Help a beginner like me with ICP test results please :)

[Reef_at_Sea]

I currently got my ICP test results back & it shows alot of stuff i don't know about.
Could someone more experienced help me out & tell me what i should do / look at.

The only problem i see in my tank atm is my elegance coral not opening up fully anymore.
Nitrates i know is a problem, i am trying to bring them down with dosing phosphates & water changes, phosphates are always dropping to 0 for me for some reason...

Thank you!!!!

 

[subodhs]

Not knowing anything about the kind of tank you have (LPS, FOWLR,SPS?) I would hazard a guess, but you should probably give a little bit more description of your tank.

The Salinity on your tank seems to be running a little on the high side. While it isn't extreme, natural seawater has a salinity of 35 PSU. Is your top off working? How do you adjust for evaporation?

Nitrates at 60 ppm are quite high. I'm not even sure the readings are correct, as the Phosphates seem to be at the ideal range. What do you do for nutrient export? At 60 PPM, stress will show up on fish, corals, and nuisance algae, which would be out of control (although PO4 is probably holding it back for now). The ideal nitrate range is between 5-10 ppm but could be higher if you're not keeping SPS. I'd recommend lowering nitrates gradually to avoid shocking the tank inhabitants. Regular water changes, reducing feeding, and adding macroalgae or nitrate-absorbing media can help reduce levels safely.

All other parameters are generally in the "can deal with it later" range, I think. They can use some correction but you need to correct these two parameters first. The elevated levels of Ca and Alk might be due to Salinity as well, and you should re-test for Ca, Alk, Mg, NO3, and PO4 after you have corrected for Salinity first.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

The question is how does the tank look?

High nitrates are neither here nor there depending on what’s in the tank.

There is no ideal nitrate range. It’s what ever you decide you want to go with.

The key to any reef tank is stability.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Not knowing anything about the kind of tank you have (LPS, FOWLR,SPS?) I would hazard a guess, but you should probably give a little bit more description of your tank.

The Salinity on your tank seems to be running a little on the high side. While it isn't extreme, natural seawater has a salinity of 35 PSU. Is your top off working? How do you adjust for evaporation?

Nitrates at 60 ppm are quite high. I'm not even sure the readings are correct, as the Phosphates seem to be at the ideal range. What do you do for nutrient export? At 60 PPM, stress will show up on fish, corals, and nuisance algae, which would be out of control (although PO4 is probably holding it back for now). The ideal nitrate range is between 5-10 ppm but could be higher if you're not keeping SPS. I'd recommend lowering nitrates gradually to avoid shocking the tank inhabitants. Regular water changes, reducing feeding, and adding macroalgae or nitrate-absorbing media can help reduce levels safely.

All other parameters are generally in the "can deal with it later" range, I think. They can use some correction but you need to correct these two parameters first. The elevated levels of Ca and Alk might be due to Salinity as well, and you should re-test for Ca, Alk, Mg, NO3, and PO4 after you have corrected for Salinity first.

I run a 50g softies & LPS tank with not alot of coral yet (see my build) the story about my tank is that it’s not creating alot of natural phosphates.. i actually am dosing phosphates to 0,10 every day to try to get the nitrates down.
But for some reason my nitrates keep creeping up & i only feed half a block of frozen food a day, fish eat everything.

I’m so lost about the nitrates, i have nopox to use but nothing else

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

The question is how does the tank look?

High nitrates are neither here nor there depending on what’s in the tank.

There is no ideal nitrate range. It’s what ever you decide you want to go with.

The key to any reef tank is stability.

Tank looks amazing, except one elegance coral not being happy..

 

[subodhs]

I looked at the video and your tank thread. I would double-check the Nitrate value - the tank should look much worse if the Nitrates are that high, so I think that value may be incorrect. Do your own test for Nitrates. You also do not seem to have much bio load yet, and as @Reefing_addiction said above, the key to success is stability. I wouldn't go around chasing numbers all of a sudden.

I would recommend bringing down nitrates if they are that high in your re-test (slowly, though). Water changes, nutrient export via algae growth, etc, could work.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

I looked at the video and your tank thread. I would double-check the Nitrate value - the tank should look much worse if the Nitrates are that high, so I think that value may be incorrect. Do your own test for Nitrates. You also do not seem to have much bio load yet, and as @Reefing_addiction said above, the key to success is stability. I wouldn't go around chasing numbers all of a sudden.

