DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

BriDroid · Feb 25, 2025

smalltown reefer said:
I have not read through all 68 pages of this post, so I apologize if I am doubling up with my question. The topic has largely been the intent of dosing to benefit coral growth/health. My question is based more on using this method to stabilize nitrate deficient numbers in a relatively new (1yr old) tank with more fish than a limited number of corals. I have tried all the usual's trying to increase nitrate with no avail, just spikes PO4. So just looking into other possible options. The goal is obviously to get stable parameters to stock up a healthy mixed reef.

I just do not want cause more problems trying to solve one problem and end up with a tank full of dead fish.

I dose ammonium bicarbonate a trisodium phosphate in my nano. I have it packed full of corals, all still frags, but it still uses about 0.3dKH a day, supplemented with AFR. I only have one Springeri damsel, so over feeding really isn't an option for me. That is why I dose ammonium and phosphate. My N stays under 5ppm and my P stays under 0.1ppm. If I don't dose, they will both drop to 0ppm. It's cheap and easy to dose and everyone in the tank is happy, corals, inverts and damsel.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 25, 2025

smalltown reefer said:
I have not read through all 68 pages of this post, so I apologize if I am doubling up with my question. The topic has largely been the intent of dosing to benefit coral growth/health. My question is based more on using this method to stabilize nitrate deficient numbers in a relatively new (1yr old) tank with more fish than a limited number of corals. I have tried all the usual's trying to increase nitrate with no avail, just spikes PO4. So just looking into other possible options. The goal is obviously to get stable parameters to stock up a healthy mixed reef.

I just do not want cause more problems trying to solve one problem and end up with a tank full of dead fish.

It’s a fine method to ensure adequate N bioavailability in any reef tank. Alternatively, folks can dose other N sources such as nitrate, amino acids, or urea.

Assuming you follow the directions, it’s no more likely to kill fish than is adding another fish.

Troylee · Feb 25, 2025

Big E said:
I have used the kit and it does match the chart colors with the different levels, but I have no way of knowing if that's a claim or factual............which is the same for any other kit on the market.

I bought the Red Sea kit because I was getting 0 on the Salifert kit and the Red Sea Pro read levels below that. The color wheel is broken down in increments of .25 below 1.0.

It's a low range kit is all I know. It was not accurate for me when I tried to use for high ranges by dilution.

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I'm more interested in what people are using to measure the N03 levels

I use Hannah high range egg checker myself.. if it’s accurate or not idk but it gives me a base to follow trends.

rishma · Feb 25, 2025

I have long used nitrate as a proxy for having sufficient nitrogen. I think it’s the right approach and will serve most people well. Has worked for me for a long time. I typically targeted around 5 ppm, higher being ok too.

That said, I am not sure this is the best approach when dosing ammonia, at least not >5 ppm. This is based on my observations dosing ammonia to a tank that already had 5 ppm nitrate. I only increased nitrate a little, to less than 10 ppm, but the change/darkening of the corals was significant. Not bad but not the outcome I wanted.

I am currently hanging near zero nitrate and see no signs of nitrogen deficiency (that I recognize anyway). I’ll keep observing. If I choose to start dosing ammonia again I think I’ll only dose enough to keep measurable nitrate (<1ppm being ok). My thinking being if there is some ammonia left over to turn to nitrate, that means I have enough.

My point is, I am thinking @Randy Holmes-Farley guidance on nitrate “Let nitrate float between 5 ppm and 50 ppm” might not be ideal when dosing ammonia.

Ok…let’s debate

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 25, 2025

rishma said:
My point is, I am thinking @Randy Holmes-Farley guidance on nitrate “Let nitrate float between 5 ppm and 50 ppm” might not be ideal when dosing ammonia.

Ok…let’s debate

I’m not sure I’d recommend dosing any type of N, except as an experiment, if nitrate is above 10 ppm.

smalltown reefer · Feb 25, 2025

.

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
It’s a fine method to ensure adequate N bioavailability in any reef tank. Alternatively, folks can dose other N sources such as nitrate, amino acids, or urea.

Assuming you follow the directions, it’s no more likely to kill fish than is adding another fish.

Thanks Randy. I have also researched other avenues. This one just seems to make the most sense with multiple benefits.

rishma · Feb 25, 2025

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I’m not sure I’d recommend dosing any type of N, except as an experiment, if nitrate is above 10 ppm.

Fair. Based on my sample size of 1 tank and 1 experiment, I don't think I’d recommend dosing an N source if the nitrate is 5 or greater. I’m not sure how much nitrate is enough, but I’m pretty sure 5 is enough in my tank.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 25, 2025

rishma said:
Fair. Based on my sample size of 1 tank and 1 experiment, I don't think I’d recommend dosing an N source if the nitrate is 5 or greater. I’m not sure how much nitrate is enough, but I’m pretty sure 5 is enough in my tank.

