Nitrates 100+ppm, Need help with Dosing Vodka

[jda]

I think that at current, I have 3 purples, 2 yellows, chocolate, Galapagos sawtail, mata, blue, dussermi, gold rim or powder brown (I forget) and a few others and none of those ******s eat any algae. I am probably missing one. I have small patches here and there until an urchin finds them. These tangs are jerks... but they are my jerks and I love them.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Surely it will stop him from creating a bacterial bloom large enough to utilise 400ppm of NO3. Dosen't he have to comply with the Redfield Ratio? I hit 55g of sucrose to drop my NO3 from 50ppm to 0ppm in one day. I was ramping up the daily dose by 10%. I had to keep dosing PO4 as it was depleting quickly. I'm down to 1 gram a day now. NH4 0 NO2 0.05 NO3 1.

Does the intended bloom not require extra PO4 for ATP?

That is likely true, but I would super strongly advise against trying to reduce 400 ppm nitrate fast since it will could reduce O2 by far more than is present.

When done slowly, foods will keep supplying phosphate and it may be fine.

 

[Miami Reef]

If nitrates are 400ppm, I’d highly suggest starting with some water changes. A mere 10% change can reduce NO3 by a whopping 40ppm.

If nitrates got to 400ppm by feeding, there are likely a load of organics that likely need removal, which water changes also accomplish.

Alkalinity would go pretty high if you try to reduce 400ppm NO3 to normal levels by carbon dosing. Water changes won’t have this effect.

Going from 400ppm to around 10ppm NO3 with carbon dosing will increase the alk by about 18dKH.

 

[Ashish Patel]

If nitrates are 400ppm, I’d highly suggest starting with some water changes. A mere 10% change can reduce NO3 by a whopping 40ppm.

If nitrates got to 400ppm by feeding, there are likely a load of organics that likely need removal, which water changes also accomplish.

Alkalinity would go pretty high if you try to reduce 400ppm NO3 to normal levels by carbon dosing. Water changes won’t have this effect.

Going from 400ppm to around 10ppm NO3 with carbon dosing will increase the alk by about 18dKH.

I already made 2 (20% waterchanges) max I can do is 120gallon at a time. Sure I can add 3 more 30 gallon containers but they won't be heater or circulated.

 

[Ashish Patel]

I did a test today and diluted so only 25% tank water and I'd like to say its close to 50ppm. So best guess is I'm now at 200+ppm-300ppm

 

[Ashish Patel]

So I stopped dosing Lanthum chloride for 6 days and it's crazy how fast Phosphates rise so quickly in my system. In this time I went from 3ppb to 50ppb. Anyways I put the LC back online at a lower dose and next time I'll test get the sweet spot.

I am convinced my massive turbo snails, urchins, top crowns are the main reason behind the high spike - after adding them is when i started getting absurd nutrient spikes. They poop alot and by body mass are alot more than all the tangs combined. I just can't seem to part with them but I know once my Nitrates are maintained they will be fine. Same way my Phosphates went to 600ppb+ I just didn't think Nitrates would ever go so high in a large barebottom reef with tons of flow. I use alot of my homemade fishfood, 8+ feeds per day is all to much but the tangs need it otherwise the go at each other

 

[Miami Reef]

So I stopped dosing Lanthum chloride for 6 days and it's crazy how fast Phosphates rise so quickly in my system. In this time I went from 3ppb to 50ppb. Anyways I put the LC back online at a lower dose and next time I'll test get the sweet spot.

I am convinced my massive turbo snails, urchins, top crowns are the main reason behind the high spike - after adding them is when i started getting absurd nutrient spikes. They poop alot and by body mass are alot more than all the tangs combined. I just can't seem to part with them but I know once my Nitrates are maintained they will be fine. Same way my Phosphates went to 600ppb+ I just didn't think Nitrates would ever go so high in a large barebottom reef with tons of flow. I use alot of my homemade fishfood, 8+ feeds per day is all to much but the tangs need it otherwise the go at each other

My nutrients also shoot up quick without GFO. I can feed pretty lightly, and it’ll still rise up. I hypothesize that my rocks might be bound with organics or some film that doesn’t allow the phosphates to adsorb much anymore.

The phosphates rise is quick, but they also can deplete quickly with very little GFO. It almost seems like the PO4 doesn’t bind to the rocks in my tank. It seemingly stays in the water column.

Of course, this is just a theory, and it could totally be wrong. I never tested this hypothesis, so I take it with the finest grain of salt.

Maybe I still feed too much, but everything is happy and fine, so i leave it be. I just rely on GFO and vodka.

 

[Ashish Patel]

Seen way worse tanks. That is not so bad. Cheer up!

Don't be surprised if some hairy type of algae springs up as you lower your no3. I know that not everybody agrees with me on this, but I have seen some algae types pretty much disappear in high no3... some do not and I know that the nuance is lost on some. In any case, if some algae does come, there are some effective clean up crew that works at lower no3 levels if your fish do not care to eat the algae.

There are some newer patches of algae that the snails or tangs don't touch near the bottom of the tank where detritus is collecting. 90% of the acros are putting out new branches, one in particular at least 50 new growth tips and clearly happier than before. One milli is not so happy but another milli s getting really great PE after a year of holding on for dear life. I am sure the stable alk and lower light was the only thing keeping them alive all this time. Nitrates where probably 500ppm+ when I started. I still have 2 boxed of instant ocean so probably gonna do few more big waterchanges

 

[Ashish Patel]

I calibrated my PH Probe correctly as per many recommendations and my PH is much lower than I had previously thought. We talking 7.8-8 range. It will go up once I add a frag tank to the basement on reverse cycle and whenever corals grow and kalk dosing is higher.

