How much Nitrate in an LPS and Softie dominant tank is considered too high? Mine are between 20 - 50 ppm and after spending months with Nitrate at 0, I am not sure if I want to lower it.
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This is interesting, so how did you get the nitrates down and are your phosphates and nitrates now stabilised? Also, how did the soft corals respond to the reduction? I assume the LPS were favored it yeah?My nitrates and phosphates recently got out of control (lazy reefer syndrome) with nitrates maxing out at 55pm and phosphates around 0.3ppm. Pretty much all of my softies were fine including zoas, mushrooms, xenia, toadstool leather, etc. However, most of LPS did not like it at all save for a small hammer frag and my blastos. I lost a duncan, frogspawn, plate coral, bubble coral, and a platygyra/brain coral. I also experience an explosion of bubble algae. I can't for sure it was the high nitrates or high phosphates that did the most damage, but I know the LPS were not happy with the nutrients that high. I've since gotten them back down to under 10ppm nitrates and under 0.10ppm phosphates and everything is much happier. I would say an ideal target for softies LPS would be 10-20ppm nitrates and 0.03-0.15ppm phosphates.
The PO4 is betwwen o.03 and 0.06. The tank is about 8 months old. Started with dead rock.What are your PO4 levels?
Personally, I think 50 ppm nitrate starts flirting with too high. It will be less of an issue if you have a mature tank with large colonies taking up a lot of the available room. If you have a newer tank with a bunch of frags, you are just asking for algae issues.
There is room in between your levels and 0. If you want help dialing it in, a description of your system and current export methods (skimmer? refugium?) will make it easier to help you dial it in a bit more.
I try to keep mine around 10 as well on the nitrates. Phosphates around 0.06. I use refugium, skimmer, and just bought some supplies for carbon dosing for the weeks that I'm lazy and may have to miss a water change. Mixed Reef tank with plenty of zoas and shrooms but also have LPS and a few SPS.I would think some light weekly carbon dosing to dial Nitrates in to around 10 would be a good idea. Just watch that you don't bottom out the PO4 levels until you balance them both back out again....
Carbon dosing is not something you do periodically, it’s a long term strategy, you have to dose every day, slowly ramping up the dose, for it to work. It’s not something you can do for a week because you missed a water change.I try to keep mine around 10 as well on the nitrates. Phosphates around 0.06. I use refugium, skimmer, and just bought some supplies for carbon dosing for the weeks that I'm lazy and may have to miss a water change. Mixed Reef tank with plenty of zoas and shrooms but also have LPS and a few SPS.
Maybe I don't understand it then because I don't want my nitrates to go to zero.Carbon dosing is not something you do periodically, it’s a long term strategy, you have to dose every day, slowly ramping up the dose, for it to work. It’s not something you can do for a week because you missed a water change.
I think I just needed to harvest some of my chaeto. The nitrates started to go up but I harvested a ton of it this weekend and nitrates are now 10.1 Maybe I don't need carbon dosing.Maybe I don't understand it then because I don't want my nitrates to go to zero.
Having had experience with 0 nitrates and phosphates, for sure it is not ideal for soft corals and lps as they use these nutrients to build up the algae in them. I kind of spooked my kenya tree with the low to 0 nutrients and he still hasn't perked up. I am not sure if the damage is permanent. Only now one of my GSP's is opening up. And this is after close to 2 months I think.Maybe I don't understand it then because I don't want my nitrates to go to zero.