That also seems likely to me, hence the 5 ppm being at the border of ok as is in my generic advice.

I also still think it would be possible for ammonia to help growth, even if it causes other issue like color changes , perhaps due to increased zoox.

Big E · Feb 25, 2025

Troylee said:
I use Hannah high range egg checker myself.. if it’s accurate or not idk but it gives me a base to follow trends.

Yeah, that'll work..........the only thing I want people to take into account if you're using the Hannah high range tester the accuracy is +/- 2.0

In that case I would target approx. a minimum reading of 4.0 to have some leeway, especially if you fight with low levels.

Troylee · Feb 25, 2025

Big E said:
Yeah, that'll work..........the only thing I want people to take into account if you're using the Hannah high range tester the accuracy is +/- 2.0

In that case I would target approx. a minimum reading of 4.0 to have some leeway, especially if you fight with low levels.

I was fighting low levels for ever till I started the ammonia and now my n03 runs in the mid 30’s and my sps love it!

rishma · Feb 25, 2025

Troylee said:
I was fighting low levels for ever till I started the ammonia and now my n03 runs in the mid 30’s and my sps love it!

How much are you dosing? I’d say that’s a lot of nitrate from ammonia addition. Obviously working well but much more than I would have thought was good. As usual, extrapolating from my one experience is likely not very smart.

Troylee · Feb 25, 2025

rishma said:
How much are you dosing? I’d say that’s a lot of nitrate from ammonia addition. Obviously working well but much more than I would have thought was good. As usual, extrapolating from my one experience is likely not very smart.

40ml in 300 gallons that’s heavily stocked.

JeremyKnight · Mar 1, 2025

I wanted to mention in this thread my recent experience with dosing sodium nitrate and then ammonium hydroxide to increase my numbers. I removed all the fish for a fallow period and because of that I preemptively started dosing nitrate for the corals and macro algae.

Jump ahead two weeks and not seeing the results I wanted, I started doing some more research and found that dosing ammonium could feed the corals more readily and then convert to nitrate and so on.

So I have been dosing ammonium hydroxide for the last three weeks. I can say this is the best thing I have done for my reef. The corals are very plump, the lps are looking puffy and the sticks are growing like mad. I’ve had an incredible uptake in alkalinity and calcium.

I’m dosing 20 drops a day into a roughly 600 gallon system.

PedroYoung · Mar 2, 2025

Ok,
Sorry to maybe ask a question answered elsewhere (this thread obviously gets a lot of love and use). If I were to start dosing ammonium chloride per the stock solution in the original post will this manifest in NO3 testing in the same way a NO3 source would? I’m a little (lot) unclear with the discussion of ammonia sources being more bio-available than NO3 earlier in this thread. Would I not be adding NH3 source to convert to NO3? Sorry if this is an elementary level question, but want to for sure know how to evaluate the levels of anything I’m adding to the tank. I’ve been at 0 NO3 and can’t seem to bring it up and the acros don’t like it.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 2, 2025

PedroYoung said:
Ok,
Sorry to maybe ask a question answered elsewhere (this thread obviously gets a lot of love and use). If I were to start dosing ammonium chloride per the stock solution in the original post will this manifest in NO3 testing in the same way a NO3 source would? I’m a little (lot) unclear with the discussion of ammonia sources being more bio-available than NO3 earlier in this thread. Would I not be adding NH3 source to convert to NO3? Sorry if this is an elementary level question, but want to for sure know how to evaluate the levels of anything I’m adding to the tank. I’ve been at 0 NO3 and can’t seem to bring it up and the acros don’t like it.

If the ammonia is not taken up as ammonia, it will show up as nitrate.

No problem asking such questions. :)

PedroYoung · Mar 2, 2025

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
If the ammonia is not taken up as ammonia, it will show up as nitrate.

No problem asking such questions. :)

Thanks for the answer!! So adding NH3 will not show up as NO3 until its addition exceeds what the tank organisms are consuming. So I wouldn’t expect immediate NO3 increase if starting dosing conservatively.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 2, 2025

PedroYoung said:
Thanks for the answer!! So adding NH3 will not show up as NO3 until its addition exceeds what the tank organisms are consuming. So I wouldn’t expect immediate NO3 increase if starting dosing conservatively.

Well, when you dose ammonia, a race starts to use it. Some bacteria will convert it to nitrate, and others will consume it. Corals will also consume it. How much gets to nitrate depends on the results of that race.