Dosing nitrate, how fast can I raise it?

[Shigshwa]

I'm dosing back some nitrates in my system after an incident with carbon "dosing" that dropped my nitrates from 10 to 0 in a matter of days. What's the maximum increase that is tolerated by my mixed tank? I'm trying to get it to 5-10.

 

[zachxlutz]

I'm dosing back some nitrates in my system after an incident with carbon "dosing" that dropped my nitrates from 10 to 0 in a matter of days. What's the maximum increase that is tolerated by my mixed tank? I'm trying to get it to 5-10.

I routinely dose my tank with KNO3 to target 10 ppm with no noticeable ill effects. I've dosed as much as 11 ppm (51 ml of 28g KNO3/150ml RO).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't think it causes issues to dose to the preferred target right from the start.

 

[Shigshwa]

Alright, dosed the full amount back in, and the test shows that I'm definitely in the ballpark. My SPS are showing their polyps again, and I'm sure the chaeto will love this too!

 

[zack801]

Hey @Shigshwa any update on your experience with raising nitrates over the last couple of months? I just started yesterday and I'm almost positive my polyp extension has improved already in particular I have a frag of fox flame that has had extension but not as good as it was last night after dosing

 

[zachxlutz]

Hey @Shigshwa any update on your experience with raising nitrates over the last couple of months? I just started yesterday and I'm almost positive my polyp extension has improved already in particular I have a frag of fox flame that has had extension but not as good as it was last night after dosing

I've been dosing KNO3 for over 12 months now and PO4 for over 6 months. My tank has shown GREAT improvement due to the ability to keep nitrates and phosphates from dropping to o. Color, polyp extension, growth all seem to be going great. Without the dosing of these nutrients, my tank would plummet to zero nutrients, dinos would take over and coral health would be negatively impacted. It's my opinion that it's safe to dose and I recommend it to anyone that is struggling with coral health.

 

[lariat8099]

Where do you keep your PO4 ppm at?

 

[zachxlutz]

Where do you keep your PO4 ppm at?

Anywhere between .1-.2 if I see it below .1 I’ll dose up to .2 for safe measure. Tank has never looked better.

 

[Shigshwa]

Hey @Shigshwa any update on your experience with raising nitrates over the last couple of months? I just started yesterday and I'm almost positive my polyp extension has improved already in particular I have a frag of fox flame that has had extension but not as good as it was last night after dosing

Well, I've since moved from an ULNS setup to a balling method setup, utilizing chaeto for export. My nitrates say at 5 or below, and I do some booster doses once or twice a week to bring the nitrates up 5ppm. My tank looks great now, much better than when I was using biopellets. I went from 1 dKH/day consumption to over 4 now with some flow and lighting upgrades, but I'm sure the presence of nutrients help too. With nutrients present, I'm able to bump my alkalinity to 10 dKH, which also helped with increasing growth.

 

[zachxlutz]

Well, I've since moved from an ULNS setup to a balling method setup, utilizing chaeto for export. My nitrates say at 5 or below, and I do some booster doses once or twice a week to bring the nitrates up 5ppm. My tank looks great now, much better than when I was using biopellets. I went from 1 dKH/day consumption to over 4 now with some flow and lighting upgrades, but I'm sure the presence of nutrients help too. With nutrients present, I'm able to bump my alkalinity to 10 dKH, which also helped with increasing growth.

That’s what I like to hear!

 

[Shigshwa]

That’s what I like to hear!

Some of my acros encrust so fast now, you never don't see a small crust of white at the edges, and I swear that I can see them grow by the day!

 

[zachxlutz]

Some of my acros encrust so fast now, you never don't see a small crust of white at the edges, and I swear that I can see them grow by the day!

It's crazy to me how important trace levels of nutrients are in our tanks yet so much misinformation gets spread around about having to have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It's crazy to me how important trace levels of nutrients are in our tanks yet so much misinformation gets spread around about having to have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates.

