N-DOC Triton results questions.

[ReefRusty]

So the reason for this test was due to build up of alage mainly hair alage over my rocks. And the fact some.corals just didn't look as happy as they were several months ago. Tank is 12 months old. It's a waterbox 130.4 gal
Alk 8.2
Mag 1380
Cal 470
Salinity 1.026

It's unfortunate as using the old fashion test kit (salifert). For nitrate I was getting false reading which constantly were showing around 10ppm

However something didn't appear to be right. My phosphates have been in check using the hanna phosphorus ULR
and were as below

Now my results show very high nitrates almost 50ppm as per theN-DOC Test results and everything else looks in check.

Now based on this I've been recommended to change my filtration ways. Ie: run a alage reactor or refugium to maintain good levels and reduce alage growth within DT. Unfortunately refugium is not an option at this stage.

Current running filter socks and skimmer. I run rowaphos and coconut carbon in a media bag and have been for 12 months.

I recently purchased a fox face rabbit fish and have definitely seen a slight decline in the amount of hair alage on the rocksand watch it graze throughout the day.

See my results from my test

Any assistance or support would be greatly appreciated.

Rusty

 

[Miami Reef]

I’m not an advocate for lowering nutrients for algae because it’s not effective and may cause more problems. I see much better results with adding more herbivorous.

 

[ReefRusty]

I’m not an advocate for lowering nutrients for algae because it’s not effective and may cause more problems. I see much better results with adding more herbivorous.

I've got an army of trochus snails and sandsifters and a goby. But nothing else I can think of that will pick at alage on the rocks. Foxface is a work horse which is good. But it's more to get my nutrients in balance with each other.

 

[Dan_P]

So the reason for this test was due to build up of alage mainly hair alage over my rocks. And the fact some.corals just didn't look as happy as they were several months ago. Tank is 12 months old. It's a waterbox 130.4 gal
Alk 8.2
Mag 1380
Cal 470
Salinity 1.026

It's unfortunate as using the old fashion test kit (salifert). For nitrate I was getting false reading which constantly were showing around 10ppm

However something didn't appear to be right. My phosphates have been in check using the hanna phosphorus ULR
and were as below

Now my results show very high nitrates almost 50ppm as per theN-DOC Test results and everything else looks in check.

Now based on this I've been recommended to change my filtration ways. Ie: run a alage reactor or refugium to maintain good levels and reduce alage growth within DT. Unfortunately refugium is not an option at this stage.

Current running filter socks and skimmer. I run rowaphos and coconut carbon in a media bag and have been for 12 months.

I recently purchased a fox face rabbit fish and have definitely seen a slight decline in the amount of hair alage on the rocksand watch it graze throughout the day.

See my results from my test

Any assistance or support would be greatly appreciated.

Rusty

The NDOC test is not saying that your system has 42.65 ppm NO3. The NDOC test is measuring total nitrogen. The interpretation is that the water contains 2.5 ppm nitrogen from nitrate (10 ppm nitrate that you measured) and 7.15 ppm nitrogen from organic matter in the water.

 

[sixty_reefer]

If you can’t add a fugue look at carbon dosing this will also bring your nitrogen in check as long as you use a protein skimmer to export those nutrients.

 

[ReefRusty]

The NDOC test is not saying that your system has 42.65 ppm NO3. The NDOC test is measuring total nitrogen. The interpretation is that the water contains 2.5 ppm nitrogen from nitrate (10 ppm nitrate that you measured) and 7.15 ppm nitrogen from organic matter in the water.

Understand but is this still a high level I would assume. Obviously it is as my corals appear to be affected to some degree.

I run a skimmer as well so carbon dosing is an option

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't know which nitrate test is accurate (if either), yours or Triton.

But if you want to lower it, there are many good ways, including organic carbon dosing and growing macroalgae.

 

[ReefRusty]

I don't know which nitrate test is accurate (if either), yours or Triton.

But if you want to lower it, there are many good ways, including organic carbon dosing and growing macroalgae.

Yes been told if not a fuge then an alage reactor. Can get a OCTO 200 at a good bargain.

 

[Dan_P]

I don't know which nitrate test is accurate (if either), yours or Triton.

But if you want to lower it, there are many good ways, including organic carbon dosing and growing macroalgae.

Triton does not measure nitrate, only total nitrogen and then calculates nitrate using the total nitrogen. I don’t remember the rationale for such a calculation.

By the way I was able to reduce my systems organic nitrogen so low that Triton’s nitrate calculation was the same as my nitrate measurement.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Triton does not measure nitrate, only total nitrogen and then calculates nitrate using the total nitrogen. I don’t remember the rationale for such a calculation.

By the way I was able to reduce my systems organic nitrogen so low that Triton’s nitrate calculation was the same as my nitrate measurement.

