I recently switched from dosing Elimi-NP to NP-Bacto-Balance. Since the switch, my nitrates have dropped to close to undetectable, while my phosphates have crept up a little bit. I should add, that I still run active phosphate removal at this time. This tank had high phosphates for awhile, and I have been slowly reducing them. I still have a bit of Phosbond to keep the PO4 from getting away from me.
As I noted the nitrate dropping and bottoming out, I have been wary of getting a cyano outbreak. I recently (a month before I switched to NP-Bacto-Balance) had a bad outbreak, and I declared cyano bankrupty and used Chemi Clean to get rid of it. So I have been on the look out for the red velvet plague as my nitrates fall.
So far so good, no sign of cyano. My parameters are 0.1 NO3 and 0.15 ppm PO4 currently. I attribute the mis-match in N to P use to possibly still having bound PO4 leaching from surfaces. I thought about adding a bit of daily Amino-Organics in addition to the NP-Bacto-Balance, but I am wary it might awaken the cyano. In my experience, aminos are always a risk for driving cyano.
Other thing that might be driving the imbalance is a large biomass of macro, along with nuisance algaes. It is a frag tank, so I don't clean the glass or worry too much about controlling algae. I have noticed some GHA starting to grow on my gyre's since the change to NP-Bacto-Balance.
The corals are loving the NP-Bacto-Balance, my daily alk dosing has had to be increased, the algae love it. Everything seems to love it. I am at 0.75 ml/100L currently.
So what do you say, take the chance and add a bit of daily Amino-Organics to re-balance the N to P or just let the N remain low knowing that the tank is getting plenty of daily N additions that are not making into nitrate?
As I noted the nitrate dropping and bottoming out, I have been wary of getting a cyano outbreak. I recently (a month before I switched to NP-Bacto-Balance) had a bad outbreak, and I declared cyano bankrupty and used Chemi Clean to get rid of it. So I have been on the look out for the red velvet plague as my nitrates fall.
So far so good, no sign of cyano. My parameters are 0.1 NO3 and 0.15 ppm PO4 currently. I attribute the mis-match in N to P use to possibly still having bound PO4 leaching from surfaces. I thought about adding a bit of daily Amino-Organics in addition to the NP-Bacto-Balance, but I am wary it might awaken the cyano. In my experience, aminos are always a risk for driving cyano.
Other thing that might be driving the imbalance is a large biomass of macro, along with nuisance algaes. It is a frag tank, so I don't clean the glass or worry too much about controlling algae. I have noticed some GHA starting to grow on my gyre's since the change to NP-Bacto-Balance.
The corals are loving the NP-Bacto-Balance, my daily alk dosing has had to be increased, the algae love it. Everything seems to love it. I am at 0.75 ml/100L currently.
So what do you say, take the chance and add a bit of daily Amino-Organics to re-balance the N to P or just let the N remain low knowing that the tank is getting plenty of daily N additions that are not making into nitrate?
