High nitrate but 0.00 phosphate? What to do?

[scandinavian reefer]

Water changes, feed less, refugium, etc... flakes and pellets raise it the most, frozen is better. Make sure none is sitting on the sandbed and that your cleaner crew is getting it. Check out PNS probio too.

I will do the water changes I mostly feed frozen sometimes mastic but mostly frozen. Should I stop target feeding my lps? For a while?
I will look up this PNS probio

 

[Lavey29]

I will do the water changes I mostly feed frozen sometimes mastic but mostly frozen. Should I stop target feeding my lps? For a while?
I will look up this PNS probio

When my numbers climb one of the first things I do is cut back on feeding the corals. Fish waste fertilizer is all they really need. They don't get spot fed in the ocean. PNS is natural bacteria that helps lower nitrate and phosphate. Keeps the tank clean too.

 

[fushi]

Update : so I managed to get my phosphates to 0.15 .According to my Hanna checker my results have been 0.15-0.16 ppm. This is without dosing any phosphates I just been feeding a little more and stoped carbon dosing....

If feeding more to increase your phosphates is increasing your nitrates too much it is probably a better idea to just dose phosphate as needed and cut back on feeding.

If nitraphos minus was working to keep nitrates down I would continue that. (Don't fix it if it ain't broken)

Alternatively macro algae is a great way to keep nutrients down with cheto being the easiest and most common. You dont necessarily need a HOB refugium to grow it you could stick a ball of it in the display to help lower nutrients for a while.
You can tangle it up to a frag rack or use an algae clip to hold it in a corner.
Needle point mesh and some zip-ties also make a quick basket.

 

[fushi]

I will do the water changes I mostly feed frozen sometimes mastic but mostly frozen. Should I stop target feeding my lps? For a while?
I will look up this PNS probio

You could also try a nitrate absorbing resin, I have not used them before but hear good things, the resin is rechargeable so the cost doesn't seen bad.



https://bluelifeusa.com/regenerable-resins/

 

[Lavey29]

My nitrates routinely sit at 20 now and corals seem to be thriving. What ever method you choose to reduce just walk it down over a period of weeks. Sharp movement up or down seems to stress inhabitants. I've been focused on natural methods as much as possible.

 

[scandinavian reefer]

When my numbers climb one of the first things I do is cut back on feeding the corals. Fish waste fertilizer is all they really need. They don't get spot fed in the ocean. PNS is natural bacteria that helps lower nitrate and phosphate. Keeps the tank clean too.

I Will cut back on my feeding for sure. Oh I see, well I do have microbacter at home from brightwell also bacteria I did dose a little yesterday since I eased off on my nitraphos dosing. Hope that helps me as well.

 

[scandinavian reefer]

If feeding more to increase your phosphates is increasing your nitrates too much it is probably a better idea to just dose phosphate as needed and cut back on feeding.

If nitraphos minus was working to keep nitrates down I would continue that. (Don't fix it if it ain't broken)

Alternatively macro algae is a great way to keep nutrients down with cheto being the easiest and most common. You dont necessarily need a HOB refugium to grow it you could stick a ball of it in the display to help lower nutrients for a while.
You can tangle it up to a frag rack or use an algae clip to hold it in a corner.
Needle point mesh and some zip-ties also make a quick basket.

I agree from now on I will only dose if I need to raise anything.

nitraphos did work but I got the feeling that it was more aggressive on my phosphates than my nitrates having said that while dosing it things seemed fine and happy. They still are ,corals looks fluffy and happy but I just got chocked when I saw my nitrate number at 75ppm with my new Hanna checker. It was a good thing I bought it since I thought the numbers were more close to 20ppm when looking at the salifert kit.

only thing I’m sure to do now is water change every week, cut on feeding.
I will get some cheato, that was a good idea to attach it to an algae clip thanks fushi
I also think I will try the maxspect anaerobic block and toss out my sponges, feels like my sponge chamber is becoming a detritus bomb.
Dose microbacter or nitraphos? Not 100% sure wich one to use here. Can I use both ? Or will it cause more problems.

 

[MaxTremors]

I’ve been battling high nitrates and non-existent phosphates for months. I feel like my nitrates wouldn’t come done because there were no phosphates (denitrification, regardless of method, can’t happen without some phosphate). So, I’ve been dosing phosphate for about a month, and my nitrates have since dropped significantly. My tank/rock is consuming/absorbing nearly 0.02ppm of phosphates a day. Hoping that the rock will reach saturation soon and that I won’t have to dose as much, but I’ve read that can take a while.

