DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My NO3 hovers around 20 with PO4 struggling to get to 0.05. Doing 21ml of AmBicarb spread out in 3 doses from 10a to 2p. I'm manually dosing (around 6ml) of NeophosE. My Loud Wolf Trisodium Phosphate came in today, so I will be switching to that soon. I'll need to figure out what to dose. Would it be 1:1 AmBicarb to my Trisodium Phos?

I was doing bacto balance but stopped cause, as @Troylee put it, seems counter to what I'm dosing. Should I restart it?

Generally, the amount of P taken up by anything is much less than the amount of N.

I'd aim to start at 0.05 ppm per day and adjust as needed.

Use this calculator to make a dosing solution and how much to dose. Use the entry for potassium phosphate, which is close enough:

James' Planted Tank - Dosing Calculator

 

[Troylee]

My NO3 hovers around 20 with PO4 struggling to get to 0.05. Doing 21ml of AmBicarb spread out in 3 doses from 10a to 2p. I'm manually dosing (around 6ml) of NeophosE. My Loud Wolf Trisodium Phosphate came in today, so I will be switching to that soon. I'll need to figure out what to dose. Would it be 1:1 AmBicarb to my Trisodium Phos?

I was doing bacto balance but stopped cause, as @Troylee put it, seems counter to what I'm dosing. Should I restart it?

I’m dosing 20ml of loud wolf trisodium phosphate. I mixed it up 3tsp to 1000ml of rodi.. I used that calculator on planted tank to get an estimate and it seems to be okay.. right now my phosphates are sitting at .132 and used to be zero! My corals look great “best they ever have” so I’m leaving it for now! As for the bacto balance I’m still using 6ml a day and don’t plan to change it myself I’ll adjust the ammonia and p04 if I feel like it’s getting out line.

 

[BR260354]

I’m dosing 20ml of loud wolf trisodium phosphate. I mixed it up 3tsp to 1000ml of rodi.. I used that calculator on planted tank to get an estimate and it seems to be okay.. right now my phosphates are sitting at .132 and used to be zero! My corals look great “best they ever have” so I’m leaving it for now! As for the bacto balance I’m still using 6ml a day and don’t plan to change it myself I’ll adjust the ammonia and p04 if I feel like it’s getting out line.

Question, are you running a refugium? Not sure if that makes a difference. I run an external LifeReef refugium around 18g. My display is 105g with about a 20g sump. Just curious if the microalgae is consuming.

 

[Troylee]

Question, are you running a refugium? Not sure if that makes a difference. I run an external LifeReef refugium around 18g. My display is 105g with about a 20g sump. Just curious if the microalgae is consuming.

I do not.. my tank is simple just a skimmer and live rock for filtration! High light and flow and carbon dosing with bacto

 

[Reefing_addiction]

So I started dosing ammonium bicarbonate. No negative effects. 6ml in my 75 and 9ml in my 100.

Although I’m not dosing to increase nitrates (at least not in the 75) just doing it to offer the corals an easier source of energy. I have a few corals that are struggling - for whatever reason - and I have noticed that they perked up a bit. Mind you this is a few gonis out of 50 so these may not have been aquacultured and have struggled in my tank since the beginning.

i have not noticed a dip in Dkh since I started dosing (this will be day 3) and my KH Keeper test about 12 times a day (during daylight hours of the tank) .

@Randy Holmes-Farley as I do not want another thing to test for (potassium) I have also order sodium nitrate. I was thinking I would use this to raise nitrates (in my 100g) to between 10-20 and then use the ammonium bicarbonate as a supplement. Hopefully with a little more time my 100g (it’s only about a month old) will stabilize (probably not till I add more fish!I only have 2 in there right now!).

I did go back and look at my last ICP on my 75g and it does not need extra potassium so another good reason to not to the potassium nitrate.

