Understand what is happening to your nitrate - anoxic bacteria will grow and consume it if you dose it. What can use it - macro algae, mostly. What cannot use it - most micro algae (think zoox). Then, understand what is happening with your phosphate - it binds to aragonite and the rock/sand will start to store a LOT of it and it will become a reservoir if you don't act (mostly a bad thing). Lastly, do your basic science on the difference between building blocks like N and P and energy like sugars... having extra building blocks is not necessary (you need some to not be growth limiting) and can be bad whereas more sugars usually mean more growth and health. When you gain this knowledge, be careful whom you believe on the internet... lots of bad info and stuff out there, especially from message board posters.
In the end, feed more to keep nitrogen available through ammoni[a,um], don't worry about nitrate unless it gets high. Residual levels of nitrate are fools gold and availability is the key, but also harder to understand and you cannot test for this. Keep a trace of P in your tank, but get the rest out - the sand will act as a buffer at low levels (good thing). I am polishing up my phosphate knowledge, but just know that there are many forms and you only test for one of them, most likely. Nobody knows for sure what each type of algae or coral want for easiest use, so feeding, again, is likely to contribute more forms than just dosing one - they switch forms too, as I understand it, so availability of all forms is probably preferable to one.
The thread linked in post #19 has both the reasons why ammonia is preferred and also the lack of knowledge that most r2r'ers possess about what is happening in tanks... it is a good read and also links some other good reads. There is also some rambling thoughts from different threads in a google doc in my link, but it is not laid out well.
In the end, heavy input through more feeding and heavy export with skimming, water changes or whatever is what most people are after, even if they do not know it yet. Availability over residual levels.
In the end, feed more to keep nitrogen available through ammoni[a,um], don't worry about nitrate unless it gets high. Residual levels of nitrate are fools gold and availability is the key, but also harder to understand and you cannot test for this. Keep a trace of P in your tank, but get the rest out - the sand will act as a buffer at low levels (good thing). I am polishing up my phosphate knowledge, but just know that there are many forms and you only test for one of them, most likely. Nobody knows for sure what each type of algae or coral want for easiest use, so feeding, again, is likely to contribute more forms than just dosing one - they switch forms too, as I understand it, so availability of all forms is probably preferable to one.
The thread linked in post #19 has both the reasons why ammonia is preferred and also the lack of knowledge that most r2r'ers possess about what is happening in tanks... it is a good read and also links some other good reads. There is also some rambling thoughts from different threads in a google doc in my link, but it is not laid out well.
In the end, heavy input through more feeding and heavy export with skimming, water changes or whatever is what most people are after, even if they do not know it yet. Availability over residual levels.