 

[scandinavian reefer]

I’ve been battling high nitrates and non-existent phosphates for months. I feel like my nitrates wouldn’t come done because there were no phosphates (denitrification, regardless of method, can’t happen without some phosphate). So, I’ve been dosing phosphate for about a month, and my nitrates have since dropped significantly. My tank/rock is consuming/absorbing nearly 0.02ppm of phosphates a day. Hoping that the rock will reach saturation soon and that I won’t have to dose as much, but I’ve read that can take a while.

I see I hope things will sort out for you.
I also had 0.00 phosphates but I managed to get it up by feeding more. Having said that I will start dosing instead if I need to raise it again. Now I have 0.15-0.16 ppm of phosphates last test I took
( not the ULR phosphate checker the other one) from Hanna.
But I couldn’t even imagine that my nitrates were so high I’m glad I bought the HR Nitrate checker. Having said that my corals looks happy even though I have such high nitrates but they are definitely to high for my comfort.

 

[Lavey29]

I see I hope things will sort out for you.
I also had 0.00 phosphates but I managed to get it up by feeding more. Having said that I will start dosing instead if I need to raise it again. Now I have 0.15-0.16 ppm of phosphates last test I took
( not the ULR phosphate checker the other one) from Hanna.
But I couldn’t even imagine that my nitrates were so high I’m glad I bought the HR Nitrate checker. Having said that my corals looks happy even though I have such high nitrates but they are definitely to high for my comfort.

Each tank is unique. A lot of people have beautiful reefs with numbers that would be considered very elevated. Your corals will tell you what they like and if they are thriving then be careful changing anything to dramatically.

 

[Koigula]

Back years ago when reefing was easy, you used live rock T5s Halides and venturi skimmers and stuff just grew. Phosphate was not measured and unreliable anyway.

Make you tank more basic and things will grow again.

Send in a ICP test to two different companies and even those wont match!

 

[MaxTremors]

Back years ago when reefing was easy, you used live rock T5s Halides and venturi skimmers and stuff just grew. Phosphate was not measured and unreliable anyway.

Make you tank more basic and things will grow again.

Send in a ICP test to two different companies and even those wont match!

I’ve been reefing since we’ll before T5s were even a thing, and phosphates have always been something that were tested for and were a concern. The tanks and species that people are keeping today we’re not possible 20 years ago, part of that is a better understanding of nutrient import/export, part of it is better equipment. But not testing and ‘simplicity’ isn’t a solution. That said, my tank is very basic, just flow, lighting, skimmer, and refugium, the same setup I’ve always run. The difference, IMO, isn’t necessarily ‘simplicity’, it’s the move from live rock to dry rock. These huge disparities between nitrates and phosphates (being high in one and not the other) was really uncommon years ago.

 

[scandinavian reefer]

Each tank is unique. A lot of people have beautiful reefs with numbers that would be considered very elevated. Your corals will tell you what they like and if they are thriving then be careful changing anything to dramatically.

Yea you are right it’s very interesting actually. I actually did a water change today 10 liters (in Sweden we don’t use the term gallons) and when I think about it after my water changes I feel like my corals gets a little upset. I’m going to approach this slowly with
weekly water changes, microbacter and I think I might try the maxspect anaerobic blocks as well and remove my sponges. I will also get some cheato I just realized that I can have it in a HOB net breeder inside the main tank in that way I don’t risk it getting everywhere and it should work

 

[scandinavian reefer]

I’m also thinking about to invest in one more MP10 to get a little more flow and get rid of the dead spots.

 

[Lavey29]

Yea you are right it’s very interesting actually. I actually did a water change today 10 liters (in Sweden we don’t use the term gallons) and when I think about it after my water changes I feel like my corals gets a little upset. I’m going to approach this slowly with
weekly water changes, microbacter and I think I might try the maxspect anaerobic blocks as well and remove my sponges. I will also get some cheato I just realized that I can have it in a HOB net breeder inside the main tank in that way I don’t risk it getting everywhere and it should work

Don't forget microbacter will reduce nitrates and phosphate as it is dosed. When my numbers bottomed out bad things happened in my tank and my corals suffered. I made up my mind to focus on my water parameters and not just start throwing various chemicals in the tank. I got my fuge going well and when my parameters got in line the tank began to transform. The ugliest slowly started going away and corals began to thrive. It took some months to happen. I now try to only run a bag of carbon and my skimmer with the fuge. Trying to be as natural as possible. The PNS probio has been a big surprise to me as a natural bacteria supplement. Really keeps the tank clean. My filter sock stays clean for a week or more now.

