Getting frustrated with nitrate/phosphate levels

[shermoen]

I have been battling trying to get my phosphates up for months now and I'm to the point where I dont know what else to do.
Tank is 40 breeder all in one, 1year and 3 months old. It is stocked with 15 to 20 frags and corals.
Alk 8.0 stays there not even dosing.
Cal 420 stays there.
SG 35
Phosphate 0.00, test kit has been checked on other water and it works.
Nitrates have been bouncing up and down anywhere from 15 to 35 over the last 6 months.

Currently the Nitrates are 35 I missed water change last week so it crept higher.
Multiple frags are starting to show signs of stress with tissue recession, polyps not opening as much, and a birds nest frag recently showed signs of stn.
I have been battling the Nitrates because I have been trying to raise phosphates with the use of pellet food but doesn't seem to help at all. I have also been dosing neophose 3ml a night over the last week and still no change.
I have had frags in this tank for 3 months that have not grown at all. My alk and calcium do not require dosing and sometimes I test alk and it has even moved up a bit.
At this point I'm pretty frustrated and really need some guidance on to why I am unable to raise my phosphates. I'm pretty sure corals are getting stressed from the instability of the Nitrates.
Any help is welcomed.

 

[MDAquatics]

Do you have any new sand or rock? If you do they could be binding. Something is consuming it but your nitrates are high so at this stage in my reefing career thats confusing. Do you feed the tank? There is no mention of fish. Whats your filtration system like?

 

[shermoen]

Do you have any new sand or rock? If you do they could be binding. Something is consuming it but your nitrates are high so at this stage in my reefing career thats confusing. Do you feed the tank? There is no mention of fish. Whats your filtration system like?

Tank was started with 30lbs live sand and 20 to 30lbs dry rock, nothing new added in the last 6 to 8 months.
Fish stock
2 firefish
1 tomini tang
1 lawnmower blenny
1fairy wrasse
1 bicolor blenny
1 green chromium
1 sunrise dottyback

I do have snails and hermits crabs and a conch.
Filtration consists of floss and a skimmer.

I do 5 gallon weekly water changes and dose propog8 amino and mb7 at that time.

 

[Dan_P]

I have been battling trying to get my phosphates up for months now and I'm to the point where I dont know what else to do.
Tank is 40 breeder all in one, 1year and 3 months old. It is stocked with 15 to 20 frags and corals.
Alk 8.0 stays there not even dosing.
Cal 420 stays there.
SG 35
Phosphate 0.00, test kit has been checked on other water and it works.
Nitrates have been bouncing up and down anywhere from 15 to 35 over the last 6 months.

Currently the Nitrates are 35 I missed water change last week so it crept higher.
Multiple frags are starting to show signs of stress with tissue recession, polyps not opening as much, and a birds nest frag recently showed signs of stn.
I have been battling the Nitrates because I have been trying to raise phosphates with the use of pellet food but doesn't seem to help at all. I have also been dosing neophose 3ml a night over the last week and still no change.
I have had frags in this tank for 3 months that have not grown at all. My alk and calcium do not require dosing and sometimes I test alk and it has even moved up a bit.
At this point I'm pretty frustrated and really need some guidance on to why I am unable to raise my phosphates. I'm pretty sure corals are getting stressed from the instability of the Nitrates.
Any help is welcomed.

You may need to increase the dose of phosphate. I assume your phosphate was low from the start.

 

[shermoen]

Yeah I haven't really tested any phosphates in this tank since it's been running. Stupid tests are so hard to read but looks like the water is always clear everything I test.

 

[moosevandyke]

i recently increased my phosphates using polyp booster.. i tested it in a 5 gallon buck stuff is pure phosphate pretty much. 1 dropper in my 350 gallon and it keeps me at 30-40 ppb with out spiking to fast. Be careful it is very very potent i have been testing morning and evening to find a balance.

 

[shermoen]

i recently increased my phosphates using polyp booster.. i tested it in a 5 gallon buck stuff is pure phosphate pretty much. 1 dropper in my 350 gallon and it keeps me at 30-40 ppm with out spiking to fast. Be careful it is very very potent i have been testing morning and evening to find a balance.

