Ammonium dosing is a bit overrated

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Long ago I was working in a biochem lab in college isolating a particular protein from spinach. In one step, a highly concentrated urea solution was used to do something to the protein during the procedure.

When I told some of my friends I was using pig urea in the lab, they went wild with laughter. I didn’t really see why it was so funny, but apparently the name alone is hilarious. :)

 

[Troylee]

What urea are you using? How are you mixing it with the ammonium bicarbonate? I guess I missed

25g ammonia bicarbonate to 5G of 99% usp urea. Salem wrote an article for reef builders I ran with.


https://reefbuilders.com/2025/04/01...ng-and-a-new-approach-to-nitrogen-management/

 

[jonelder68]

I’m def a fat man! And it works better than vodka dosing! Haha!

glad you recognize my sarcasm. I’m right behind you!

 

[BriDroid]

25g ammonia bicarbonate to 5G of 99% usp urea. Salem wrote an article for reef builders I ran with.


https://reefbuilders.com/2025/04/01...ng-and-a-new-approach-to-nitrogen-management/

I just ordered a bottle from Loudwolf. I’ll try it out!

 

[rishma]

What urea are you using? How are you mixing it with the ammonium bicarbonate? I guess I missed

25g ammonia bicarbonate to 5G of 99% usp urea. Salem wrote an article for reef builders I ran with.


https://reefbuilders.com/2025/04/01...ng-and-a-new-approach-to-nitrogen-management/

I know what my next experiment will be, but I’m not done with the ammonia trials. This hobby is fun

 

[Salem-Novel Aquatics]

For anyone that does begin dosing urea/ammonia and you have any observations, data etc - please feel free to send me such either through PM here or at [email protected] - always looking to compile as much as I can on this so that it may be improved etc - thanks.

 

[BriDroid]

I know what my next experiment will be, but I’m not done with the ammonia trials. This hobby is fun

I stopped dosing ammonia for a while, but I’m back at it with smaller amounts again. I think I was dosing too much and that was the reason for my LPS color loss. Now I’m going to mix in some pee with the ammonia???? What a hobby !

 

[rishma]

I know what my next experiment will be, but I’m not done with the ammonia trials. This hobby is fun

I stopped dosing ammonia for a while, but I’m back at it with smaller amounts again. I think I was dosing too much and that was the reason for my LPS color loss. Now I’m going to mix in some pee with the ammonia???? What a hobby !

My first ammonia dosing trial resulted in happy growing LPS corals turning darker and darker over a couple of months.

I stopped for several months and everything returned to the brighter colors.

I restarted at a much lower amount 6 weeks ago. So far, so good. I’m going to let my nitrate drop to near zero and see what happens. Once I reach some sort of a conclusion I think I’ll mix in some urea! I won’t be telling my wife about that that detail.

 

[BriDroid]

My first ammonia dosing trial resulted in happy growing LPS corals turning darker and darker over a couple of months.

I stopped for several months and everything returned to the brighter colors.

I restarted at a much lower amount 6 weeks ago. So far, so good. I’m going to let my nitrate drop to near zero and see what happens. Once I reach some sort of a conclusion I think I’ll mix in some urea! I won’t be telling my wife about that that detail.

Yeah, I think the large amounts of ammonia trying to reach 5-10ppm NO3 was the cause. Now I’m just putting in much less ammonia and keeping my NO3 around 1ppm. Colors are good and corals seem happy. Interested to see what urea adds!

 

[rishma]

My first ammonia dosing trial resulted in happy growing LPS corals turning darker and darker over a couple of months.

I stopped for several months and everything returned to the brighter colors.

I restarted at a much lower amount 6 weeks ago. So far, so good. I’m going to let my nitrate drop to near zero and see what happens. Once I reach some sort of a conclusion I think I’ll mix in some urea! I won’t be telling my wife about that that detail.

Yeah, I think the large amounts of ammonia trying to reach 5-10ppm NO3 was the cause. Now I’m just putting in much less ammonia and keeping my NO3 around 1ppm. Colors are good and corals seem happy. Interested to see what urea adds!

Hans-Werner warned me that my corals would probably darken. He was 100% correct, but I guess sometimes I like learn things on my own.

You and I are on the same path, you are just a little ahead.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hans-Werner warned me that my corals would probably darken. He was 100% correct, but I guess sometimes I like learn things on my own.

