Dosing NO Nitrates or Phosphates

[Aquadude1]

For those who have tanks that have gotten to the point where no additional no3 or po4 input besides feeding is needed, how have you gotten to this point? Question is for anyone but especially sps keepers.


1. What is your filtration approach.
2. What do you do about water changes
3. What is your fish stocking level if any
4. What do you feed
5. What algae if any grows in your tank
6. Any other information you find relevant

 

[cdemoss01]

Bumping this

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I don't dose, I never have. I still believe and practice in keeping nutrients "as close to zero as possible". I perform weekly water changes of 20%-30%. My lps/sps reef has an oversize skimmer and nothing else, and my softie tank has nothing. I feed the fish small amounts 3 or 4 times a day, mixture of mostly frozen with occasional pellets. My tanks are medium stocked. No algae problems to speak of. I don't really test, maybe once or twice a year, but nitrate usually at 5, and phosphate in .03-.05 level (I do feed reef roids once or twice a month). All my tanks are started with dry white rocks. My 2 current reef tanks are 5 and 6 years old. My corals get very high light. Its worked out for me.

 

[Aquadude1]

I don't dose, I never have. I still believe and practice in keeping nutrients "as close to zero as possible". I perform weekly water changes of 20%-30%. My lps/sps reef has an oversize skimmer and nothing else, and my softie tank has nothing. I feed the fish small amounts 3 or 4 times a day, mixture of mostly frozen with occasional pellets. My tanks are medium stocked. No algae problems to speak of. I don't really test, maybe once or twice a year, but nitrate usually at 5, and phosphate in .03-.05 level (I do feed reef roids once or twice a month). All my tanks are started with dry white rocks. My 2 current reef tanks are 5 and 6 years old. My corals get very high light. Its worked out for me.

Do you remember roughly when your tanks started to stabilize/mature

 

[mcarroll]

For those who have tanks that have gotten to the point where no additional no3 or po4 input besides feeding is needed, how have you gotten to this point? Question is for anyone but especially sps keepers.


1. What is your filtration approach.
2. What do you do about water changes
3. What is your fish stocking level if any
4. What do you feed
5. What algae if any grows in your tank
6. Any other information you find relevant

Most of the issues surrounding this come from over filtering the water/over cleaning the tank from Day 1.

Start with just light, flow, live rock and a protein skimmer and I don't see any of this being a problem. save all of the extras for later if they seem necessary.

 

[exnisstech]

I'm finally able to not dose N and P on my SPS tank. I'm three years in have been dosing N and P off and on that entire time. I haven't dosed now since the begining of February. I have some bubble algae coming on in areas where detritus settles in the rocks but that's the extent of my algae issues and has only started a few months ago. I have had no problems with algae at all until the bubble algae started to appear. I run a reef mat only and have been known to shut it off at night and let it overflow a few nights a week. I added a skimmer with an outside airline last October to get a pH boost but I never clean it or empty the cup. I have no refugium. Tank is roughly 65g and I do very random WCs of 4g when I feel like it. I only have 4 fish but two are tangs and I feed a combination of frozen with some pellets and flakes mixed in several times a day. I use AFR to maintain alk and calcium
I only test N,P and Alk weekly and every few months I'll test calcium but it's always 425 - 450 so I never have to make adjustment. I run IO purple salt and keep things pretty simple with no controllers or fancy gear and no ICP testing because I'm not going to chase trace elements. I have sponges and other things growing on the rocks. Im pretty laid back and like to just let things run on their own as much as I can with minimal fussing on my part.

Not a TOTM but I'm happy with it as my first SPS tank.

 

[CHSUB]

For those who have tanks that have gotten to the point where no additional no3 or po4

I question if I’m actually in the Matrix and Agent Smith is toying with me. When I ask the Oracle she said I’m not the One, so I don’t know if this is really a question?

 

[56longroof]

I use the heavy in and heavy out method. I feed alot and have probably too many fish. GFO for phosphate control and water changes to reduce nitrates. No algea issues at all. Im in process of building a Donovan Nitrate Destroyer to reduce both the Nitrate and hopefully to start bi weekly water changes to reduce some costs.

 

[Aquadude1]

I'm finally able to not dose N and P on my SPS tank. I'm three years in have been dosing N and P off and on that entire time. I haven't dosed now since the begining of February. I have some bubble algae coming on in areas where detritus settles in the rocks but that's the extent of my algae issues and has only started a few months ago. I have had no problems with algae at all until the bubble algae started to appear. I run a reef mat only and have been known to shut it off at night and let it overflow a few nights a week. I added a skimmer with an outside airline last October to get a pH boost but I never clean it or empty the cup. I have no refugium. Tank is roughly 65g and I do very random WCs of 4g when I feel like it. I only have 4 fish but two are tangs and I feed a combination of frozen with some pellets and flakes mixed in several times a day. I use AFR to maintain alk and calcium
I only test N,P and Alk weekly and every few months I'll test calcium but it's always 425 - 450 so I never have to make adjustment. I run IO purple salt and keep things pretty simple with no controllers or fancy gear and no ICP testing because I'm not going to chase trace elements. I have sponges and other things growing on the rocks. Im pretty laid back and like to just let things run on their own as much as I can with minimal fussing on my part.

