Nitrate and Phosphate read 0, how to increase it?

[Clownfish2]

Hello reefers,

I have a 110 gallon reef tank and 35 gallon sump running for almost 2 years. Lights are two Radion G4 XR15. I use a protein skimmer. I also have a refugium with a H380 light on a 14 hour ON schedule. The chaetomorpha has always shrunk and turned yellow white in color. Even reducing the hours from 14 to 6, the chaeto withers. I do not use GFO.

My concern is that my nitrate and phosphate always reads 0. I have noticed my zoanthids shrink and appear ragged on the edges, montipora has changed to a light red to whitish color. My torch coral, frogspawn, and hammer coral, acan coral appear normal, but no significant growth.

My water maintenance and parameters:
1st year: I performed 35 gallon water changes once a month
This past year: I stopped doing water changes and began dosing Red Seas color program

Alk 9
Calcium 430
Mag 1340
Nitrate 0
phosphate 0
nitrite 0
ammonia 0
temperature 79
salinity 1.025

My goal is to raise nitrate to 10-20ppm and phosphate .03-.08. What would you recommend I begin dosing and how much to dose?

 

[cracker]

I'v e been using seachem phosphorous for Po4 & Specrtacide stump remover of No3 . Be care ful it' easy to overdose on this stuff !

 

[hijinks7]

few things...

1) trim your cheato
2) reduce the light cycle on the h380
3) Run the skimmer 12 hours a day
4) Feed more

 

[Clownfish2]

I'v e been using seachem phosphorous for Po4 & Specrtacide stump remover of No3 . Be care ful it' easy to overdose on this stuff !

Do you dose the phosphorous and the spectracide by hand or via a dosing pump? Is it dosed daily or weekly?

I travel every week for work so I’m thinking i could dose manually 1x week or if it’s better to dose daily, I’d need to set up on a doser pump.

 

[cracker]

I dose manually, I'm retired now & have the time.
when 1st starting You would want to test a lot to insure Ya don't over do it & to get an idea how much

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I recommend food grade sodium or potassium nitrate and/or phosphate for dosing. They can be obtained online easily.

 

[Idoc]

I recommend food grade sodium or potassium nitrate and/or phosphate for dosing. They can be obtained online easily.

Randy...do you have any links for the sodium phosphate or potassium phosphate that you recommend? Looking these up, there are monobasic, bibasic, tribasic versions...not sure what the differences are between them. I would hate to get the wrong thing. I've started dosing Sodium Nitrate (Loud Wolf brand found on Etsy) in a coral QT with good results...now need to get the phosphates above zero as well.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy...do you have any links for the sodium phosphate or potassium phosphate that you recommend? Looking these up, there are monobasic, bibasic, tribasic versions...not sure what the differences are between them. I would hate to get the wrong thing. I've started dosing Sodium Nitrate (Loud Wolf brand found on Etsy) in a coral QT with good results...now need to get the phosphates above zero as well.

All of those forms are fine.

https://www.amazon.com/TriSodium-Ph...0&sr=8-2&keywords=sodium+phosphate+food+grade

https://www.amazon.com/Disodium-Pho...7&sr=8-4&keywords=sodium+phosphate+food+grade

 

[Clownfish2]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the advice.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.

 

[MichaelClark55]

Used SeaChem Flourish and dosed daily according to their online calculator. This was before I read Randy's recommendation. His process would be more economical and for sure "food grade" products are tested. I took advice from another very smart reefer on here and he was right on. I don't claim to know the answer but I can read and understand what these guys are preaching!

 

[Toomnymods]

All of those forms are fine.

https://www.amazon.com/TriSodium-Ph...0&sr=8-2&keywords=sodium+phosphate+food+grade

https://www.amazon.com/Disodium-Pho...7&sr=8-4&keywords=sodium+phosphate+food+grade

do you have a link for the food grade nitrate powder randy?