Algae growth, Dino, Bryopsis

[kwang0429]

Hi all:

I have had my tank for about a year now, and I have had a couple of GHA, Bryopsis, Dino break outs, I notice one thing, my Nitrate is always 0, so I had to keep on dosing Nitrate to my tank, Phosphate is about 0.25mm, Alk is about 1.025. running AI blade coral glow and coral grow in combination at 60% output on a UNS 90LA peninsula tank 8 hours a day. I see tons of feather duster started to grow on my rocks, I finally use flux rx and got everything under control and looked up some of the reasons.

the number 1 reason I kept on seeing is overfeeding, and I have an excess nutrient tank, since I only have 3 fish in my 21 gallon peninsula tank, and I fed only once a day, and they are almost always eatting every pellets I fed them without waste, and my nitrate is close to bottom out, how can my tank be excess in nutrient?

also any suggestion on what I can do to help fix it ?

Thanks.

 

[CHSUB]

the number 1 reason I kept on seeing is overfeeding

This is very true and probably the biggest mistake new hobbyists make. I occasionally overfeed my fresh water tank because I don’t turn of flow and food just disappears.

s I fed them without waste, and my nitrate is close to bottom out

Nitrates don’t “bottom out” this is a new myth that appeared a few years ago that lives on…it never happened in the past, it doesn’t happen today, and it will never happen in the future. Some have suggested that it has something to do with the “Matrix”?

Clean the algae, stop dosing no3….

Are those mangrove roots?

 

[kwang0429]

This is very true and probably the biggest mistake new hobbyists make. I occasionally overfeed my fresh water tank because I don’t turn of flow and food just disappears.

Nitrates don’t “bottom out” this is a new myth that appeared a few years ago that lives on…it never happened in the past, it doesn’t happen today, and it will never happen in the future. Some have suggested that it has something to do with the “Matrix”?

Clean the algae, stop dosing no3….

Are those mangrove roots?

Yes those are.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The algae consumes the nitrates and stores it in its tissue as it grows, you can't trust your test kit when you have a bad algae problem like that. If you dosing nitrate and phosphate then unfortunately you have been feeding the algae, algae consumes it much faster than corals

 

[kwang0429]

When it works, it works beautifully, just changed water after FLUX RX, now wondering how to keep it at this state due to my nitrate bottoms out daily.

 

[CHSUB]

Yes those are.

Very nice. I’m a mangrove fan…mine are 2 years old and grow beautifully with Salifert tested no3 @ 0.00.

 

[kwang0429]

The algae consumes the nitrates and stores it in its tissue as it grows, you can't trust your test kit when you have a bad algae problem like that. If you dosing nitrate and phosphate then unfortunately you have been feeding the algae, algae consumes it much faster than corals

but if I don't feed nitrate, I started to get Dino due to its bottomed out, I am so confused if I have a excessive nutrient tank or low nutrient tank, even after 1/4 water change, my nitrate still shows 0 with Hanna Nitrate checker.

 

[kwang0429]

Very nice. I’m a mangrove fan…mine are 2 years old and grow beautifully with Salifert tested no3 @ 0.00.

They are so beautiful !!! love your set up!

 

[CHSUB]

but if I don't feed nitrate, I started to get Dino due to its bottomed out, I am so confused if I have a excessive nutrient tank or low nutrient tank, even after 1/4 water change, my nitrate still shows 0 with Hanna Nitrate checker.

Julian Sprung says this about no3, “ many Reef aquariums have naturally low nitrate level, levels less than 1 PPM as nitrate ion, despite good fish populations and regular feedings.”

keep the aquarium clean and dinos will not be an issue..

Don’t worry about what your HIgh Range Hanna reads, that is too inaccurate to give a reading below 1. Just follow good maintenance with manual removal, turkey basting, and WC.