Not a TOTM but I'm happy with it as my first SPS tank.

If things are growing you must be doing something right! Tank looks good

What do you think changed that allowed you to stop dosing?

 

[Aquadude1]

For those who have tanks that have gotten to the point where no additional no3 or po4 input besides feeding is needed, how have you gotten to this point? Question is for anyone but especially sps keepers.


1. What is your filtration approach.
2. What do you do about water changes
3. What is your fish stocking level if any
4. What do you feed
5. What algae if any grows in your tank
6. Any other information you find relevant

Most of the issues surrounding this come from over filtering the water/over cleaning the tank from Day 1.

Start with just light, flow, live rock and a protein skimmer and I don't see any of this being a problem. save all of the extras for later if they seem necessary.

Agreed! I have found dry rock definitely keeps nutrients low for a while. Live rock can get things stable faster, but many people start with dry rock.

 

[Aquadude1]

Just to carify the question a little bit. It is mainly for those who had to dose nutrients, how did you move past that.

 

[exnisstech]

Not really sure how i moved past it unless it's tank maturity. Mine was an all dry rock start up but I avoided the uglies by packing the sump full of live rock when I started. It may just be coincidence but I did notice much better results when I switched from dosing sodium nitrate to ammonia bicarb for N. With the nitrate I was having to dose almost daily. When I switched to ammonium I was able to dose less often as time went on and now not at all. But I have no way of knowing if that was a benefit of switching or not.

 

[Aquadude1]

Not really sure how i moved past it unless it's tank maturity. Mine was an all dry rock start up but I avoided the uglies by packing the sump full of live rock when I started. It may just be coincidence but I did notice much better results when I switched from dosing sodium nitrate to ammonia bicarb for N. With the nitrate I was having to dose almost daily. When I switched to ammonium I was able to dose less often as time went on and now not at all. But I have no way of knowing if that was a benefit of switching or not.

Fair. I have a feeling time is going to be the common factor. I personally noticed no difference when using ammonia as a nitrogen source

 

[Aquadude1]

I question if I’m actually in the Matrix and Agent Smith is toying with me. When I ask the Oracle she said I’m not the One, so I don’t know if this is really a question?

 

[mcarroll]

I have some bubble algae coming on in areas where detritus settles in the rocks but that's the extent of my algae issues and has only started a few months ago.

This may sounds crazy (becuase the tank looks great...I don't even see the algae you're referring to), but if detritus and algae spores are collecting in places, it sounds like the CUC must not be getting everywhere in your reef.

That means hopefully one of two things....either not enough CUC numbers....or not the right mix of CUC yet.

I could be wrong too. Just my 2¢.

(I certainly hope flow isn't the reason because I stopped counting powerheads when I ran out of fingers )

 

[Ziggy17]

Took 2 years to stabilize at .1 PO4 8.0 N03
Reefmat 1200, in sump UV, skimmer
No Fuge
GHA and Bubble
10% WC every 2-3 weeks
Mysis, brine, Nori, Vitalis pellets. (3x day)
Light fish stocking. 7 total fish in a 150g. Lots of inverts.
Medium coral stocking. Mixed reef
12 hour light period. 2x xr15s 1x xr30
Started with dry rock.

The only places I get algae is in the small crevices in the rock where food settles and inverts don’t get to. Tooth brush to remove.

 

[Aquadude1]

Took 2 years to stabilize at .1 PO4 8.0 N03
Reefmat 1200, in sump UV, skimmer
No Fuge
GHA and Bubble
10% WC every 2-3 weeks
Mysis, brine, Nori, Vitalis pellets. (3x day)
Light fish stocking. 7 total fish in a 150g. Lots of inverts.
Medium coral stocking. Mixed reef
12 hour light period. 2x xr15s 1x xr30
Started with dry rock.

The only places I get algae is in the small crevices in the rock where food settles and inverts don’t get to. Tooth brush to remove.

Thanks for the info! Do you think there was anything that helped in reaching equilibrium or just time?

 

[Ziggy17]

Thanks for the info! Do you think there was anything that helped in reaching equilibrium or just time?

100% time.

 

[Aquadude1]

Now we just need to figure out how to locally speed up time

 

[mcarroll]

Now we just need to figure out how to locally speed up time

This is one that we have down pat when we are kids, but we forget as adults…

Time flies when you're having fun.

100% local time travel.