I noticed a great deal of white slime clogging my filter socks in 1 day when I went to 55ml per day. So I since reduced it to 30ml/day. My mp60s and all pumps effectiveness drop and overall equipment take a beating dosing all this junk. But I shouldn't complain bc I do have a basement sink

 

[Ashish Patel]

My nutrients also shoot up quick without GFO. I can feed pretty lightly, and it’ll still rise up. I hypothesize that my rocks might be bound with organics or some film that doesn’t allow the phosphates to adsorb much anymore.

The phosphates rise is quick, but they also can deplete quickly with very little GFO. It almost seems like the PO4 doesn’t bind to the rocks in my tank. It seemingly stays in the water column.

Of course, this is just a theory, and it could totally be wrong. I never tested this hypothesis, so I take it with the finest grain of salt.

Maybe I still feed too much, but everything is happy and fine, so i leave it be. I just rely on GFO and vodka.

I bought some gfo last year and it would cost alot of money to replace the media. I calculated at least $20-40 per month and it works a little too well. I like the lC. I got 2littlefishes liquid phosban and it was $25 and will last me 18 months or more..

Also on my last tank I used Marco rock. This system I used all old live rock that was definitely dirty.

 

[Miami Reef]

I bought some gfo last year and it would cost alot of money to replace the media. I calculated at least $20-40 per month and it works a little too well. I like the lC. I got 2littlefishes liquid phosban and it was $25 and will last me 18 months or more..

Also on my last tank I used Marco rock. This system I used all old live rock that was definitely dirty.

Sounds good.

I’m glad you lowered the dose and followed your judgment. If bacterial growth becomes too apparent, lowering the dose is the proper solution.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I am watching this thread impatiently waiting for that moment we see a drop!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So I stopped dosing Lanthum chloride for 6 days and it's crazy how fast Phosphates rise so quickly in my system. In this time I went from 3ppb to 50ppb. Anyways I put the LC back online at a lower dose and next time I'll test get the sweet spot.

I am convinced my massive turbo snails, urchins, top crowns are the main reason behind the high spike - after adding them is when i started getting absurd nutrient spikes. They poop alot and by body mass are alot more than all the tangs combined. I just can't seem to part with them but I know once my Nitrates are maintained they will be fine. Same way my Phosphates went to 600ppb+ I just didn't think Nitrates would ever go so high in a large barebottom reef with tons of flow. I use alot of my homemade fishfood, 8+ feeds per day is all to much but the tangs need it otherwise the go at each other

Daily feedings can contain 0.02 to 0.3 ppm phosphate, so the residual in the water is a balance between two fairly large values (in and out) and so changing the out can allow phosphate to rise fairly fast.

Aquarium Chemistry: Phosphate And Math: Yes You Need To Understand Both

Foods are by far the most important source of phosphate in most aquariums. In considering whether sources of phosphate other than foods are important, one must carefully look to the actual amounts involved to determine whether other sources are even worth trying to minimize.

reefs.com

"Obviously there is a big range depending on how much is fed. What is surprising to many folks, however, is how large that number is relative to typical target levels of phosphate in reef aquaria, which might be something like 0.03 ppm or less. Even the light feeding of a single cube of a relatively low phosphate frozen food to this aquarium supplied most of that target amount in a single feeding. Heavy feeding added ten times that amount in a single day. In short, this high daily addition rate is why phosphate control is often very difficult or reef aquaria."

 

[Ashish Patel]

Every 2 days I am adding about 5 gallons or new saltwater to compensate for the wet ski

mmate. Hopefully these micro waterchanges are working. I am worried I may have to put this vodka on a doser so I can perhaps increase the dose without causing much bacteria issues.

Skimmer becoming a frothy mess so I made a hole in the middle to take the LC dose. Maybe have to put a weight on the skimmer but it seems to be working effectively

 

[Ashish Patel]

Tank is looking awesome. Colors are fabulous, growth has improved. Increasing radion intensity to a wooping 62%. I think I was at 45% 2 months ago. 4 rows of T5 take care of alot of the lighting needs so last year someone made suggestion to keep T5s on longer and have your tank get acclimated slowly to the LEDs. It was Def a good suggestion. Before I was messing with 4 hours t5 on and keeping leds at 80%. Which was burning everything. When I got the tank up to 9hrs per day with the t5 it seems to keep most things happy. My par meter doesn't work but its not crazy high. Maybe 100 on the bottom and 300s at the top

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Definitely skimming stuff out. lol

 

[Ashish Patel]

Ok so finally some success....in getting a NO4 or NO3 reading (Sorry Randy I keep forgetting).

I diluted my sample to 9ml RODI to 1ML tank water. Based on this I can confidently say I am hovering around 200ppm

See the test results.

 

[Ashish Patel]

Ok so finally some success....in getting a NO4 or NO3 reading (Sorry Randy I keep forgetting).

I diluted my sample to 9ml RODI to 1ML tank water. Based on this I can confidently say I am hovering around 200ppm

See the test results.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Just a question. Does it not matter for this particular test that the sample is not saltwater?

I'm asking because some manufacturers have different test kits for freshwater vs. saltwater

 

[Ashish Patel]

Just a question. Does it not matter for this particular test that the sample is not saltwater?

I'm asking because some manufacturers have different test kits for freshwater vs. saltwater

Good point but I have to double check since I may have diluted too much. Maybe I'll try again with fresh saltwater to match the RODI values