Getting my reef nutrients increased

[sbrad14]

Hi I am trying to get a lot of my values increased in my 50gallon tank. Current levels
Nitrates: 0
Nitrites, Ammonia: 0
Phosphate: 0
PH:8.4
Alk:7.8
Ca:340
Mg:980
My goal is nitrates 5, phosphate 0.03, Ca 430, Mg 1300. I have stuff to dose, and have been dosing without the numbers changing much. I know that Ca, Mg, and Alk all work together as well as Nitrates and Phosphates. So if I am going to start heavier dosing which one (Ca, Mg, or Alk) should I be doing first or should I try them all at the same time. Same thing with Nitrates and Phosphates which should I be trying to increase first. Thanks! (I have been doing very heavy feeding with no results also) (stock in tank is a few tiny ZOAs, BTA, maxi mini anem, 3 chromis, starfish, sleeper goby, lots of ceriths, and a tiger conch)

 

[TX_REEF]

how's your filtration? I fixed my zero nutrients problem by removing my protein skimmer. also want to make sure you aren't using any media that absorbs N or P.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Are you measuring salinity? Low salinity is the main way to get low of everything (alk/Ca/Mg)

Feeding more will bring up nutrients.

 

[sbrad14]

I have HOB runing bio media/sponge/cabon and a protein skimmer running 24/7. Debating turning off protein skimmer at night now to help. Salinity hovers around 1.025 or 1.026.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I would feed more or dose N and P before shutting off a skimmer. I regularly dose ammonium bicarbonate to keep up my nitrate.

DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

Some reef aquaria have chronic low nitrogen availability. One indicator is very low nitrate. Nitrate dosing is a fine remedy, but it is possible that ammonia dosing may be more beneficial for some organisms since ammonia can be energetically easier to assimilate than is nitrate. For this...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[sbrad14]

For Mg, Ca, and Alk if I am doing max doses is there one I should start with that affects the others.

 

[Uncle99]

For Mg, Ca, and Alk if I am doing max doses is there one I should start with that affects the others.

I do MG up to your desired level first.
Then CA.
Then I retest Alk and move that one last.
Assuming salinity is pinned at 35ppt and your using 3 individual products.

Can’t see nitrate and phosphate at zero but they are easy to dose up if your certain.

 

[slingfox]

I have HOB runing bio media/sponge/cabon and a protein skimmer running 24/7. Debating turning off protein skimmer at night now to help. Salinity hovers around 1.025 or 1.026.

With the parameters you posted it is highly likely your salinity measurement is off. Check calibration:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-aquarium-salinity-diy-calibration-standards.956/

You should test the parameters for both your tank as well as freshly mixed saltwater to make sure the readings of the freshly mixed are as expected. Highly likely your salinity instrument is off.

 

[TX_REEF]

Are you measuring salinity? Low salinity is the main way to get low of everything (alk/Ca/Mg)

Feeding more will bring up nutrients.

good point on feeding, I ignorantly assumed OP would have tried feeding more first. good advice.

 

[sbrad14]

Ok makes sense for the dosing thanks! Yah I'm confused by the nitrate and phosphate but do have two separate tests showing 0s I will just try to be cautiously more aggressive with my dosing for those. I do only have one refractometer to test salinity. But I do check it every try with Distilled water to make sure its reading 0 and calibrated. And it appears accurate when I test the RO water mix I buy from my LFS.

 

[sbrad14]

What would be overfeeding for nutrients? I have only had FOWLR tanks before so always so used to 0s being good for these and minimal feeding. I have been feeding reef roids x2 a week, flakes 1once a day multiple large pinches and about 1.5 cubes frozen. Would increasing my fish stock help as well?

 

[sbrad14]

oh also throw in some pellets/algaea sinker food randomly as well.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

For Mg, Ca, and Alk if I am doing max doses is there one I should start with that affects the others.

I would STRONGLY advise not just dosing those, especially not magnesium.

If it is just a salinity issue, you will be screwed if you boost magnesium then determine salinity is low, because you may not be able to raise salinity later without magnesium going too high.

Magnesium testing is also often too inaccurate to guide dosing, IMO.

Distilled water is not typically a good way to calibrate a refractometer. Make a diy 35 ppt standard.

Also, try the magnesium kit on some new salt water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What would be overfeeding for nutrients? I have only had FOWLR tanks before so always so used to 0s being good for these and minimal feeding. I have been feeding reef roids x2 a week, flakes 1once a day multiple large pinches and about 1.5 cubes frozen. Would increasing my fish stock help as well?

Just feed more than you are now and see what happens after a week.

 

[sbrad14]

ok I will def pick up some calibration fluid to use to calibrate. I mean I am pretty confident my salinity is relatively accurate as I said since I have been testing the RO salt water I use for top offs from my LFS and it reads 1.025 which is what they say they run it at. I also had my general parameters tested at LFS and he said salinity looked good on there refractometer. I really doubt it is too low if anything as I get a ton of tank evaporation in the winter.

 

[sbrad14]

What would you recommend for increasing the Ca and Mg if not dosing more?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What would you recommend for increasing the Ca and Mg if not dosing more?

In general, I do not recommend mag testing at all. Just dosing at 5-10% of the calcium dosed.

But here’s a path forward:

1. Use both kits in new salt water that measured the same salinity as your tank. Thst opens up several different possibilities, from inaccurate salinity to test issues for mag and ca.

2. Assuming the new salt water matches salinity and is far higher in magnesium, then retest mag again in the tank. Only then consider dosing. It would be hard for someone to get Mg that low even if they were trying to do so. You would need to have dosed thousands of ppm of calcium and no magnesium over an extended period of time to drive magnesium that low. If you did not do that, then I would only dose magnesium if an icp test showed normal salinity and low Mg.

3. If the test in 1 shows calcium higher in the new water, then dose it up. Calcium test errors are usually smaller (assuming this is not a Hanna test; if so, confirm with a different brand).