Dropping nutrients while dosing phophates?

[jordanrb]

My tank has always been high in nutrients since day one. I have a somewhat difficult time with sps and the only thing I can try and improve is the nutrients. My nitrates stay around 30ppm and phosphates around .1.

I want to start dosing nopox but I dont want my phosphates to bottom out. Can I dose neophox while dosing nopox if the phosphates start to drop too low or could that cause an issue?

 

[Uncle99]

My tank has always been high in nutrients since day one. I have a somewhat difficult time with sps and the only thing I can try and improve is the nutrients. My nitrates stay around 30ppm and phosphates around .1.

I want to start dosing nopox but I dont want my phosphates to bottom out. Can I dose neophox while dosing nopox if the phosphates start to drop too low or could that cause an issue?

Nopox works mostly on nitrates, does little to remove phosphates (regardless of what RS says) so go ahead.

.1ppm phosphate is a good level in my mind and sure, if they need a bump, go ahead.

 

[jordanrb]

Nopox works mostly on nitrates, does little to remove phosphates (regardless of what RS says) so go ahead.

.1ppm phosphate is a good level in my mind and sure, if they need a bump, go ahead.

Ok would you say I should try to drop the phosphates to 0.05 than stsrt dosing if it goes any lower?

 

[Uncle99]

Ok would you say I should try to drop the phosphates to 0.05 than stsrt dosing if it goes any lower?

Nope, .1ppm is a good target.
I’d only bump if it drops, week over week, or when the test shows 0.05ppm or both.

I don’t go lower than .1ppm for long as numbers like 0.05ppm can also be zero with testing margin of error. Zero phosphate starves everything.

Week over week, I target 10ppm nitrate and .1ppm phosphate.

 

[sdreefer619]

There is an equation of nitrates and phosphate ratio but I don’t remtoff the top of my head but 30 is a little high I think. I’m battling that now my daughter was topping off my water cause I was out of town and dosed the whole mix of all for I had cause that jug had the least. Come to find out my alk spiked to over 30 so yea. I’ve been doing that lol

 

[sdreefer619]

Why would you dose nutrients if your lowering it sounds kind of counterintuitive no?

 

[MasterClassReefs]

Why would you dose nutrients if your lowering it sounds kind of counterintuitive no?

 

[sdreefer619]

You may loose them just as fast

 

[jordanrb]

Why would you dose nutrients if your lowering it sounds kind of counterintuitive no?

I dont want my phosphates to bottom out before I can get my nitrates low enough

 

[jordanrb]

You may loose them just as fast

What do you mean exactly?

 

[jordanrb]

Nope, .1ppm is a good target.
I’d only bump if it drops, week over week, or when the test shows 0.05ppm or both.

I don’t go lower than .1ppm for long as numbers like 0.05ppm can also be zero with testing margin of error. Zero phosphate starves everything.

Week over week, I target 10ppm nitrate and .1ppm phosphate.

Ok I will keep watching. Hopefully the phosphates dont drop too much before I can get my nitrates in a good range

 

[ReefGeezer]

Optimal nutrient levels vary depending on the conditions in your system. Additionally, the optimal range can be very wide. In some cases, chasing a specific number can do more harm than good. So, is your tank new, old, or in between? Are corals doing well? Do you have algae or pest bacteria issues. Is your alkalinity closer to 7 dKh or 12 dKh? 30 ppm nitrate and .1 ppm phosphate can be just fine if you don't otherwise have issues.

That said, a little nopox (or just plain white vinegar and/or vodka) could drop the nitrates without lowering the phosphate too much... assuming you have a decent skimmer.

 

[backbayreef]

Ok I will keep watching. Hopefully the phosphates dont drop too much before I can get my nitrates in a good range

You’re not alone - I’m battling the exactly the same problem as we speak. When you’re close to 0.10ppm PO4 or lower, carbon dosing (I’m doing vodka) will reduce both NO3 and PO4. I ended up bottoming PO4 before NO3. I’m dosing 50mL of NeoPhos to raise PO4 while dosing 30mL of vodka to keep nitrate down. However, increasing carbon dosing (I went to 70mL of vodka) will produce bacteria slime all over the sump.

Many people will say - it’s easy, just do a 50% WC and get down to under 20ppm. Yes - that will work but my tank is 450gal and it will climb back to 30ppm+ in a few weeks.

What I’m doing? Going to get my sulfur denitrator back online since that will only reduce NO3 - carbon dosing does consume both.

Be curious to see your results.

 

[backbayreef]

There is an equation of nitrates and phosphate ratio but I don’t remtoff the top of my head but 30 is a little high I think. I’m battling that now my daughter was topping off my water cause I was out of town and dosed the whole mix of all for I had cause that jug had the least. Come to find out my alk spiked to over 30 so yea. I’ve been doing that lol

Your Alk spiked to 30dKH?

 

[backbayreef]

Nope, .1ppm is a good target.
I’d only bump if it drops, week over week, or when the test shows 0.05ppm or both.

I don’t go lower than .1ppm for long as numbers like 0.05ppm can also be zero with testing margin of error. Zero phosphate starves everything.

Week over week, I target 10ppm nitrate and .1ppm phosphate.

Agreed - that’s what I’m targeting but NO3 is stubbornly high for me.

 

[sdreefer619]

There is an equation of nitrates and phosphate ratio but I don’t remtoff the top of my head but 30 is a little high I think. I’m battling that now my daughter was topping off my water cause I was out of town and dosed the whole mix of all for I had cause that jug had the least. Come to find out my alk spiked to over 30 so yea. I’ve been doing that lol

Your Alk spiked to 30dKH?

Yea my daughter dosed my all for reef by accident

 

[sdreefer619]

10:1 is ideal

 

[backbayreef]

Yea my daughter dosed my all for reef by accident

Curious - what happened to your tank if Alk was 30dKH?

 

[sdreefer619]

Stn but I was able to save one of my chalices and I lost 1 other coral but overall I’m bringing everything down with water changes. I only lost 1. But it’s got a sliver of tissue left but we’ll see.

 

[backbayreef]

I imagine that your whole tank would turn milky white, calcium crashed, and pH went thru the roof (9+). Almost everything would die at that concentration, maybe softies and fish might survive unless immediate action was taken.