0Nitrates high phosphates

[lilbitreefer]

Ok, so after neglecting my tank for over 6 months maybe a year I have finally taken back control. I have done two, 25% water changes and removed over and inch (maybe two) thick of hair algae growth over my live rock and added a sea hair to vaccum the bits Icouldn't remove (whom, while very active does not appear to be eating much of it). I did not test values prior to the tank cleaning. I have been dosing 25 mL of BRS two part daily. Should I do another water change? Or are other any other ways of bringing it down or just ignore it? I used zeozym before I did the water changes, would this be a good idea to use it again? As directions say to use it every few days. My clam dosen't seem to care in any of these changes and is doing ok, however my blue ridge coral has finally decided to open up for the first time in many months. The lab values as follows separated by test kit:
Apex
pH: 7.98
Salinity: 34.40
Temp: 78.2

Nyos
Phosphate: between 0.3-0.5 PPM (the coloring is between these values)

Red Sea:
Nitrate: 0 ( not sure if this is accurate as the kit is expired but it reacted and fizzed just the same but with no color change)

Hanna
Alkalinity 10.25 dKH
Calcium: 410 PPM

Salifert
Calcium: 435
Potassium 350

Thanks

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Po4 isn’t that bad. Keep doing what your doing.
Do try to get a fresh test no3 test or go the the lfs

Water changes won’t bring Po4 down very well.

Personally I’m not afraid of slightly higher phosphates.

If it looks pretty happy and healthy it it is.

 

[lilbitreefer]

OK, guys so I got a new nitrate test kit (Nyos) and retested. It was still zero. Could it be that I just have soo much algae it is too much for my sea hair and it is using up all the nitrates? Anything I should do to get my blue ridge to open? Wait a few more days, feed more to put more nitrogen in the system? I feed them every other day with i cube mysis shrimp and reed roids a few times a week.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It very well could be a large amount of algae yes. It sucks up no3 and ammoina pretty fast.

But again , if the tank and coral large are ok, don’t let the test dictate your action.
I’d get rid of the algae first.

 

[lilbitreefer]

Slowly working on it. My sea hare dosent seem to like it. Not much if any is disapearing.

 

[Reefahholic]

You need a Hanna ULR. The number is much easier to read.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

The algae is probably using all the nitrates. I bet the algae is nitrate-limited. This could explain why phosphates are detectable but nitrates are not.

If your system is prone to growing algae, I'd let it do so in a more controlled manner. Have you considered setting up a refugium with macroalgae or a turf scrubber?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Tooth brush.
More snails. Turbans are my current favorite. Tuxedo urichin

 

[lilbitreefer]

I do have a refugium. I have the kessil H80 in there it seems to be growing not much. But I have 2 geisman vervves in the display.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It’s just unbalanced right now. It’ll come back.

 

[lilbitreefer]

I hope so I have been dealing with this for a long time now. I guess I'm just impatient.

 

[lilbitreefer]

Tooth brush.
More snails. Turbans are my current favorite. Tuxedo urichin

I do have 2 urchins from algae barn. they don't seem to be doing much either.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I do have 2 urchins from algae barn. they don't seem to be doing much either.

You must have a lot of alge or an alge that’s not normal. Like bryopsis.

 

[lilbitreefer]

Just looked up some picture i'll have to get a closer look at it. you might be right.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Just looked up some picture i'll have to get a closer look at it. you might be right.

Feathers and ferns are bryo.

 

[lilbitreefer]

It dosn't really look like that. It feels like fuzzy carpet. It comes off as a mat if you let it grow thick enough. Light now it lloks like green felt has been pained ontol my rocks and feels kinda like soft felt.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It dosn't really look like that. It feels like fuzzy carpet. It comes off as a mat if you let it grow thick enough. Light now it lloks like green felt has been pained ontol my rocks and feels kinda like soft felt.

See if you can get a pick, wide and some with structure later. Tag me and # reefsquad we’ll see if it’s a nasty one.

 

[lilbitreefer]

#reefsquad Heres what I got

 

[glb]

I’d run some gfo. You can either use a reactor or just throw a bag in the sump. But your numbers really aren’t that bad. How old is the tank?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea that’s petty odd.
Looks like a green hair algae but , does it tear off in mats? Turf algae,

Best best is generally to look at the source water and other root problems. Adding bottled bacteria a capful a week (if it’s new tank not processing ammonia well), gfo maybe if its Po4 , a food , Esp coral foods , and such.

I like to tooth brush and add snails as well.

A product like reefhd fluconazole will work well probably, but if the source isn’t found it’ll just become a loop.