'm not in his camp of beliefs here. 0 nitrates is never good, and a test result of 0 on a hanna checker, assuming not a test error, will never be magnitudes higher than ideal. IMO.

Im still getting use to posting and responding. My bad! Ty though!

 

[oldreefer1968]

0.000 is death, ask a farmer. However the hobby is confused at what 0 is. Zero on a hobby test kit including most Hanna Checkers is not 0.000, in fact it might be magnitudes higher than “ideal “…

Can you elaborate on that statement please?

 

[CHSUB]

Probably want a response from CHSUB - I'm not in his camp of beliefs here. 0 nitrates is never good, and a test result of 0 on a hanna checker, assuming not a test error, will never be magnitudes higher than ideal. IMO.

for example I use Hanna LR for no3. The HR Hanna would never register a reading of no3 in my tank, always 0, same with Salifert clear or 0. That is no where near actual zero no3 and it completely ignores all the other sources of nitrogen in the tank that I know without question are adequate. I’m putting food in the aquarium and need to clean the glass, that is all the evidence I need that N is adequate. J. Sprung told me one time that his open top aquarium was difficult to control po4 because of dust…yes he said dust!

Pictured is my LR, the HR would probably need 1000% more no3 to even register…
Hanna says this about their own HR Checker:
‘The HI782 was designed to quickly and easily measure nitrate levels for aquarists with higher-than-average nutrient levels. This includes saltwater aquariums that are fish-only or have corals that can tolerate elevated levels of nitrate at 30 ppm or more.’

Can you elaborate on that statement please?

I think above is reasonable to understand my position, regardless of your position.

 

[oldreefer1968]

Probably want a response from CHSUB - I'm not in his camp of beliefs here. 0 nitrates is never good, and a test result of 0 on a hanna checker, assuming not a test error, will never be magnitudes higher than ideal. IMO.

for example I use Hanna LR for no3. The HR Hanna would never register a reading of no3 in my tank, always 0, same with Salifert clear or 0. That is no where near actual zero no3 and it completely ignores all the other sources of nitrogen in the tank that I know without question are adequate. I’m putting food in the aquarium and need to clean the glass, that is all the evidence I need that N is adequate. J. Sprung told me one time that his open top aquarium was difficult to control po4 because of dust…yes he said dust!

Pictured is my LR, the HR would probably need 1000% more no3 to even register…
Hanna says this about their own HR Checker:
‘The HI782 was designed to quickly and easily measure nitrate levels for aquarists with higher-than-average nutrient levels. This includes saltwater aquariums that are fish-only or have corals that can tolerate elevated levels of nitrate at 30 ppm or more.’

Can you elaborate on that statement please?

I think above is reasonable to understand my position, regardless of your position.

Interesting! I appreciate your response

 

[oldreefer1968]

for example I use Hanna LR for no3. The HR Hanna would never register a reading of no3 in my tank, always 0, same with Salifert clear or 0. That is no where near actual zero no3 and it completely ignores all the other sources of nitrogen in the tank that I know without question are adequate. I’m putting food in the aquarium and need to clean the glass, that is all the evidence I need that N is adequate. J. Sprung told me one time that his open top aquarium was difficult to control po4 because of dust…yes he said dust!

Pictured is my LR, the HR would probably need 1000% more no3 to even register…
Hanna says this about their own HR Checker:
‘The HI782 was designed to quickly and easily measure nitrate levels for aquarists with higher-than-average nutrient levels. This includes saltwater aquariums that are fish-only or have corals that can tolerate elevated levels of nitrate at 30 ppm or more.’



I think above is reasonable to understand my position, regardless of your position.

Interesting! I appreciate your response!

 

[painter1982]

I use brightwell neonitro and neophos in my 6 month old reef. Otherwise it’ll go to zero. Been working good.

 

[oldreefer1968]

I use brightwell neonitro and neophos in my 6 month old reef. Otherwise it’ll go to zero. Been working good.

How often?

 

[dvgyfresh]

This tank was constantly kept at 20+ ppm nitrate and phosphate .1-.5ppm (had Dino’s and never wanted it again lol dry rock start. The way I see it is you want to ensure everything has food at any given time , my tank was softie /lps/ nems and like 2 sps corals all growing well. There’s more to it as I had a sump/refugium so I could really control what my nutrients were at and everything loved those values

 

[IceNein]

All I can tell you is that if I dose twice the recommended max dosage of ammonia from that thread, my Hanna HR checker will still read zero and I will have an algae explosion, so much so that it will start growing over and shading out and killing coral.

And I didn't start out at doing twice the recommended max dosage. I started at half recommended, no change in nitrates, went to full recommended, no change in nitrates...

Coralline did go from covering most of the lighted parts of the rockwork to completely covering the back wall, extremely thickly. Hermit crabs routinely climb up the back wall it's so thick.

Nitrates still zero.