Nitrates around 1

[Joe Batt]

My tank is reading Nitrates around 1 and Phosphates 0.04. The tank looks fine corals healthy and colourful, cheato is growing in refugium nicely, (hair algae in there too :( )

Should I take it as a false negative ie the cheato is using all the nitrates or would I need to increase it slightly. It used to be around 5-10.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

My tank is reading Nitrates around 1 and Phosphates 0.04. The tank looks fine corals healthy and colourful, cheato is growing in refugium nicely, (hair algae in there too :( )

Should I take it as a false negative ie the cheato is using all the nitrates or would I need to increase it slightly. It used to be around 5-10.

I've run an algae scrubber at zero nitrate & po4. The macro still grew fine because the fish always keep the nutrients a trace levels. Just reduce the photo period for your chaeto & it will synthesise less nutrients over a given time.

 

[Waters]

My tank is reading Nitrates around 1 and Phosphates 0.04. The tank looks fine corals healthy and colourful, cheato is growing in refugium nicely, (hair algae in there too :( )

Should I take it as a false negative ie the cheato is using all the nitrates or would I need to increase it slightly. It used to be around 5-10.

Since your tank looks good and everything is growing, I wouldn't worry about the numbers and leave it as is :)

 

[Super Fly]

My tank is reading Nitrates around 1 and Phosphates 0.04. The tank looks fine corals healthy and colourful, cheato is growing in refugium nicely, (hair algae in there too :( )

those are perfect NO3 & PO4 levels! Its better the hair algae is growing in the refugium than the DT. Besides it'll also use NO3 to grow & u can harvest them when they get too big to export nutrients & just let them keep growing in the refugium if doesn't bother u.