Instead of misinformation, I think it may have a lot to do with changing ideas of what 0 and 0 actually means. A lot of the problem (IMO) has to do with difficulty of measuring and maintaining low levels, and what that even means.

Historically, when the 0,0 idea was more prevalent, 0.01 or 0.02 ppm phosphate could not be distinguished by hobbyists from 0, and driving nitrate and phosphate "too low" was technically difficult and not very common.\

Now, with improved measurement (ICP, Hanna ULR, etc.) and export methods (GFO, organic carbon dosing, etc.) the understanding of what is too low and the likelihood of actually going too low has become more prevalent.

 

[pwilliaml]

I've been dosing KNO3 for over 12 months now and PO4 for over 6 months. My tank has shown GREAT improvement due to the ability to keep nitrates and phosphates from dropping to o. Color, polyp extension, growth all seem to be going great. Without the dosing of these nutrients, my tank would plummet to zero nutrients, dinos would take over and coral health would be negatively impacted. It's my opinion that it's safe to dose and I recommend it to anyone that is struggling with coral health.

What chemical are you dosing to keep phosphates where you want them? I just bought Sodium Nitrate and might have to do some Phosphates next. I think I might have to take out some of my Marinepure blocks and balls as my bio filter is just too good for my size tank. Gone are the days when I was happy if I could get my nitrates in my old 14 gallon biocube below 40ppm. Never a dull day in reefing I swear.

 

[zachxlutz]

What chemical are you dosing to keep phosphates where you want them? I just bought Sodium Nitrate and might have to do some Phosphates next. I think I might have to take out some of my Marinepure blocks and balls as my bio filter is just too good for my size tank. Gone are the days when I was happy if I could get my nitrates in my old 14 gallon biocube below 40ppm. Never a dull day in reefing I swear.

It's always something, huh?

I'm using Aquavitro Activate to supplement PO4 in my tank and it works as desired.

Best of luck.

 

[pwilliaml]

Thanks. I'm wondering at this point if it's worth taking my skimmer off line for a couple hours a day to see if that helps raise nutrients. Other than the oxygenation of my water, anyone think of other detrimental effects this could cause?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks. I'm wondering at this point if it's worth taking my skimmer off line for a couple hours a day to see if that helps raise nutrients. Other than the oxygenation of my water, anyone think of other detrimental effects this could cause?

I doubt you'll see a noticeable rise in nutrients in a few hours.

 

[pwilliaml]

Randy, are you following me as I jump between these threads? Just kidding. I've got an algae turf scrubber that I would like to use as my primary source of nutrient reduction, so I'm debating shutting down my skimmer but afraid of the sudden change it may cause, so I thought I'd try shutting it down for 6 hours a day for a week and then 12 and then so on until it's off completely and just replace the oxygenation with an air stone. Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[ajhudson15]

Randy, are you following me as I jump between these threads? Just kidding. I've got an algae turf scrubber that I would like to use as my primary source of nutrient reduction, so I'm debating shutting down my skimmer but afraid of the sudden change it may cause, so I thought I'd try shutting it down for 6 hours a day for a week and then 12 and then so on until it's off completely and just replace the oxygenation with an air stone. Thoughts? Thanks.

I am having the same issues with 0 nitrates. I shut my skimmer off for a week straight and fed a little more and still no change in nitrates

 

[pwilliaml]

I am having the same issues with 0 nitrates. I shut my skimmer off for a week straight and fed a little more and still no change in nitrates

I had the same problem as you, and I also tried turning my skimmer off and additional feedings and all that did was drive my phosphates really high. I listened to Randy and started dosing Sodium Nitrate to stay between 2 and 5 (easy to see on test kit) and have had a lot of success with that. My Algae Turf Scrubber finally started working and my polyp extension on all my corals increased and now I have colors I've never seen before in my tank. I know everyone says that, but I legitimately noticed a difference. Hope that helps.