How to balance nutrients?

Fisherman Joe

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Hi all.

My PO4 0.12ppm and my nitrate is between 10ppm and 25ppm.

I have a 600L tank running the full Triton core7 method. I have a large refugium that is lighted 24-7. I recently had issues with green hair algae (GHA) so removed my algae and dosed FLUX RX to kill the GHA. It worked well but my algae is only very slowly growing now ans struggling to cope with the excess nutrients

I am running a wet skim and I have salt eater in my ATO. I am doing a 5% water change each 2 days effectively but still can’t keep my nutrients down.

I feed pellets automatically 4 times a day (I have anthias).

What’s the best way to treat these nutrients? NO:pO dosing? GFO to remove the PO4? What about the nitrate?

Eventually the algae will take over. Until then what should I do?
 

schuby

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Your phosphate and nitrate levels are right where I want my tank to be: 0.1-0.2 ppm PO4 and 10-20ppm NO3. With sufficient bio-diversity (opposite of using FLUX RX), algae will not take over. My phosphate was recently 0.57ppm, with nitrate around 35-40ppm, and I did not have an algae-bloom.

Your tank is about the same size as mine (150 gal). I have several Tangs and many snails to keep GHA in check. It is impossible to eradicate, but very capable of being well-controlled.

I fully intended to go full Triton-method, but haven't yet. My tank, sump, and flow were intentionally sized for it. Do you find it easy to run?

BTW, what is salt eater in your ATO? Maybe kalkwasser/spell-check?
 
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Fisherman Joe

Fisherman Joe

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Yeah sorry. I have salt water in my ATO.

I have a GHL aquarium computer, like an alternate to Neptune. My skimmer goes to a waste pot and a dosing pump sends my skimmate down the drain. If I add salt to my ATO, it’s like an automatic water change through my skimmer.

I might not change my nutrients too much if you think that’s ok.

Isn’t NO3 high at 25? Shouldn’t PO4 be around 0.05?

That being said the SPS corals look very happy I added last week.
 

schuby

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Do you check salinity often? Salt water in ATO should cause it to increase: only water is lost due to evaporation as the salt stays.

Your PO4 and NO3 levels are perfect, IMHO.

If the purpose of your tank is to grow SPS, then you are successful.
 
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Fisherman Joe

Fisherman Joe

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No. You misunderstand.

I wet skim. So I’m removing water and using the ATO to replace it. Not the evaporated water. It’s like a water change.
 

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