Is zero nutrients ever acceptable?

[TWYOUNG]

After not realizing the significance of letting nutrients bottom out for several weeks in my newly set up tank I had prorocentrum dinos about three months ago. Since then I've been dosing nitrates and phosphates daily to keep at least 0.05 phosphates and 5.0 nitrates. Unfortunately I'm also feeding GHA with these nutrients and have been cleaning my sand every two weeks. Would it be a mistake to stop adding nitrates and phosphates at this time?

 

[wtdenk]

I have a tank in a similar situation with different algae. Recently I allowed nutrients to slowly drop by cutting back on dosing. Started seeing some dinos again unfortunately.

 

[vetteguy53081]

After not realizing the significance of letting nutrients bottom out for several weeks in my newly set up tank I had prorocentrum dinos about three months ago. Since then I've been dosing nitrates and phosphates daily to keep at least 0.05 phosphates and 5.0 nitrates. Unfortunately I'm also feeding GHA with these nutrients and have been cleaning my sand every two weeks. Would it be a mistake to stop adding nitrates and phosphates at this time?

Only ammonia is what you want at zero. In lieu of chemicals you can simply extend water change periods and feed a little more to livestock. Zero numbers often create chemical imbalances for the tank. Even at 5 nitrates and .04 phos will keep you out of zero ranges and susceptibility to other issues that can occur

 

[vpierce3]

Every time I’ve let nutrients drop to zero, bad things happen. You can let them go lower but they must be detectable IME.
Many have suggested dosing 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide to help with dinos and algae. I have done this several times in the past and it has always helped. You can find info on this in the main dino thread. There is also a Facebook group for fighting dinos and H2O2 dosing is discussed there too.

 

[bushdoc]

If GHA is your main problem, not Dinos, then your tank is doing quite well. There is no magic pill or chemical to get rid of GHA, it's a process. I would recommend biological means like tuxedo urchin or other critters.

 

[TWYOUNG]

I have a tank in a similar situation with different algae. Recently I allowed nutrients to slowly drop by cutting back on dosing. Started seeing some dinos again unfortunately.

I suppose the best solution is to keep dosing and manual removal. I have lots of cuc that do a pretty good job on the rock but not so much with the gravel. Some have suggested urchins may help but I've avoided them thus far due to their destructive behavior.

 

[TWYOUNG]

If GHA is your main problem, not Dinos, then your tank is doing quite well. There is no magic pill or chemical to get rid of GHA, it's a process. I would recommend biological means like tuxedo urchin or other critters.

See above reply. Will urchins work on the sand?

 

[bushdoc]

Urchins like to be attached to firm substrate, like rock or glass, so for GHA on sand you would probably need different CUC.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I suppose the best solution is to keep dosing and manual removal. I have lots of cuc that do a pretty good job on the rock but not so much with the gravel. Some have suggested urchins may help but I've avoided them thus far due to their destructive behavior.

Strombus snails work for me on keeping substrate clean.

What material is your substrate - it may itself contain a reservoir of phosphate.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Strombus snails work for me on keeping substrate clean.

What material is your substrate - it may itself contain a reservoir of phosphate.

Aragalive sand 80#, CaribSea Liferock 100#. I've been dosing phosphate daily for four months, sometimes as much as 80mls per day. Currently I'm dosing 30mls of Dibasic Sodium phosphate just to maintain a measurable level. Nitrate is more stable but will approach zero occasionally necessitating a dose of sodium nitrate. I've been using so much of the stuff I mix my own to save $$$. Never heard of Strombus snails, I've got pretty much every other kind including 10 Mexican turbos.

 

[The Opinionated Reefer]

If GHA is your main problem, not Dinos, then your tank is doing quite well. There is no magic pill or chemical to get rid of GHA, it's a process. I would recommend biological means like tuxedo urchin or other critters.

Flux RX will get rid of GHA

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Flux RX will get rid of GHA

It may be OK for a one time treatment to deal with a difficult situation, but I personally would not recommend that folks use algaecides as a general method of control.

 

[exnisstech]

Flux RX will get rid of GHA

I did this and sure enough it took care of the gha but I ended up with cyano everywhere.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I did this and sure enough it took care of the gha but I ended up with cyano everywhere.

Guess that's what happens when you use an azole antibiotic normally used to treat fungal infections in animals, and chuck it into an aquarium.

 

[exnisstech]

Guess that's what happens when you use an azole antibiotic normally used to treat fungal infections in animals, and chuck it into an aquarium.

Yep sometime ignorance is bliss other times it's a curse :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

 

[The Opinionated Reefer]

It may be OK for a one time treatment to deal with a difficult situation, but I personally would not recommend that folks use algaecides as a general method of control.

I would agree but it is a magic bullet if you just want the algae gone. It is up to you to then deal with the repercussions of that whether it be cyano or dino's.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Flux RX will get rid of GHA

Some dinos, likely LCA and diatoms in addition to the gha,

 

[MinnieMouse2]

Once your nutrients die out, your chaeto will stop growing and turn to mush. Then dino will come along. After that, you fight to get nutrients back into the tank, and it will be hell on earth.

 

[The Opinionated Reefer]

If it was my tank I would be running a powerful UV sterilizer in a display-to-display loop. I then use Flux rx to completely wipe out the algae from the tank The UV should stop the dino's from taking hold again. I keep the UV running for a few months until the tank has matured to the point where dino's are not such a big threat. Id also try to stabilize the nutrients in that time.

This is what I would do, some people would regard this as terrible advice but then again some people fight dinos and GHA for years!

 

[Dburr1014]

Snails, hermits and urchins.
Manual removal what you can.
Vacuum your sandbed.
Feed more.
Make sure PO4 does not hit zero but don't worry so much about nitrates. As long as your feeding 2 or 3 times a day there will be ammonia/ammonium in the water.
GHA has a tough time using ammonia but coral polyps love it. Check NO3 every few days. Should be low levels but it's okay.