I would recommend bringing down nitrates if they are that high in your re-test (slowly, though). Water changes, nutrient export via algae growth, etc, could work.

All my nitrates tests (hanna) have always been on the high side.

What options do i have besides water changes and algea growth?
Somoene told me to keep phosphate at 0,10 to get nitrates down. Because my tank can’t keep phosphate on healthy amount, always bottoms out

 

[subodhs]

At this point, your low phosphate levels are probably helping you keep the nuisance algae in check. While I wouldn't recommend 0, but as long as PO4 and NO3 are available, something has to consume it to be able to take it out of the system. It could be macroalgae, nuisance algae, water changes, carbon (+bacteria) dosing, efficient skimming, denitrators like seachem dinitrate, and algae scrubbers, among other things.

I like to spend as little as possible so I have Macroalgae in the refugium, which keeps things in check.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I looked at the video and your tank thread. I would double-check the Nitrate value - the tank should look much worse if the Nitrates are that high, so I think that value may be incorrect. Do your own test for Nitrates. You also do not seem to have much bio load yet, and as @Reefing_addiction said above, the key to success is stability. I wouldn't go around chasing numbers all of a sudden.

I would recommend bringing down nitrates if they are that high in your re-test (slowly, though). Water changes, nutrient export via algae growth, etc, could work.

I also wouldn't start correcting your tank if one coral isn't doing great. Fixing one coral can lead to multiple other corals not doing well.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

I also wouldn't start correcting your tank if one coral isn't doing great. Fixing one coral can lead to multiple other corals not doing well.

But i think we all agree my nitrate has to come down at some point ha, i’m very scared of nopox tho, had a bacteria bloom once.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't agree that the nitrate is likely incorrect. Some fabulous tanks with no algae issues have nitrate that high.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

I don't agree that the nitrate is likely incorrect. Some fabulous tanks with no algae issues have nitrate that high.

But it keeps creeping up tho… :/

 

[subodhs]

But i think we all agree my nitrate has to come down at some point ha, i’m very scared of nopox tho, had a bacteria bloom once.

I'd probably wait for other experts to weigh in on that. I keep an SPS so to me that amount of Nitrate is high. That may not be the case for an LPS tank.

 

[Pod_01]

While I wouldn't recommend 0, but as long as PO4 and NO3 are available, something has to consume it to be able to take it out of the system. It could be macroalgae, nuisance algae, water changes, carbon (+bacteria) dosing, efficient skimming, denitrators like seachem dinitrate, and algae scrubbers, among other things.

PO4 is required for corals, if that gets to zero, starving corals will follow. Not desirable situation.

Elevated NO3 is also not issue, as mentioned some reef tank look great with elevated NO3.

 

[Pod_01]

But i think we all agree my nitrate has to come down at some point ha, i’m very scared of nopox tho, had a bacteria bloom once.

Water change can help, also reduced carbon dosing will work. If you had bacteria bloom, too much was added.

For example I use TM Bacto Ballance and dose 0.5ml a day into 65gal system and my NO3 is usually 1-5ppm (most time it is below 1).

If things look ok don’t rush with making changes.

Good luck,

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

But it keeps creeping up tho… :/

It's certainly a fine plan to look to lower it. I just was chiming in on the comment that it is likely incorrect.

I'd personally use organic carbon dosing for that purpose.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd probably wait for other experts to weigh in on that. I keep an SPS so to me that amount of Nitrate is high. That may not be the case for an LPS tank.

This tank has 41 ppm nitrate:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/rich-ross-home-tank-guess-the-phosphate.296635/

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

It's certainly a fine plan to look to lower it. I just was chiming in on the comment that it is likely incorrect.

I'd personally use organic carbon dosing for that purpose.

I have been dosing phosphates to keep it at 0,10 lately and i am noticing my nitrates going down slowly because of it, can i find a guide for carbon dosing?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have been dosing phosphates to keep it at 0,10 lately and i am noticing my nitrates going down slowly because of it, can i find a guide for carbon dosing?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-vodka-and-vinegar-dosing-charts.1024056/

 

[subodhs]

This tank has 41 ppm nitrate:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/rich-ross-home-tank-guess-the-phosphate.296635/

To me, if @Randy Holmes-Farley says, it's fine, it is fine. No questions asked beyond that. :)