I misread the organic C as being much lower. I think most of the N is probably nitrate anyway, but not all if it.

 

[ReefRusty]

I misread the organic C as being much lower. I think most of the N is probably nitrate anyway, but not all if it.

Based on this this is the recommendation from Germany.

Your system issue is related to nutrient export which is indicated by your high Nitrogen reading.

You can decrease Nitrogen by doing any or all the following:
Stop/reduce dosing Aminos
Stop/reduce dosing bacterial supplements
Stop/reduce dosing coral foods
Reduce fish feeding by 20% and monitor weight after 1 month (99% of people overfeed)
Increase efficiency or size of skimmer
Increase the size of the algae refugium/reactor
Longer photoperiod of algae refugium/reactor
Increase the light intensity of the algae refugium/reactor
Increased water changes

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Based on this this is the recommendation from Germany.

Your system issue is related to nutrient export which is indicated by your high Nitrogen reading.

You can decrease Nitrogen by doing any or all the following:
Stop/reduce dosing Aminos
Stop/reduce dosing bacterial supplements
Stop/reduce dosing coral foods
Reduce fish feeding by 20% and monitor weight after 1 month (99% of people overfeed)
Increase efficiency or size of skimmer
Increase the size of the algae refugium/reactor
Longer photoperiod of algae refugium/reactor
Increase the light intensity of the algae refugium/reactor
Increased water changes

Those are all reasonable recommendations, as would be others.

Can you clarify which of those would apply to your scenario (such as amino acids...)?

 

[ReefRusty]

Those are all reasonable recommendations, as would be others.

Can you clarify which of those would apply to your scenario (such as amino acids...)?

I definitely dose amino acids every day of 4 drops per day.

I dose iodine also 2 drops per day.

Running skimmer more wet than dry at the moment.

Would say overfeeding most days mysis and nori and pellets. So will reduce to mysis 3/4 cube per day and pellets 2 times a week.

Will invest in a algae reactor.

Waterchanges were 2 times a month of around 90L /400L tank.

Recently have changed 300L over 5 days which has reduced nitrates already.

Cheers

 

[ceaver]

The NDOC test is not saying that your system has 42.65 ppm NO3. The NDOC test is measuring total nitrogen. The interpretation is that the water contains 2.5 ppm nitrogen from nitrate (10 ppm nitrate that you measured) and 7.15 ppm nitrogen from organic matter in the water.

Can you help me understand how you arrived at these estimates? I just received some N-DOC results and am having trouble interpreting them. I've pasted my results below. One snag is that for some unknown reason my nitrates began to fall shortly after sending out the sample

 

[arking_mark]

DIY NoPox was very effective for controlling my Nitrates...

 

[Dan_P]

Can you help me understand how you arrived at these estimates? I just received some N-DOC results and am having trouble interpreting them. I've pasted my results below. One snag is that for some unknown reason my nitrates began to fall shortly after sending out the sample

What was the nitrate level of the sample that you sent to Triton? I will run through the math with that number.

 

[ceaver]

Thank you! I believe it was right around 11 ppm

 

[Dan_P]

Thank you! I believe it was right around 11 ppm

The 2.65 ppm N would then appear to be accounted for by nothing but nitrate because 2.65 x 4.43 is 11.7 ppm, a near perfect match to your 11 ppm measurement. The 4.43 is the molecular weight of nitrate divided by the atomic weight of nitrogen. This means there is little or no organic nitrogen in your water sample. If the nitrate measurement was lower, then there would evidence for the presence of other nitrogen species, e.g., organic nitrogen compounds

Make sense?

 

[ceaver]

The 2.65 ppm N would then appear to be accounted for by nothing but nitrate because 2.65 x 4.43 is 11.7 ppm, a near perfect match to your 11 ppm measurement. The 4.43 is the molecular weight of nitrate divided by the atomic weight of nitrogen. This means there is little or no organic nitrogen in your water sample. If the nitrate measurement was lower, then there would evidence for the presence of other nitrogen species, e.g., organic nitrogen compounds

Make sense?

Yes, it does make sense, thank you for explaining this!
So I've pasted a pic below of the advice that was given in the analysis. It says my nitrogen is high--based on your calculations above is this just another way of saying my nitrates are high according to the Triton preferred levels?

 

[Dan_P]

Yes, it does make sense, thank you for explaining this!
So I've pasted a pic below of the advice that was given in the analysis. It says my nitrogen is high--based on your calculations above is this just another way of saying my nitrates are high according to the Triton preferred levels?

Triton does not know that your nitrates are high. They are guessing. You could have a large amount of organic nitrogen and a little bit of nitrate and the advice would be the same.

Your nitrate level isn’t all that high. Are there issues with your aquarium?