Help, phosphate 0 and nitrate 2, softies look crappy like I’m going to loose them!!

[Nanorock1970]

I’ve been over feeding for about 3 weeks and my phosphate and nitrate have not gone up. The only thing that has happened is I now have a ton of cyano in my tank. Tank has been running for over 2 years. Before adding softies, I was always trying to lower the nitrates because they were always 15-20 ppm. Now about 6 -8 months in with softies and the nitrates and phosphates have disappeared.

 

[Jib]

You could always dose Nitrate and Phosphate. I tried to stay away from dosing but had to do it to raise my Nitrates and Phosphates to combat Dinos. I use NeoNitro and NeoPhos

 

[PirateMonkeyReefer]

Neo Phos is what I've been using to great effect! If you can't wait and you need to get it ASAP and an LFS doesn't have it you could get some trisodium phosphate off amazon prime and mix your own.

Link to DIY solution

 

[Nanorock1970]

Neo Phos is what I've been using to great effect! If you can't wait and you need to get it ASAP and an LFS doesn't have it you could get some trisodium phosphate off amazon prime and mix your own.

Link to DIY solution

I have two reputable LFS that I am going to hit up tomorrow and see what they have...I was also looking at fastart M from brightwell it’s supposed to be both nitrate and phosphate to dose.

 

[Nanorock1970]

One more thing, I have been using chempure elite, chempure blue, and puragen in my filter. I took them all out today to see if that helps increase my nitrate and phosphate.
I have been using them all along from the start of my tank, before adding softies.
I am using a canister filter for filtration.

 

[Jib]

One more thing, I have been using chempure elite, chempure blue, and puragen in my filter. I took them all out today to see if that helps increase my nitrate and phosphate.
I have been using them all along from the start of my tank, before adding softies.
I am using a canister filter for filtration.

There is the one of the reasons your nitrates & phosphates are low. They strip them out of the water. Try just running normal carbon

 

[Nanorock1970]

There is the one of the reasons your nitrates & phosphates are low. They strip them out of the water. Try just running normal carbon

Yes I agree as I was having issues getting nitrates down for 1 1/2 years before adding softies. It’s only been about a month since I have seen this issue, also been a month I have been making my own water. Same salt brand reef pro I was buying Pre mixed from the LFS. Maybe the LFS water is not as pure as mine.

 

[blasterman]

I know this is not what you wanted to hear but if there's a scenario that's a sure fire way to nuke softies ( zoas and shrooms) its moving from established high nutrient conditions to low. Every soft coral loss ive had was induced by going from high to low nutrients.

Common stump remover is what I use to kick up nitrates. I would vac out as much of the cyano as possible since its locking up a lot of nutrients.

 

[Nanorock1970]

I know this is not what you wanted to hear but if there's a scenario that's a sure fire way to nuke softies ( zoas and shrooms) its moving from established high nutrient conditions to low. Every soft coral loss ive had was induced by going from high to low nutrients.

Common stump remover is what I use to kick up nitrates. I would vac out as much of the cyano as possible since its locking up a lot of nutrients.

My tank was high nutrient and all of a sudden, low for whatever reason. My plan is to do a water change to get out what I can of the cyano and add some nitrate either stump remover or something from the LFS.

 

[Nanorock1970]

My tank was high nutrient and all of a sudden, low for whatever reason. My plan is to do a water change to get out what I can of the cyano and add some nitrate either stump remover or something from the LFS.

So my LFS didn't have any nitrate additives and I know you all are using stump remover but i can't bring myself to get the stump remover to add to the tank. I am afraid that it will make it worse if I get the wrong stuff or mix it wrong. The LFS sold me red sea AB+ for low nutrient tanks. I have been doing 2 half doses a day. I am not sure when exactly but as of this week I am back to 10 ppm nitrates and .1 phosphate and no one looks happy still. Even if the water parameters are back to normal, I don't know how long it will take for the softies to recover.