Sorry if I was a little all over the place

 

[audioTom]

I am dosing Ammonia since 1 Week now. Was always very very low on nitrates, right now i am high on po4 (0,3mg/l).
Noticed a difference in my euphyllia glabrescens. they stop wiggling around with long tentacles, now they have shorten them to half the length, but double the thickness.

Positive sideeffect: cyanos went away within this week, and dinos are about 10% from last week. Glad i did this and thanks to Randy!

 

[Tuffloud1]

How fast does Ammonium Bicarbonate in dry form expire or become unusable for dosing in our reef systems?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How fast does Ammonium Bicarbonate in dry form expire or become unusable for dosing in our reef systems?

I do not know the answer to that, but I expect it is pretty stable in a closed container.

 

[Tuffloud1]

For those of you dosing ammonium bicarbonate using a dosing pump, is there any issue if the dosing container isn’t perfectly sealed? Obviously the container needs to vent so I’m just curious if there is any issue with smell or it losing its potency.

Also, what does your dosing schedule/amounts look like? Thank you

 

[Reefing_addiction]

@Randy Holmes-Farley would ammonium carbonate be better than the bicarbonate?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley would ammonium carbonate be better than the bicarbonate?

No. It just has less CO2 and will smell more/ evaporate faster.

 

[tbrown]

Started Ammonium Chloride last night in my 70. 5 mL just before lights out, 5 mL just before lights on. Tested alkalinity 4 hours after the second dose - 11.5 . Also tested nitrates 4 hours after the second dose - 5.4 mg/L.

I'll keep an eye on these levels.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Started Ammonium Chloride last night in my 70. 5 mL just before lights out, 5 mL just before lights on. Tested alkalinity 4 hours after the second dose - 11.5 . Also tested nitrates 4 hours after the second dose - 5.4 mg/L.

I'll keep an eye on these levels.

Sounds good, You have plenty of room for alk to decline over time.

 

[tbrown]

Sounds good, You have plenty of room for alk to decline over time.

That was my thought as well. I just added an RODI for top off water so that should help some as well. Our water is good but winter water wells are very high alkalinity - 15+ is what I tested coming from the tap last winter.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Started Ammonium Chloride last night in my 70. 5 mL just before lights out, 5 mL just before lights on. Tested alkalinity 4 hours after the second dose - 11.5 . Also tested nitrates 4 hours after the second dose - 5.4 mg/L.

I'll keep an eye on these levels.

So ammonium chloride raises alkalinity?

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

So ammonium chloride raises alkalinity?

This has not been my experience, and I believe it’s the other way around. Although, I have found the decline minimal/negligible

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So ammonium chloride raises alkalinity?

It depletes it. I noted that in the recipe post at the start of this thread:

. Adding the equivalent of 50 mg/L nitrate (0.81 meq/L; coming from NH4Cl) will have depleted 0.81 meq/l (2.3 dKH) of alkalinity. That may need to be made up for in some other fashion, such as adding more alkalintiy supplement.

 

[Tuffloud1]

I did my first dose of ammonium bicarbonate yesterday morning of 26ml (Randy’s stock solution) on my 300 gallon system. NO3 was 2.5 prior to dosing. After dosing, I tested again and after a few hours it was 2.9. Awesome and spot on per Randy’s calculation. I did a second dose that night. Prior to testing, NO3 dropped slightly to 2.7. After second dose, went back up to 2.9. No adverse effect observed and alk remains stable. I’m going to do 3 doses of 26ml today.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I did my first dose of ammonium bicarbonate yesterday morning of 26ml (Randy’s stock solution) on my 300 gallon system. NO3 was 2.5 prior to dosing. After dosing, I tested again and after a few hours it was 2.9. Awesome and spot on per Randy’s calculation. I did a second dose that night. Prior to testing, NO3 dropped slightly to 2.7. After second dose, went back up to 2.9. No adverse effect observed and alk remains stable. I’m going to do 3 doses of 26ml today.

Thanks for the info!

 

[tbrown]

So ammonium chloride raises alkalinity?

Lowers.