You and I are on the same path, you are just a little ahead.

It’s a curious result, IMO, and may be quite revealing about what corals are using and what effects those N sources have at different levels.

Was the darkening purely a zoox effect, or increasing some sort of pigment in the corals themselves?

 

[rishma]

Hans-Werner warned me that my corals would probably darken. He was 100% correct, but I guess sometimes I like learn things on my own.

You and I are on the same path, you are just a little ahead.

It’s a curious result, IMO, and may be quite revealing about what corals are using and what effects those N sources have at different levels.

Was the darkening purely a zoox effect, or increasing some sort of pigment in the corals themselves?

I don’t know for sure it was zoox, but I assume so. Most of the corals (all LPs, different types) got darker, browner color. Purples, oranges, greens and reds all darkened. The ammonia was added at a fairly low rate, but enough to raise nitrate 1-2ppm per week. So not a big oversupply of N.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t know for sure it was zoox, but I assume so. Most of the corals (all LPs, different types) got darker, browner color. Purples, oranges, greens and reds all darkened. The ammonia was added at a fairly low rate, but enough to raise nitrate 1-2ppm per week. So not a big oversupply of N.

Thanks. A follow up question, which is likely hard to easily answer, is whether the corals are “healthier” or “less healthy” having more zoox.

 

[rishma]

I don’t know for sure it was zoox, but I assume so. Most of the corals (all LPs, different types) got darker, browner color. Purples, oranges, greens and reds all darkened. The ammonia was added at a fairly low rate, but enough to raise nitrate 1-2ppm per week. So not a big oversupply of N.

Thanks. A follow up question, which is likely hard to easily answer, is whether the corals are “healthier” or “less healthy” having more zoox.

Of course, don’t know the answer scientifically, but I can say everything seemed very healthy, looked happy, growing, etc. I only made a change due to aesthetics. There were not as pretty!

Edit- I’ll add that other than color, I liked the physical appearance of the corals better when I was dosing ammonia. They were more open and fluffier. That’s the main reason why I’m trying again at lower doses of ammonia, trying to achieve the same physical characteristics without the darkening color.

 

[RoanokeReef]

Of course, don’t know the answer scientifically, but I can say everything seemed very healthy, looked happy, growing, etc. I only made a change due to aesthetics. There were not as pretty!

Edit- I’ll add that other than color, I liked the physical appearance of the corals better when I was dosing ammonia. They were more open and fluffier. That’s the main reason why I’m trying again at lower doses of ammonia, trying to achieve the same physical characteristics without the darkening color.

I noticed the same thing trying to get my Nitrates to 5. I now just leave them at 0 and everything colored backup. At a higher dose it was also tanking my phosphates.

 

[rishma]

Of course, don’t know the answer scientifically, but I can say everything seemed very healthy, looked happy, growing, etc. I only made a change due to aesthetics. There were not as pretty!

Edit- I’ll add that other than color, I liked the physical appearance of the corals better when I was dosing ammonia. They were more open and fluffier. That’s the main reason why I’m trying again at lower doses of ammonia, trying to achieve the same physical characteristics without the darkening color.

I noticed the same thing trying to get my Nitrates to 5. I now just leave them at 0 and everything colored backup. At a higher dose it was also tanking my phosphates.

Several of us also reported dropping phosphate with ammonia dosing. Not sure why, perhaps the corals were using up phosphate more?

 

[Troylee]

For anyone that does begin dosing urea/ammonia and you have any observations, data etc - please feel free to send me such either through PM here or at [email protected] - always looking to compile as much as I can on this so that it may be improved etc - thanks.

I’ve been on the train for 2 months now.. tank is loving it!

 

[rishma]

For anyone that does begin dosing urea/ammonia and you have any observations, data etc - please feel free to send me such either through PM here or at [email protected] - always looking to compile as much as I can on this so that it may be improved etc - thanks.

I’ve been on the train for 2 months now.. tank is loving it!

What observations are different from ammonia alone?

 

[Troylee]

What observations are different from ammonia alone?

That’s top secret information! I can’t give Miami my secrets .

 

[rishma]

What observations are different from ammonia alone?

That’s top secret information! I can’t give Miami my secrets .

Booo

Sorry Miami, I tried