Good NO3, PO4 higher than a kite.

[Townes_Van_Camp]

About 2 months ago I had a problem with dinos showing up in a corner of my tank. So I dirtied it up by skipping a couple of WC and taking my skimmer off line. Clearly this problem started more than two months ago. But I have the dinos beat back and it's time to get this tank back in order.

Current nutrients
NO3 - 5
PO4 - .4

Other info if it matters
1.025
79° +-.5
Mag 1300
Cal 410
Alk 9.5
2 year old tank.

I feed Picene sinking pellets and frozen. Only a single clown in a 14 gallon AIO.

What's the best path here? If I wait until nitrates come up to even 10, to do a water change, that would be months. But if I do it now I'm gonna strip nutrients out.

Should I run gfo and dose nitrates up to 10ppm Then feed heavy handed and do a WC at 15 ppm NO3? Run that course until things balance around .3 phos and 10 NO3?

 

[Jason_MrFrags]

Are there corals in this tank as well? Depending on what you have for livestock, higher nutrients are not an issue.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

About 2 months ago I had a problem with dinos showing up in a corner of my tank. So I dirtied it up by skipping a couple of WC and taking my skimmer off line. Clearly this problem started more than two months ago. But I have the dinos beat back and it's time to get this tank back in order.

Current nutrients
NO3 - 5
PO4 - .4

Other info if it matters
1.025
79° +-.5
Mag 1300
Cal 410
Alk 9.5
2 year old tank.

I feed Picene sinking pellets and frozen. Only a single clown in a 14 gallon AIO.

What's the best path here? If I wait until nitrates come up to even 10, to do a water change, that would be months. But if I do it now I'm gonna strip nutrients out.

Should I run gfo and dose nitrates up to 10ppm Then feed heavy handed and do a WC at 15 ppm NO3? Run that course until things balance around .3 phos and 10 NO3?

I doubt water changes are going to drive nitrate too low (below 2 ppm, IMO) unless you are quite aggressive with them.

GFO sounds like a fine plan.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I doubt water changes are going to drive nitrate too low (below 2 ppm, IMO) unless you are quite aggressive with them.

GFO sounds like a fine plan.

I appreciate you sir

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Are there corals in this tank as well? Depending on what you have for livestock, higher nutrients are not an issue.

There are corals. Yes and no. they are growing rapidly. But I am getting a bit of browning on a few pieces of acro. LPS and zoas are loving it.

 

[Pod_01]

There are corals. Yes and no. they are growing rapidly. But I am getting a bit of browning on a few pieces of acro. LPS and zoas are loving it.

My suggestion would be not to mess too much with nutrient control/ absorbers etc…
I would use TM NP-Bacto. Balance (or similar ) and dose 0.2ml daily to grow bacteria that would feed the acro. Maybe reduce the Alk, I prefer 6.5 to 8 range. Still perform 10% water change weekly or twice a month. Add more fish so acros have food.
It is fine plan to experiment but let your corals tell you if they are happy.

Just for reference your PO4 level is not causing brown acro.

My PO4 lately is 0.2-0.6 range. I let it and NO3 do it’s thing. Due to my low NO3 I am adding Amino.