30ppm? That's really high! I only want to go between 0.01-0.1

 

[moosevandyke]

30ppm? That's really high! I only want to go between 0.01-0.1

Sorry typo PPB on Hanna checker
I have found my lps and acros really get happy around 40ppb and 10-15 nitrate

 

[shermoen]

Sorry typo PPB on Hanna checker
I have found my lps and acros really get happy around 40ppb and 10-15 nitrate

Okay. Is that with the ulns checker?
I have been using titration but have a hanna on the way.

 

[moosevandyke]

Yea it is. I actually turned off my skimmer as well to get nitrates up as well. My acros had bad color and lps where just living. Everything seems to be much happier in case your curious tank parameters are

Nitrate 15
Phosphate 35 this am
Alk 8 manual test and trident
Cal 475 manual and trident
Mag 1375 manual and trident
Ph average 8.2 8.0 low in am and 8.5 mid day

A lot of fish but system is 96x36x36 planet aquarium custom and 6 foot sump with everything but only have filter socks and fuge running with big ball of cheato. I was dealing with some cyno but it has cleared by raising nutrient and dosing some sodium nitrate 100ml twice weekly

 

[Lavey29]

35 nitrates is elevated but not critical high and not doing anything to hurt your corals. It's 0 phosphate that is affecting your corals. I would try using reef roids once or twice a week or dose neophos to get measurable numbers.

 

[shermoen]

35 nitrates is elevated but not critical high and not doing anything to hurt your corals. It's 0 phosphate that is affecting your corals. I would try using reef roids once or twice a week or dose neophos to get measurable numbers.

I have been dosing phosphates and feeding tdo chromaboost to try and bring phosphates up but still have not shown on my kit.
Also I do have some small tufts of algae growing so I feel like there is some phos ots just possibly being consumed by it.

 

[Lavey29]

I have been dosing phosphates and feeding tdo chromaboost to try and bring phosphates up but still have not shown on my kit.
Also I do have some small tufts of algae growing so I feel like there is some phos ots just possibly being consumed by it.

I had to double dose neophos for months before I hot measurable numbers.

 

[exnisstech]

Yeah I haven't really tested any phosphates in this tank since it's been running. Stupid tests are so hard to read but looks like the water is always clear everything I test.

I don't understand this statement when the original post said phosphate was zero

 

[KStatefan]

I have been dosing phosphates and feeding tdo chromaboost to try and bring phosphates up but still have not shown on my kit.
Also I do have some small tufts of algae growing so I feel like there is some phos ots just possibly being consumed by it.

I dosed phosphate for a few months before it was not always at zero.

 

[Lavey29]

Yeah I haven't really tested any phosphates in this tank since it's been running. Stupid tests are so hard to read but looks like the water is always clear everything I test.

Uh this is why you have issues then with your tank.

 

[shermoen]

To be clear, I test on a weekly basis. I have been using a elos phos test kit. When testing the results always look clear. There were a few times when maybe there was very small hint of blue but that was over 6 months ago.

My real question is how do I have elevated nitrates but am not showing any phosphate?

Uh this is why you have issues then with your tank.

Could you please be more specific with this answer. Are you stating the cause of my issues is because I am lacking phosphates?

 

[Pistondog]

As @Lavey29 said, increase po4 by adding reef roids or polyp booster a few times a week.
Verify your po4 levels with hanna when you get it.
Nitrates below 30ppm (somewhat stable) are ok, po4 should be 0.1ppm.

 

[Eazy]

Yeah I haven't really tested any phosphates in this tank since it's been running. Stupid tests are so hard to read but looks like the water is always clear everything I test.

I too thought my phosphates were 0 until I purchased a Hanna Phos Checker. Now I need to lower phos. what showed 0 now shows .15 on Hanna. good luck.

 

[MabuyaQ]

Stop dosing aminos it is only adding nitrogen/nitrate that isn't feeding your corals but bacteria. Bacteria that are competing for phosphate with your corals if you are lucky or bacteria that may actually be the direct cause of the STN. Check the flow in your tank and if you have done an ICP what are the iodine, zinc and nickel levels at and what is the general trend of these?