0PPM NO3 and 0.1 PO4 - is it time to dose NO3?

[Biologic]

So having what I think is rusty ??dinoish/filament algae growth on the sand. Which isn't a big issue for me. I am more or less interested in keeping nitrates up at 5 ppm and reducing phosphates 0.05 ppm for what is coined as "balanced". Things will probably resolve on their own. I just want the proper ratios.

At this point I am doing restrictive feeding of my fish. I cannot increase my NO3 beyond , but phosphates are still presenting at 0.1 ppm (Hanna ULR and LR). Even when I do feed heavier, my levels don't budge, and I get more algae and need to clean the glass more.

Should I dose nitrate? Will my phosphates balance if I drive up NO3?

System details --

• JBJ 28 Gal, no hood
• A Rapid LED Corona Light (lol I know) about equivalent to an Ecotech 4
  • running a modified AB+ light schedule on 10 hours per day
• 1 inch of sand
• no skimmer
• no weekly water changes
• 5 months old
• BrightWell Export Cubes in back chambers
• High Flow from Jebao Puck Style Pump
• Supplements
  • Dosing Tropic Marin All For Reef -- 3.0~4.0 mL per day
  • Dosing BrightWell Coral Amino -- 2 mL per day
  • Feeding fish every 2 days
• Chemistry
  • Alk 8dkh Calcium 480 ppm
    • alk drops 0.3 dKH per day
  • Nitrates 0.0 to 0.2 ppm
  • Phosphates consistent at 0.1
  • 35 ppt
• Observations
  • Good coral growth and color - mostly SPS.
  • Polyp expansion is good
  • Water clarity is good.
  • Cleaning the glass daily
  • Filament algae is growing on glass
  • Rusty on the sand

 

[xxkenny90xx]

How old is the tank? Are you confident it is dinos? Ya it might be time for some tree stump remover

 

[Biologic]

How old is the tank? Are you confident it is dinos? Ya it might be time for some tree stump remover

About 5 months. Stable, and well covered in coralline. Fairly certain, they recede a bit at night. Thinking if I kept the ratio of higher nitrates, the system, regardless of dinos would benefit.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I would either feed more or dose nitrate.

 

[Biologic]

I would either feed more or dose nitrate.

I think this is a good consensus at this point. I will try to target feed plantonic food to the corals and monitor phosphates.

Hypothetically, when one feeds NO3, does it have an effect on phosphates? Assuming no other nutrient inputs in the system? Sort of like a see-saw effect of alkalinity and calcium? I know the see-saw is more ionic chemistry and nutrients are more variable/discrete because its based on bacteria/coral population, but does one see a relationship where dosing nitrates reduces over all phosphates?