How to raise nitrates and phosphates with no supplements

[Benji k]

So I don’t have access to any supplements for the next 2 weeks and my corals arent looking great my nitrate is at 2 and I’m not totally sure on my phosphate but I’m pretty sure it’s low I do have access to frozen and fry food if that might help raise them I need help please

 

[Subsea]

Don’t assume you need both nitrates & phosphates raised.

For nitrogen, I dose ammonia.


PS:
@Benji k
You posted this thread yesterday. Is it the same tank? Why don’t you know what your phosphate is?

“My Duncan had been closed for about a month and my parameters are Salinity 1.027 Ph 7.8 Nitrate 1 phosphate Phosphate not certain but around 0.2 Calcium 444 Alk 7.9 Magnesium 1602 I also have a lot of Cyanobacteria tank has been set up for about 1.5 years most the other corals are looking ok...”

 

[gbroadbridge]

So I don’t have access to any supplements for the next 2 weeks and my corals arent looking great my nitrate is at 2 and I’m not totally sure on my phosphate but I’m pretty sure it’s low I do have access to frozen and fry food if that might help raise them I need help please

If your Nitrate is at 2ppm the corals are not nitrate limited.

Something else is making them unhappy.

 

[Subsea]

2ppm of nitrate measured, depending on test kit, very likely is nitrogen limited

 

[Subsea]

@Benji k

Is this the same tank as your blue light thread?

 

[Benji k]

@Benji k

Is this the same tank as your blue light thread?

Yea

 

[Benji k]

@Benji k

Is this the same tank as your blue light thread?

This is how my corals look and it looks like the sinularia is receding these are my test results

 

[Subsea]

Yea

Would you detail how you measure nitrate & phosphate? On the test results documented by LFS, phosphate shows zero, yet on your other thread that you posted yesterday, you showed phosphate at .2ppm, which would be high. What date was LFS test performed.

I can’t tell much from viewing coral under blue light.

TURN UP YOUR WHITE LIGHTS.

 

[Subsea]

How long was light on when pH showed 7.8? While not excessively low, what is pH at end of light cycle? Also, what is pH at end of lights off?

 

[Benji k]

Would you detail how you measure nitrate & phosphate? On the test results documented by LFS, phosphate shows zero, yet on your other thread that you posted yesterday, you showed phosphate at .2ppm, which would be high. What date was LFS test performed.

I can’t tell much from viewing coral under blue light.

TURN UP YOUR WHITE LIGHTS.

The guy at f lfs said that in the test it usually reads 0 but it’s actually higher then 0 but it won’t be above .5 I didn’t really understand it but he said I didn’t need to dose phosphate I asked him multiple times if I should dose phosphate and he said no your phosphate is fine I got the test 2 days ago the guy tested it in like a very exspensive tester it test all the parameters I’m not sure what there called its night for me rn should I get some photos with my flash on or just wait till the morning I really have been slacking because school and work and I overall just didn’t care about the tank cause how beautiful it looked until my two lps slowly receded and slowly died and after that everything went bad but now it’s slowly getting better but now I spot the sinularia receding and the duncan still hasn’t opened in like a month I’ll send a photo of the tank before those two lps at the frond died and also my nitrates on my test at home used to read almost at 90 Wich I’m not sure if it tested right but usually it reader 90 when this image was taken

 

[Benji k]

How long was light on when pH showed 7.8? While not excessively low, what is pH at end of light cycle? Also, what is pH at end of lights off?

The lights are off now want me to go test ph I only have an api kit

 

[Subsea]

In 55 years of Reefing, I know of no one that doses phosphate.

The lights are off now want me to go test ph I only have an api kit

wait until the end of dark cycle when pH is at it’s lowest

Do you understand why pH changes with lights on or off?

 

[Benji k]

In 55 years of Reefing, I know of no one that doses phosphate.

wait until the end of dark cycle when pH is at it’s lowest

Do you understand why pH changes with lights on or off?

So how do I raise them then just with food and so you want me to do a test as soon as lights turn on here’s a picture of the sinularia see the white appearing on the polyps at the front it looks like it’s peeling off

 

[Subsea]

When you say “how do you raise them” your talking about nitrates & phosphates, but I asked you about pH and did you understand how photosynthesis effects pH.

Most reefers use food to raise nitrate & phosphate.

Yes, your Sinularia is deteriorating.

 

[Benji k]

When you say “how do you raise them” your talking about nitrates & phosphates, but I asked you about pH and did you understand how photosynthesis effects pH.

Most reefers use food to raise nitrate & phosphate.

Yes, your Sinularia is deteriorating.

I don’t really know much about ph and how they are affected by light is there anything I should do to help the ph or to raise it I do have some ph buffer but when I add it never seems to go up I’ll try feeding more for nitrate and phosphate I don’t have any fish right now. And for the sinularia is there any saving it

 

[Subsea]

I don’t really know much about ph and how they are affected by light is there anything I should do to help the ph or to raise it I do have some ph buffer but when I add it never seems to go up I’ll try feeding more for nitrate and phosphate I don’t have any fish right now. And for the sinularia is there any saving it

I suggest you learn more about how your ecosystem works. It will make you a better steward of the living organisms under your care.

Know this about photosynthesis in our environment:
during photosynthesis, algae (coral zooanthelia is an algae) algae & terrestrial plants consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. The consumption of carbon dioxide by plants lowers carbonic acid in the water which increases pH. This is the reason that fresh water aquarist add carbon dioxide to their planted aquariums and commercial greenhouse operators add carbon dioxide to greenhouses.

So, contrary to climate change alarmism, carbon dioxide is a fertilizer and not a pollutant.


PS
At this time, I suggest you do some serious water changes because we don’t know what killed your lps & clown fish.

PSS: Dose some ammonia. Corals & algae prefer ammonia to nitrate.

 

[twentyleagues]

The tests are probably off one of those spin test units. Typically I think they are made by API or use API brand reagents, at least the ones I have seen/used are. API reagents for phosphate is typically not "good" enough to test phosphate levels at levels we typically associate with reef levels, I think lowest "accurate" is .25 which to most is way too high. My guess is nitrate is a mis-test.

@Benji k How long has the tank been fishless?

 

[Benji k]

The tests are probably off one of those spin test units. Typically I think they are made by API or use API brand reagents, at least the ones I have seen/used are. API reagents for phosphate is typically not "good" enough to test phosphate levels at levels we typically associate with reef levels, I think lowest "accurate" is .25 which to most is way too high. My guess is nitrate is a mis-test.

@Benji k How long has the tank been fishless?

I’m really not sure what’s going on then because it all started when my lps started receding and then they died and everything started to look bad and the clownfish died a week later the only corals that are left are the soft corals and the duncan my ph usually stays at 7.8 and my nitrates are low they used to be really high before the corals went bad and my sinularia is now recceding the tank has now been fishless for about a week and I’m not sure if I should be doing water changes or to be ghost feeding to get my nitrates higher

 

[Subsea]

PS
At this time, I suggest you do some serious water changes, including gravel vac sediments because we don’t know what killed your lps & clown fish.

PSS: Dose some ammonia. Corals & algae prefer ammonia to nitrate.

 

[Benji k]

PS
At this time, I suggest you do some serious water changes because we don’t know what killed your lps & clown fish.

PSS: Dose some ammonia. Corals & algae prefer ammonia to nitrate.

Ok thank you for your help really appreciate it