Can you share how do you dose Flourish Nitrogen. How many mls? How often? What is your water volume? What is your nitrate target? I have started dosing 3ml in 90 gallon of water and don't really detect any increase in Nitrate after 12 hours (redsea pro test kit). I dose every other day. I am hesitant to increase the dosage. Would love to hear about your experience. Thank you in advance for sharing.
My nitrate dosing experience
- Thread starter rossco
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Can you share how do you dose Flourish Nitrogen. How many mls? How often? What is your water volume? What is your nitrate target? I have started dosing 3ml in 90 gallon of water and don't really detect any increase in Nitrate after 12 hours (redsea pro test kit). I dose every other day. I am hesitant to increase the dosage. Would love to hear about your experience. Thank you in advance for sharing.
For calculating dosing amounts using DIY nutrients or commercial versions, you can use https://rotalabutterfly.com/nutrient-calculator.php
Dennis
specialk
Valuable Member
@JBNY hey brother what sort of lemonade is that in the 2nd picture down that you posted ... I bought this coral some time ago at a swap and forgot the correct name. I have one but not colored up as much as yours. No3 dosing time!For me, I found the N consumption has been pretty constant. I have been using a doser for about 15 months. The amount varies a little, about every 4-6 months I have to up the amount of N I am using or lower it, depending on testing.
I love using spectracide. I only need it once or twice a week when I see phosphates go above 0 I dose a big dose and they drop back down and the corals respond very well. Nitrates don't stay viable on a test for but a day but I am using it more for controlling phosphates. It does help keep some of the lighter colors strong looking which I like. I wish I could remember to dose it more. I am not interested in keeping readable nitrate because I have a lot of fish and they keep the corals supplied nutrients.
It's the UC Strawberry Shortcake.
grassy_noel
Active Member
@rossco thanks for the super informative post! I have been struggling in my 20 gallon nano to balance nutrients in a low-demand system (I have only two clown fish). For me, I seem to bounce back and forth between 0 nitrates--where my corals start to lose color--and a green hair algae problem. So far I've tried Chemipure Blue, then carbon dosing (NoPoX), and then a chaeto reactor for nutrient export. For nutrient import I've tried overfeeding a bit, then tried dosing Red Sea Reef Energy every day, and then tried dosing phytoplankton.
Chemipure blue stripped my nitrates to zero in like two days, so I took it out for good. With both NoPoX and then the chaeto reactor my nitrates read 0 or 0.25ppm at the most, and phosphates read zero--they've never been above 0.01ppm testing both with Hanna Checker LR Phosphate and Red Sea test kit. Regardless of my nutrient import mode, I get the same Nitrate and Phosphate values as well. The only thing that seems to change is my Green Hair Algae. When I'm adding more nutrients, GHA grows like crazy, but my corals coral up so vibrantly. When I'm holding back on nutrients, the GHA dies back, but my corals' colors fade. I can't seem to find a happy medium. All the while Nitrates read 0-0.25ppm and Phosphates read 0.00ppm.
My question is that you mentioned "using up phosphates" in your post. I'm wondering if perhaps that's the key I'm missing. By overfeeding I am probably adding nitrates and phosphates to the tank, which may be fueling the GHA growth. If I fed normally but dosed only nitrates, do you think that might resolve the GHA issue while maintaining good colors?
Otherwise, I'm hoping to combat the algae with a larger CUC and hopefully coralline algae growth in the near future (I can finally start to see tiny purple dots on my dry rock after ~6 months).
Thanks!
Chemipure blue stripped my nitrates to zero in like two days, so I took it out for good. With both NoPoX and then the chaeto reactor my nitrates read 0 or 0.25ppm at the most, and phosphates read zero--they've never been above 0.01ppm testing both with Hanna Checker LR Phosphate and Red Sea test kit. Regardless of my nutrient import mode, I get the same Nitrate and Phosphate values as well. The only thing that seems to change is my Green Hair Algae. When I'm adding more nutrients, GHA grows like crazy, but my corals coral up so vibrantly. When I'm holding back on nutrients, the GHA dies back, but my corals' colors fade. I can't seem to find a happy medium. All the while Nitrates read 0-0.25ppm and Phosphates read 0.00ppm.
My question is that you mentioned "using up phosphates" in your post. I'm wondering if perhaps that's the key I'm missing. By overfeeding I am probably adding nitrates and phosphates to the tank, which may be fueling the GHA growth. If I fed normally but dosed only nitrates, do you think that might resolve the GHA issue while maintaining good colors?
Otherwise, I'm hoping to combat the algae with a larger CUC and hopefully coralline algae growth in the near future (I can finally start to see tiny purple dots on my dry rock after ~6 months).
Thanks!
OP
OP
Dosing is a much faster and precise way of getting there and by testing you can dial in your levels, but honestly after getting my parameters back in line I haven't dosed since. I ditched the chaeto for good, and I did add a few fish, bumped up the feeding a bit and started feeding frozen without rinsing. I also now feed Reef Roids usually twice a week but only half of what is recommended on the jar.
That's what I would do until the colors come back again and then maintain a low level of nitrate if needed and indicated by testing, and bump up your CUC at the same time so it can keep up with the GHA right away before it gets away from you.
Would anyone see any reason why you couldn't add the KNO3 to your top of water? I have been on an off with my dosing of nitrate. I know how much evaporation my tank normally experiences, and I normally only add enough to make it though that day (i don't often feel like lugging large buckets up from the basement). If I mixed my daily dose into the ATO water it would supply a little bit of NO3 through out the day and I wouldn't have to break down and buy yet anther dosing pump. Thoughts?
OriginalUserName
Valuable Member
Thanks for sharing. I was seeing similar things and seems like 0 nitrates are the problem. I have started a much less scientific approach of swapping some dirty water out from my mangrove grow up bin (plenty of nitrates) into my tank. Seeing an uptick in glass algae but your results are comforting.
I've been doing this for a while. My reservoir lasts about a week so I just add a week's worth of KNO3 to it. It's not as accurate as a dosing pump but it works fine if you're just trying to keep your nitrates within a certain range.
What seems funny to me is that your.cheato started to die when you added nitrates it will usually slow down its growth rate when there are lack of nitrates so this is confusing me as to why you're cheito is dying now
Trevor40
Active Member
I am getting some crazy cyano bacteria with only .5 Nitrates and then they are 0 zero the end of the day so I have been adding a second dose.
Anyone else getting cyano from dosing and is there a trick to getting rid of it?
Anyone else getting cyano from dosing and is there a trick to getting rid of it?
If your getting cyano from dosing you may not need to dose. Dosing long term doesn't need to be done in many tanks.
Roscco do you have a build thread I have not seen your tank recently?
Roscco do you have a build thread I have not seen your tank recently?
Trevor40
Active Member
My nitrates keep falling back to zero after about 8 hours. Could it be that the Cyanobacteria is sucking it up? I've read that if just keep dosing nitrates that eventually the cyano will go away. I would stop dosing but I don't want to starve my corals. catch 22. What is more important, making sure the acros have nitrates or keeping a clean looking tank?
Maybe I should cut the amount I am dosing by half and see if I strike a balance?
OP
OP
That's what I found too, I increase my feeding, both fish and corals and haven't dosed in quite a while and my colors are holding.
My build thread is pretty dated, I have posted a few pictures here and there recently. There is a couple in the FTS thread from last week.
FRIDAY FTS thread!! Post 'em up here!!
I probably should update it or make a new build thread.
Wow man your tanks looking great! What lighting are you running these days? I think I remember seeing your tank that had 10k xms on it years ago, am I right? If so I have always tried to replicate that look with whatever lighting I use.
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