0 Nitrates 0 Phosphates and lots of algae

[SCReef'n]

Im not able to get my nitrates and phosphates up. I’m feeding frozen and pellet foods twice daily. Tried shutting down the skimmer for a few days and only got an algae bloom and no nutrients. I’m starting to think about dosing. Any suggestions

 

[P-Dub]

Your post says that there is a lot of algae. Is there a lot of algae or just when you turned off the skimmer. Do you have a refugium?

 

[mta_morrow]

Algae requires nutrients and light to grow. So you must have a source of nutrients, they can’t be zero.

Can you provide some pics of your tank, under white lights?

Also, what test kits are you Isidro measure NO3 and PO4 and have you checked the expiration dates on them?

 

[AlgaeBarn]

So it is very possible to have what we are calling "transient" nutrients.

You will measure 0, but guess what happens when fish food or fish waste starts decomposing? Ammonia, nitrate and phosphate become temporarily available (and it would be possible to measure them if you sampled in the area at the time the food/poop is decaying in). However, the algae is able to remove it from the water column rapidly through surge uptake. So, your algae is able to consume the nutrients before you have a chance to measure it.

Now, can you clarify if this is nuisance algae or macroalgae you are cultivating?

 

[SCReef'n]

I’ll work on some pictures. I am using salifert test kits that have not expired and also API as backup. Both read zero. I have a chaeto refugium. That’s growing well but not doing much to out compete the green hair algae and film algae in the tank and sump. I run an inverted light schedule in the fuge for 10 hrs

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Is there space for the chaeto to grow or is it rather confined in the refugium? If not, you need to prune.

I would recommend a manual removal of the hair algae (or introduce something that heavily consumes it). If that doesn't fix it, I would recommend increasing the timing on the lights (up to 16 hours). If that doesnt fix it, increase your lighting wattage.

 

[CJBuckeyes]

Is this a newer tank? Might need to raise the nutrients and let it get ugly for a while.

 

[LesPoissons]

Hey,
I went through this. 0 phos, 0-2.5 nitrates for a year in a well fed tank of 20+ fish, also inverts and corals. I had a plague of gha, chaeto wouldnt grow, and corals were pale. So, having tried literally everything (algae scrubbers, bigger cuc, scraping and peroxide and everything else) heres what I reccomended. Buy a bottle of vibrant. This will kill off gha in a few treatments. (I tried it last bc I though "snake oil." No. This product is legit and its amazing. ) while vibrant does its thing, up your feedings. If you dont want to turn off your skimmer bc of o2, dump some of the skim mate back in the tank. (Better than dosing) but really just start feeding 4 + times a day. Nothing turns around immediately in a tank and you dont want to massively increase any one thing, slow and steady and let your tank adjust. Once the gha is out, more nutrients are coming in, then test. If your prob is no nutrients, get rid of chaeto until you need it.

 

[hyprc]

Is this a newer tank? Might need to raise the nutrients and let it get ugly for a while.

This. How old is this tank? I wouldn't use something like Vibrant until the tank is at least a year and a half old. It will strip nutrients out of the water more than you expect.

 

[MarkSativa]

Is there space for the chaeto to grow or is it rather confined in the refugium? If not, you need to prune.

I would recommend a manual removal of the hair algae (or introduce something that heavily consumes it). If that doesn't fix it, I would recommend increasing the timing on the lights (up to 16 hours). If that doesnt fix it, increase your lighting wattage.

You are talking about increasing the refugium light up to 16 hours correct? I'm currently dealing with the same issue. My tank is 9 months old and I've had a weird algae the whole time. It goes in cycles. I can clean it out by hand, and the tank will act like it's about to get better, but the algae never fully clears up. Then comes back again.. I've cut back my lighting in the display to 6 hours. Turned my lights on Acclimation mode. (Running AB+ on hydra 26) I've reduced feeding. The algae that I'm seeing is not your typical GHA. Its brown and ugly as all get out. Nitrates and phosphates both measure 0. On accusation I can get a reading of .003 ppb phosphorus, but it's only once every 5 times of testing and I test once a week.

 

[Bonsai reef]

You are talking about increasing the refugium light up to 16 hours correct? I'm currently dealing with the same issue. My tank is 9 months old and I've had a weird algae the whole time. It goes in cycles. I can clean it out by hand, and the tank will act like it's about to get better, but the algae never fully clears up. Then comes back again.. I've cut back my lighting in the display to 6 hours. Turned my lights on Acclimation mode. (Running AB+ on hydra 26) I've reduced feeding. The algae that I'm seeing is not your typical GHA. Its brown and ugly as all get out. Nitrates and phosphates both measure 0. On accusation I can get a reading of .003 ppb phosphorus, but it's only once every 5 times of testing and I test once a week.

looks like cyanobacteria.

 

[MarkSativa]

looks like cyanobacteria.

I agree that I see cyno setting on top of some algae. It's very noticeable in the first picture.. the actual algae is very dark. Almost brown in color. The black substrate makes it look even darker.

 

[Michael F]

I would get a friend with another test kit, then try another brand of test kit. Compare results. When I have an issue, I generally confirm numbers with 2 different testers.

 

[MarkSativa]

I would get a friend with another test kit, then try another brand of test kit. Compare results. When I have an issue, I generally confirm numbers with 2 different testers.

I have multiple test kits all ready the same.

 

[Simplyorange]

Update?

 

[LesPoissons]

I did a zero reading on nitrates and phosphates for a year while I delt with a huge GHA bloom. I would suggest vibrant as well or a cyano cure at this point because you probably have less to lose before your corals start getting compromised. If it’s Dino’s (can’t tell) you also need to get your nutrients up. You can always dose them in if needed.