Nitrates
- Thread starter Kimmi2413
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Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Take your skimmer off line during the day and on at night.
Feed a little more.
Dose kn03 or sodium nitrate.
What’s your phosphate at? There is a relationship between N03 and P04.
you can add nitrate to your tank.
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Agreed, hobby test kits often for P04 don’t measure low enough. Nuisance algae typically can take off if P04 is higher than N03.
Most of the time having N03 at 5-10 and P04 at trace 0.02 will correct, in time, nuisance algae issues.
Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
Also, some nuisance algaes actually thrive and live off ammonia in the system (fish waste)... this is the case sometimes when algae is present in no nitrate/phosphate environments.
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Did you recently make any changes to your system?
I would also recommend extra feedings, potassium nitrate, dry skim, more fish,
Don’t do all these too quickly or all at the same time as this can exacerbate other problems. Pick one and do it slowly and go from there..
If you’re carbon dosing lower the dose don’t just abruptly stop it.
I would also recommend extra feedings, potassium nitrate, dry skim, more fish,
Don’t do all these too quickly or all at the same time as this can exacerbate other problems. Pick one and do it slowly and go from there..
If you’re carbon dosing lower the dose don’t just abruptly stop it.
If you are dosing 2 part on a doser and your nitrates bottom out, your growth may slow and your alk will go up as it is not being consumed at the rate it was when nitrates were available. This situation often leads to alk spikes and can cause problems for SPS who dislike alk spikes and especially dislike them in times of nutrient limitation.
Update: I just noticed where you said you were not dosing alk. There can be another cause, when nitrate is consumed, alkalinity is returned to the water column. In equal fashion, during nitrification, alkalinity is consumed, and the consumption and return of alkalinity is equal. So if your nitrate recently dropped by a significant amount, then your alkalinity could increase. So if you are dosing nitrates directly, you are actually dosing alkalinity as well (or will be when the nitrate is used).
Dennis
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Hmm, OK so what is the Alk of your new water? Also how much of a change did you do? Because if nitrates are zero, and you are not dosing, then the only explanation is that the new saltwater had a much higher alkalinity then the tank, and you changed enough water to have an impact on the tank alkalinity.
Dennis
Not sure but I use Red Sea blue bucket. After the water change my alk was 8.6 and that was checked the next day after I did it. Then a few days later it jumped to 9. I only do 5g wc in a 54g every two weeks
Some rock and sand will increase alkalinity. What do you have for those? I have been dosing Acid Buffer to my new setup because my Real Reef rock causes my alkalinity to rise by 1 dKH every week. Once my newly added coral settles in, I won't have that issue and I will need to start dosing alkalinity.
I wouldn't start dosing potassium or sodium NO3 personally as it can upset the balance of building blocks available in your system. Increasing NO3 can drive down PO4 and vice versa. I think it is wiser to let your tank manage this number on its own through food input/processed organics. Dosing NO3 might get you a jumpstart in color, but I think a more stable food chain source is best and reliable.
I wouldn't start dosing potassium or sodium NO3 personally as it can upset the balance of building blocks available in your system. Increasing NO3 can drive down PO4 and vice versa. I think it is wiser to let your tank manage this number on its own through food input/processed organics. Dosing NO3 might get you a jumpstart in color, but I think a more stable food chain source is best and reliable.
Fishfinder
2500 Club Member
I would assume test error for the alk change
The alk level of the Red Sea blue bucket should be around 8.0 when mixed properly. So this would lower the alk of your tank assuming your tank had a higher alk. As well doing a 5 G water change is not going to cause your alk to move much at all. So like Fishfinder offered, this is most likely test error.
Yes, that is pretty much the only conclusion we are left with.
Dennis
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