 

[scandinavian reefer]

Don't forget microbacter will reduce nitrates and phosphate as it is dosed. When my numbers bottomed out bad things happened in my tank and my corals suffered. I made up my mind to focus on my water parameters and not just start throwing various chemicals in the tank. I got my fuge going well and when my parameters got in line the tank began to transform. The ugliest slowly started going away and corals began to thrive. It took some months to happen. I now try to only run a bag of carbon and my skimmer with the fuge. Trying to be as natural as possible. The PNS probio has been a big surprise to me as a natural bacteria supplement. Really keeps the tank clean. My filter sock stays clean for a week or more now.

Hmm you might be right, I’m maybe risking getting the Same result as I got when I dosed nitraphos since my phosphate levels is so much less than my nitrates my phosphates might bottoms out wich I don’t want of course.
I’m just like you in the end I also just want to keep things as natural as possible with stable parameters and with the benefit of beneficial bacteria this PNS probio might just be the thing I’m searching for have to look it up more closely and see if I can get my hands on it as well since I live in Sweden, maybe my lfs can order it for me.

Sadly I don’t have a sump since my tank is a AIO waterbox tank so I can’t really have a “real” fuge but I will try some cheato in a net breeder and see if I can get some of the effect of a fuge.

 

[Lavey29]

Hmm you might be right, I’m maybe risking getting the Same result as I got when I dosed nitraphos since my phosphate levels is so much less than my nitrates my phosphates might bottoms out wich I don’t want of course.
I’m just like you in the end I also just want to keep things as natural as possible with stable parameters and with the benefit of beneficial bacteria this PNS probio might just be the thing I’m searching for have to look it up more closely and see if I can get my hands on it as well since I live in Sweden, maybe my lfs can order it for me.

Sadly I don’t have a sump since my tank is a AIO waterbox tank so I can’t really have a “real” fuge but I will try some cheato in a net breeder and see if I can get some of the effect of a fuge.

Ideally you want 10 to 1 ratio nitrate to phosphate.

 

[scandinavian reefer]

Ideally you want 10 to 1 ratio nitrate to phosphate.

Yea will do my best to get there.

i did found one thing that might work as a sort of fuge Pax Bellum a.r.I.d n18 macroalgae reactor (40-120 gal. Sys.) did see that it comes with a hang on bracket. But it’s not a cheap option so I might stick with the net breeder idea haha

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[Lavey29]

Yea will do my best to get there.

i did found one thing that might work as a sort of fuge Pax Bellum a.r.I.d n18 macroalgae reactor (40-120 gal. Sys.) did see that it comes with a hang on bracket. But it’s not a cheap option so I might stick with the net breeder idea haha

​

Post some pics of your tank set up and what you are trying to achieve.

 

[fushi]

I agree from now on I will only dose if I need to raise anything.

nitraphos did work but I got the feeling that it was more aggressive on my phosphates than my nitrates having said that while dosing it things seemed fine and………..

So there are a couple different types of microbactor, I’m assuming you have microbactor7 which I don’t really like. I would recommend prodibio biodigest, it should be easily available in sweeden too.

I would make one change at a time, test, and see how your tank changes. Rapid changes stress corals and don’t allow you to pinpoint what fixed your problem.

Yea you are right it’s very interesting actually. I actually did a water change today 10 liters (in Sweden we don’t use the term gallons) and when I think about it after my water changes I feel like my corals gets a little upset. I’m going to approach this slowly with………

It is important (especially a small tank) that you match the current tank parameters when you do water changes. The top things to match are Tempture, Alkalinity, and salinity.

I’m also thinking about to invest in one more MP10 to get a little more flow and get rid of the dead spots.

For the price I would recommend getting a AI Nero instead, its a very good power head (AI is also owned by ecotech). I also recommend gyre pumps as they move way more water gently.