Nitrates- How low is too low

[Gtinnel]

My current tank is approaching 2 years old and for the first year or so I struggled to keep my nitrate above zero. I started to manually dose stump remover which worked and allowed me to keep it around 5 or so. I don't know what changed but I eventually didn't need to dose and my nitrates stayed around 5. Over the last couple of months my nitrates have stayed around 1ppm. How low would you let your nitrates get before doing something to raise it? It never drops down to zero but I think I'd prefer it be a tiny bit higher.

I'm sure someone will ask so my phosphate stays around .05, and my only means of export is my protein skimmer. I won't turn it off because I use an outside airline to keep my pH where I want it. I can let the drain port go right back into the sump however if it's determined that 1 ppm nitrate is too low. My corals look fine other than I have one hammer that's polyps aren't extending as much as they used to, it still looks good just not quite as good. Also, I have been feeding heavier and that hasn't made a difference in nitrate level.

 

[terraincognita]

My current tank is approaching 2 years old and for the first year or so I struggled to keep my nitrate above zero. I started to manually dose stump remover which worked and allowed me to keep it around 5 or so. I don't know what changed but I eventually didn't need to dose and my nitrates stayed around 5. Over the last couple of months my nitrates have stayed around 1ppm. How low would you let your nitrates get before doing something to raise it? It never drops down to zero but I think I'd prefer it be a tiny bit higher.

I'm sure someone will ask so my phosphate stays around .05, and my only means of export is my protein skimmer. I won't turn it off because I use an outside airline to keep my pH where I want it. I can let the drain port go right back into the sump however if it's determined that 1 ppm nitrate is too low. My corals look fine other than I have one hammer that's polyps aren't extending as much as they used to, it still looks good just not quite as good. Also, I have been feeding heavier and that hasn't made a difference in nitrate level.

What do you feed?

1PPM is a bit low. I'd go for 5 as a lowest.

 

[PanchoG]

As your tank matures NO3 will not bottom and that is ok. I will suggest you to avoid chasing numbers and focus in your tank inhabitant health. I also had NO3 in zero, had cyano and dinos, then my NO3 went up stabilized in 20 ppm but went as far as 40 ppm. After that I added chaeto since then my NO3 have been between 5 - 10 ppm. I can tell you my reef never suffered with the exception of the cyano.

 

[Garf]

Too low is undetectable, detectable is enough but no room for manoevre

 

[Gtinnel]

What do you feed?

1PPM is a bit low. I'd go for 5 as a lowest.

I usually feed one cube of frozen brine or mysis and some new life spectrum pellets each day. A few times a week I will add in some reef roids and target feed the corals, and sometimes I'll chop up a thawed clam or mussel. I've also recently added in feeding some live white worms but that has only been within the last week or two.

If it matters my tank is a 125 with a very light bioload at the moment, which I know not having a lot of fish isn't helping with my low nitrates.

 

[Gtinnel]

As your tank matures NO3 will not bottom and that is ok. I will suggest you to avoid chasing numbers and focus in your tank inhabitant health. I also had NO3 in zero, had cyano and dinos, then my NO3 went up stabilized in 20 ppm but went as far as 40 ppm. After that I added chaeto since then my NO3 have been between 5 - 10 ppm. I can tell you my reef never suffered with the exception of the cyano.

I'm not usually one to chase numbers and I am fine with my nitrates being low I was just starting to worry about it being too low. I wasn't sure if anything above zero is acceptable. If I go solely by my corals then other than the one hammer not having as much PE they are doing good.

Too low is undetectable, detectable is enough but no room for manoevre

I am using a salifert test kit and there is definitely some nitrate. I'm not too worried about it dropping to zero, I just wasn't sure if 1 was a sufficient level for coral. If one isn too low then I will probably just leave it be and only start dosing when it drops to zero

 

[John Hathaway]

Personally I follow this mantra; loads of fish, heavy feeding, control Alk, large fuge, great skimmer, bare bottom, massive flow... I don’t test for PH or NO3 and everything (Acro inc) is growing like weeds

 

[Timfish]

Some of the cryptic sponges that show up in reef systems convert the DOC into nitrogen rich detritus that goes back into the food web (I doupt the detritus will show up in tests). Corals also prefer organic forms of nitrogen (amino acids and urea) and the inorganic forms ammonia/ammonium over nitrites. They may also have simbiotic diazotrophs which convert free nitrogen into nitrites. Not knowing or being able to test most of the nitrogen cycle or quantify the changes over time it's best not try to stick to a given number on a test kit.

 

[fryman]

1 ppm nitrate is fine. Undetectable is too low imho.

I expect some ppl worry about 1ppm because "margin of error" but I've found that tanks reach equilibrium and then just seem to hold steady... I don't know why but it's better to hold the course than chase numbers.

I think 1ppm nitrate 0.05 phosphate is a great place to wind up.